ISP Philanthropic Review:
AOL Foundation.org

In establishing a charitable foundation, premier ISP America Online is using the power of the Net to strengthen and refine its own community-building and community-serving capacities.

by Christopher M. Knight [December 20, 1999]

Established in October 1997, the nonprofit AOL Foundation's mission is "To use online technology to benefit society, improve the lives of families and children, and empower the disadvantaged." In today's article, we'll consider the value of planned, organized giving as it relates to your ISP business as we take a peek at what America Online has achieved with its AOL Foundation.

Former AOL chairman Jim Kimsey is Chairman Emeritus of the AOL Foundation, along with a small army of other committed AOL employees who contribute to the foundation—including Steve Case himself. Michele Cavataio, Sr. Director for the AOL Foundation, said that Case believes strongly in building a medium that benefits society and has often said that we need to take advantage of the fact "that the online medium is big enough to matter, but still small enough to shape."

It's interesting to note that the king of ISP brand-building who has been driving the AOL name brand for the past decade has chosen, in effect, to build this foundation without the AOL brand—by creating a site at HELPING.ORG. According to Cavataio, by disassociating the brand from the foundation's web site, they were able to encourage partners and competitors to participate without having to worry about competing with AOL through their giving.

In order to get the word out, Steve Case sends highlights about the foundation in his quarterly e-mail address to the entire membership of 20 million subscribers. Even investors get involved, since the foundation organizers exhibited at the annual stockholders meeting where folks thought it was a terrific resource, according to Cavataio.

Who the AOL Foundation serves
Helping.org, which is an initiative and product of the AOL Foundation, serves two primary audiences: 1) consumers and 2) the nonprofit community. For consumers, the Foundation is helping to build the Internet to contain valuable resources and tools that people will use in their everyday lives. For the nonprofit organizations, it is helping them build online capacity by providing a clearinghouse of resources to help groups get connected, raise funds, and develop their web sites, in addition to hands-on applications that assist them in getting started using the Internet.

During a crisis, they are able to use their news ticker to bring attention and channel the philanthropic giving power of their members who want to pitch in. They also help their members find volunteer jobs around the country.

From a global perspective, the the AOL Foundation complements America Online's corporate mission by helping to lead the development of innovative practices and utilities by which interactive technology benefits society. This includes improving education, empowering and improving the lives of those in disadvantaged communities, and bridging the growing gulf between those who have access to interactive technology and those who do not.

Foundation focus priorities
The Foundation has divided its priorities into the following five categories of interest, of which the first is the overarching theme:

• Digital Divide - Empower under-served populations to close the widening social and economic gaps between those who have access to information technology and those who do not
• Civic Engagement - Enable more immediate, higher quality, more personal communications between elected/appointed officials and citizens, and build capacity for communities to conduct online dialogue and problem solving
• Kids/Family/Education - Ensure the medium is rewarding and safe for kids, and expand the capacity for using technology effectively in education
• Health care - Improve access to health care and make health information and services more widely available through the online medium—especially to senior citizens—and build interest and capacity among health care providers to use the medium
• Philanthropy - Establish giving and service as a fundamental element of the medium, and build capacity in the nonprofit community to meet the demand for online nonprofit activities.

Employee uplift
According to Cavataio, "Our employees are proud that their company is giving back to society using the same medium that has made AOL so successful." There is a lot of good will and positive morale when they look to the AOL service, knowing that AOL gives back to society for all its been given. AOL employees also volunteer on their own time, with over 80 serving as mentors to Washington, DC high school students for an education partnership program called AOL ACHIEVERS. Lastly, AOL employees also serve as first round reviewers for various grant programs of the Foundation.

To learn more about the AOL Foundation, surf on over to: http://www.aolfoundation.org or http://www.helping.org/ or call 703-265-1342 or email: AOLGrants@AOL.com.

To Your ISPs Philanthropic Success!

Christopher ("Sparky") Knight
Founder & Managing Editor of the ISP-Lists Discussion Community

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