ePhilanthropy Awards Inaugurated
By: Kate Golden, 09/23/05

Yesterday in mid-town Manhattan, four nonprofit organizations were honored for their outstanding work in ePhilanthropy.  Hosted by the ePhilanthropy Foundation, the 2005 International ePhilanthropy Awards recognized 23 finalists whose innovative use of the Internet in meeting their missions set them above the rest of the nominees.  The awards, distributed in four categories, consisted of a $500 cash award to a charity and an original glass sculpture, and were presented to the winners during a two-hour ceremony led by Bob Carter, President and CEO of Ketchum. 

The award for the Best Community Building/Volunteerism and/or Activism Campaign went to the March of Dimes for its “Share Your Story” website (http://www.shareyourstory.org/), which serves to connect families of premature babies through message boards, blogs, and instant messenger capacities.  Parents are encouraged to share their experiences, to seek support, and to offer guidance to other families through this online forum. 

The winner in the Best Online Donations/Fundraising Campaign was GreaterGood South Africa Trust (http://www.greatergoodsa.co.za/).  GreaterGood South Africa works to enable South Africa to engage with, and substantially support, development organizations in their efforts to eradicate poverty.  Its unique web-based interchange raised over $128 million for 46 nonprofits and five schools in the past year.   

The Best ePhilanthropy Research Project went to Luth Research Inc (http://www.kintera.org/Kintera-LuthReport2005).  Luth's online philanthropy surveys include results on online philanthropy behavior and important benchmark findings on online donations. 

And, finally, the award for Best Event Registration and/or Membership Campaign was presented to Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization (http://www.y-me.org/).  Y-ME's websites include information on registration and donation for the Y-ME Race Against Breast Cancer and Walk to Empower events that attracted more than 27,000 participants last year. 
Plans for the 2006 International ePhilanthropy Awards are already in motion, and nominations will be opened in early 2006.  The field will only get more competitive as advancements in ePhilanthropy continue to occur.  It could be you walking to the podium next year, so be sure to visit http://www.ephilanthropy.org/and send in your organization's entries!