GlobalGiving and Center for International Disaster Information Launch Strategic Partnership

GlobalGiving and Center for International Disaster Information Launch Strategic Partnership WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- GlobalGiving, a global internet portal connecting individual and corporate donors with tsunami relief and other development initiatives, today unveiled dedicated web space for relief activities around the world through sponsorship from the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI). CIDI is a nonprofit organization incorporated by the US Agency for International Development in order to coordinate domestic humanitarian response to international crises. The partnership with CIDI, the authoritative resource and information clearinghouse on humanitarian crisis response, further underscores the reliability of GlobalGiving's platform. Both parties expect greater visibility through shared visitor traffic. CIDI, which will also have a link to GlobalGiving on its website, sees 5,000 hits a day and as many as 100,000 hits per day during humanitarian crises such as the earthquake/tsunami event. GlobalGiving averages 28,000 hits daily and has also witnessed significantly increased traffic due to the disaster. GlobalGiving has so far raised $400,000 for tsunami projects. "People are willing to give if they know and trust where the money is going," said Suzanne Brooks, Executive Director of CIDI. "GlobalGiving offers that assurance and more. By allowing donors to feel ownership of the local projects they fund, the GlobalGiving portal facilitates a more durable relationship between donors and the recipients who benefit." In addition to providing local development projects for funding, GlobalGiving's web space for humanitarian relief includes the earthquake/tsunami event, the Sudan crisis, Afghanistan, and Caribbean hurricane disasters. Within the tsunami disaster zone in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, donors have the option to contribute to a general relief fund for each impacted country, or to specific projects that provide project documentation and even email contact with local implementers. The GlobalGiving web space dedicated to humanitarian relief activities may be found at http://www.globalgiving.com/cidi. "GlobalGiving is proud to partner with CIDI, the respected name in reaching out to the public during humanitarian crises," said Mari Kuraishi, President and Chief Operating Officer of GlobalGiving. "By joining forces, we expect not only to deliver more resources to those who need it most, but also increase the effectiveness of those resources while connecting the public to development efforts." Through its outreach efforts, GlobalGiving has channeled over $1 million in grant support from citizens and corporations directly to local development projects around the world, and has the capacity to deliver millions more for disaster relief. As attention shifts from immediate relief to reconstruction and rehabilitation, the importance of GlobalGiving as a mechanism for sustainable development will only increase. GlobalGiving has received funding from the US Agency for International Development and various civil society donors such as the Skoll, Omidyar, Kellogg and Mott Foundations. Since 1988 the CIDI has worked with individuals, groups, embassies and corporations to provide information and guidance in support of appropriate international disaster relief. CIDI works with a variety of partners to channel the public's energy and desire to help to achieve maximum impact. By reaching out to the American public and the private sector, the CIDI helps to ensure greater benefit to disaster victims worldwide. GlobalGiving Contact: Donna Callejon VP of Sales and Business Development dcallejon@globalgiving.com (301)652-8455 Source: GlobalGiving CONTACT: Donna Callejon, VP of Sales and Business Development of GlobalGiving, +1-301-652-8455, or dcallejon@globalgiving.com Web site: http://www.globalgiving.com/ http://www.globalgiving.com/cidi ------- Profile: International Entertainment