NINE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS PARTNER IN THE i'm INITIATIVE

Windows Live Messenger connects customers to top social causes through the donation of Microsoft advertising dollars

WASHINGTON, DC. — Mar. 1, 2007 — Representatives from nine of the world’s most reputable non-profit cause organizations gathered today to announce their involvement in the i’m Initiative and to discuss the role technology is increasingly playing in their efforts to reach new audiences. This new initiative connects nine of the world’s most effective organizations dedicated to social causes to Windows Live Messenger customers. When joining the program at http://im.live.com, customers will be asked to select the cause organization they are most passionate about to benefit from donations generated from their conversations on Windows Live Messenger.
 
Every time a customer has a conversation using i'm, Microsoft shares a portion of the program’s advertising revenue with the participating i'm Initiative organization of his or her choice. While there is no set cap on the amount each cause can receive, Microsoft will make a minimum $100,000 guaranteed donation to each of the nine organizations during the first year of the program.

Designed to empower people to make a difference without spending a dime, the i’m Initiative will help support causes that are confronting some of the world’s most urgent social issues. The i’m Initiative aims to help the organizations involved to broaden their reach in a sustainable and new way, allowing the millions of people already using Windows Live Messenger today to be a part of the solution.
 
According to a 2006 Cone Cause Millennial Study, 61 percent of young Americans between the ages of 13 and 25 are currently worried about the state of the world today and feel personally responsible to make a difference.

The nine organizations people can select from include:
 
· American Red Cross - The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian service and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donation of time, money and blood to do its work.

· Boys & Girls Clubs of America - Boys & Girls Clubs of America comprises a national network of some 4,000 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving more than 4.6 million young people, in all 50 states and on U.S. military bases worldwide. Known as “The Positive Place for Kids,” the Clubs provide guidance-oriented character development programs on a daily basis. Key programs emphasize leadership development, education and career exploration, financial literacy, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation, and family outreach.
 
· National AIDS Fund - Since 1988, the National AIDS Fund has been promoting leadership and generating resources for effective community responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We continue to build healthy communities through an expanding network of Community Partnerships that support over 400 grassroots organizations every year. These groups provide HIV prevention, care, and support services to individuals and families most impacted by HIV/AIDS - youth, communities of color, women and gay men. We make sure communities have access to the most effective programs for preventing HIV.

· National Multiple Sclerosis Society – MS stops people from moving. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. Founded in 1946, the Society helps each person address the challenges of living with MS through our 50 state network of chapters. The Society funds more MS research, provides more services for people with MS, offers more professional education and furthers more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. We are people who want to do something about MS now. Join the movement at nationalmssociety.org.

· ninemillion.org - ninemillion.org is a UN Refugee Agency-led campaign to raise awareness and funds for the nine million refugee children around the world. Many of these children have suffered atrocities and are forced to spend years of their young lives away from home with little hope of returning. They have extremely limited access to education and often no opportunities to play. They are considered the most forgotten children in the world. ninemillion.org gives these children a voice, and the opportunity to a better future by providing innovative education and sport programs.

· Sierra Club - Sierra Club is one of America’s oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organizations and our members are more than 750,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. Since 1960, the Sierra Club and its members have worked to keep our air and water clean, and have protected over 160 million acres of wildlands including national treasure like the Grand Canyon, the Florida Everglades, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Giant Sequoia National Monument.
 
· Stopglobalwarming.org - The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-partisan effort to bring citizens together to declare that global warming is here now and that it is time to demand solutions. Global warming is one of the most urgent issues of our time, and while the problem is of worldwide significance, we recognize that the United States is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and doing the least about it. The necessary first step must be to encourage Americans to take action. This online grassroots movement is about change -- as individuals, as a country, and as a global community. We are all contributors to global warming and must all be part of the solution.
 
· Susan G. Komen for the Cure – Born from a promise between two sisters – Nancy Brinker to her sister Susan, who died from breast cancer at 36, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to end breast cancer forever. Thanks to events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Komen has invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill its promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

· U.S. Fund for UNICEF - For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world’s leading children’s organization, saving more young lives than any other humanitarian organization. Working in over 150 countries and territories, UNICEF knows how to save the lives of children with low-cost, high-impact programs. From child health and nutrition, water and sanitation, education and protection, UNICEF’s experience, resources, global presence and perspective are unsurpassed in helping save children’s lives.

Customers can participate in and learn more about the i’m Initiative, which is launching in the United States today, by joining at http://im.live.com and downloading the latest version of Windows Live Messenger.


For more information, press only:
Joshua Kittner, American Red Cross (202) 303-4249
KittnerJ@usa.redcross.org
Angela Richmond, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (404) 487-5813
arichmond@bgca.org
Kandy Ferree, National AIDS Fund (202) 408-4848 x212
hhunter@aidsfund.org
Arney Rosenblat, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (212) 476-0436
Arney.Rosenblat@nmss.org
Tim Irwin, UNHCR, nineMillion.org (202) 243-7623
IRWINT@unhcr.org
Orli Cotel, Sierra Club (415) 977-5627
Orli.Cotel@sierraclub.org
Heather Lylis, StopGlobalWarming.org (212) 691-2800
Lylis@kensunshineconsultants.com
Ann Jane Cox, Susan G. Komen for the Cure (972) 830-2664
ajcox@webershandwick.com
Marissa Buckanoff, U.S. Fund for UNICEF (212) 922-2485
MBuckanoff@unicefusa.org
Katie Smith-Adair, Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft (503) 443-7000 katies@waggeneredstrom.com
 

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