Last week, we marked a monumental achievement for the nonprofit sector. Network for Good, the online giving portal launched nearly 15 years ago, has now processed more than $1 billion in online donations. Since its inception in 2001, the Network for Good platform has handled donations to more than 100,000 nonprofits and trained 150,000 nonprofit professionals in effective nonprofit marketing and online fundraising.
Network for Good has been a part of the Case Foundation family since its inception. When my husband Steve was serving as Chair of AOL/Time Warner, the organization was spun out of AOL and formally launched by a coalition of companies including AOL, Cisco and Yahoo!, in partnership with more than 20 nonprofit foundations and associations.
Since that time, Steve and I have taken an “all oars in the water” approach to supporting Network for Good. The Case Foundation has made significant grants to the organization, and provided pro bono board support from our senior executives. In addition, Steve and I provided a loan guarantee to help scale the organization’s growth and made a personal investment in their for-profit subsidiary. Network for Good was also a crucial partner in our America’s Giving Challenges, which generated more than $4 million in online donations for worthy causes from hundreds of thousands of individuals.
Online giving has truly gone mainstream and technology has become a force for good because of Network for Good’s work. Today, the use of technology for good is as common as sending an email. We are strong believers in democratized philanthropy, and through technology – from the internet to social media – individuals can play a meaningful role in giving, sparking social change, and learning about critical social issues.
I am especially proud today not only for our history with Network for Good and this $1 billion milestone achieved, but that the Case Foundation had the honor of making the final donation that put them over the edge on their journey to that one billionth dollar. Congratulations to Network for Good’s CEO, Bill Strathmann and the entire team, along with the millions of donors who have given to causes they care about. We look forward to celebrating the next billion together!