WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sept 15, 2008 - Supporting grassroots projects around the world just became easier and more fulfilling. GlobalGiving, the US-based online marketplace for philanthropy is expanding its innovative giving model to the other side of the Atlantic. GlobalGiving.co.uk went live today with Minister for International Development Shahid Malik MP becoming the site's first official UK supporter. Minister Malik made an online donation to a project providing radios to educate orphaned Rwandan children on health and livestock issues, run by the Freeplay Foundation.

The GlobalGiving concept was established in 2001 in the U.S. by two former World Bank executives, Dennis Whittle and Mari Kuraishi. Since then, the marketplace for giving has generated over $12 million to fund over 1,000 grassroots development projects. Its UK expansion, GlobalGiving.co.uk now offers the same exciting types of project opportunities to UK based donors.

The GlobalGiving.co.uk site enables individuals to give directly to hundreds of well-vetted grassroots charity projects in over 70 countries, mostly in the developing world. Donors can also tangibly see the impact of their donations on the communities concerned through regular progress updates from project leaders. Projects range from providing clean water to villages in Morocco, enabling Guatemalan women to set up small-scale businesses, or helping Nepalis produce pedal-generated light as an alternative to dirty kerosene lamps.

Charities have long grappled with the issue of giving supporters a sense of the impact of their donations, and avoiding the uncertain feeling that donors often experience after sending a cheque. Meanwhile, outstanding projects struggle to obtain financing throughout the developing world. With GlobalGiving.co.uk individual donors can choose how much they wish to give "“ as little as £5 "“ and to which causes. In fact, many project leaders insist that the steady amounts of small donations are the ones responsible for projects reaching their goals.

"On GlobalGiving.co.uk even small, one-time donations of £5 can go a long way," said Sharath Jeevan, Chief Executive of GlobalGiving.co.uk, which is itself a UK registered charity.

GlobalGiving.co.uk has already established strong backing in the UK with funding from Venturesome (the social investment arm of the Charities Aid Foundation) and the Travel Foundation. It has also received corporate support from the likes of Expedia, Google and PayPal. Expedia and Hotels.com are providing free banner inventory across several European countries, and are also promoting the use of the website among staff across the same set of countries.

GlobalGiving.co.uk has also been a recipient of a Google grant award.

A number of UK charities - of all sizes - have projects on the site at launch, including well known organizations such as VSO. A partnership with the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) also means that CAF donors can donate to GlobalGiving projects in a few clicks, using existing funds in their CAF account. Sheila Hooper, CAF’s Executive Director of Marketing and Private Client said: "More and more of our clients want to give to overseas causes so we are very pleased to offer CAF donors even more choice in the causes they can give to."

GlobalGiving.co.uk hopes to take advantage of the dramatic growth of online fundraising in the U.S. and UK, which has been growing in excess of 50% a year. The website also offers alternatives to traditional gift-giving. Donors have the option of purchasing gift certificates, setting up wedding lists or making donations in someone's honor.

Moreover, UK tax payers can claim Gift Aid on their donations, meaning even more money goes to their chosen project.

"GlobalGiving.co.uk really highlights the diversity and complexity of international development challenges and the potential solutions, as well as the impact an individual here in the UK can make," commented Minister Malik.

For further information about GlobalGiving in the UK, please visit: www.globalgiving.co.uk

About GlobalGiving
GlobalGiving (www.globalgiving.com) is the leading Internet-based network for peer-to-peer philanthropy. Our mission is to sustain a high-powered marketplace for good that connects donors directly to the causes they care most about. Through GlobalGiving, individuals and corporations can maximize the impact of every dollar by efficiently and transparently directing their donations to projects here at home and around the world. Since its launch in 2002, GlobalGiving has helped thousands of donors give over $12 million to approximately 1,000 projects. GlobalGiving is based in Washington, D.C.

GlobalGiving

GlobalGiving

GlobalGiving is the first and largest global crowdfunding community. We promote a virtuous circle of good by helping nonprofits, individual donors, and companies enhance the effectiveness of locally-led projects around the world. We work with companies on their strategic community investment, employee engagement and cause marketing programs to strengthen thousands of nonprofits in more than 165 countries.

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