ePhilanthropy projects from around the world were honored today, at a "sold out" event in New York for the 2005 International ePhilanthropy Awards ceremony, on hand to witness the event were some of the greatest talents in global ePhilanthropy, hosted by the ePhilanthropy Foundation. Four organizations were recognized as the very best of 2005, while 19 others were given 2005 Honorable Mentions. 

“A program that set out to honor the very best of the best in 2005 has certainly done that with award winners from around the world,” said Ted Hart, president and chief executive officer of the ePhilanthropy Foundation, the organization that developed and conducted the awards. “Extraordinary efforts have been made by all 23 finalists, who truly committed themselves to their causes and the use of the Internet to reach, and many times, surpass their commendable goals.”

Awards were presented in four categories and the winners, chosen from among 55 nominees representing charities from five (5) continents and announced during a two-hour ceremony at New York's Midtown Executives Club, include:

• Best Community Building/Volunteerism and/or Activism (Non-revenue) Campaign – The March of Dimes was named the best of 2005, White Plains, N.Y., for its “Share Your Story” website  http://www.shareyourstory.org/ , a blend of blogs and message boards that allows families of premature babies and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit graduates to share their experiences, support each other and learn how to best meet their children’s needs.

• Best Online Donations/Fundraising (Revenue Generating) Campaign - GreaterGood South Africa Trust of Constantia, South Africa,  http://www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za was named best of 2005 for its unique web-based interchange designed to stimulate philanthropy and social investment for individual charities that raised more than $128 thousand for 46 organizations and five schools during the past year.

• Best ePhilanthropy Research Project - Luth Research Inc., San Diego, Calif.,  http://www.kintera.org/Kintera-LuthReport2005  was named best of 2005 for its research on online philanthropy behavior, including benchmark findings regarding online donations, produced from two surveys during 2005.

• Best Event Registration and/or Membership Campaign - Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, Chicago, Ill.,  http://race.y-me.org/carrie was named best of 2005 for its comprehensive websites incorporating information, registration, donation and registration components for the “Y-ME Race Against Breast Cancer” and “Walk to Empower” events that attracted more than 27,000 participants. 

Award winners received a glass sculpture designed by acclaimed artist Edward Kachurick and a $500 award presented to the charity of their choice.

In addition to the award winners, the judges chose 19 organizations to received 2005 Honorable Mentions:

• Best Community Building/Volunteerism and/or Activism (non-revenue) Campaign - IBM Corporation, Armonk, N.Y.; Lance Armstrong Foundation, Austin, Texas; National Education Association, Washington, D.C.; One Economy, Washington, D.C.; Taproot Foundation, San Francisco; The Susan G. Komen Foundation Champions For Cure, Dallas; United Nations World Food Programme, Viola, Rome  

• Best Online Donations/ Fundraising (Revenue Generating) Campaign - Cancer Community Center of Maine, South Portland, Maine; India Partners, Eugene, Ore.; Jewish National Fund, New York; Mercy Corps, Portland, Ore.; St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, S.D.; The Aidmatrix Foundation Inc., Dallas; U.S. Fund for Unicef, New York

• Best ePhilanthropy Research Project - CPNS Alumni Chapter, Queensland University of Technology, St. Lucia, Australia

• Best Event Registration and/or Membership Campaign - March of Dimes, White Plains, N.Y.; National Ovarian Cancer Association, Toronto, Canada.

The ePhilanthropy Foundation received 55 nominations in four categories detailing campaigns conducted by or for organizations in Europe, North America, Australia, Africa and Asia. All nominations were submitted through a special ePhilanthropy Foundation website.

The Judges

Finalists were chosen in online judging during August by a panel of six experts representing the nonprofit and Internet communities, including:
 
Tiffany Shlain, founder of The Webby Awards; Jeanne Dennison, Vice President of Human Resources and Public Affairs, The Verizon International Foundation; Darian Heyman, executive director of the Craigslist Foundation; Rich D'Amato, Vice President of Community Investment, America Online; Tom Reis, Program Director of Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Kellogg Foundation; and Pat Lewis, Treasurer & Trustee, AARP Foundation

Awards Program and Ceremony Support

Sponsors for the 2005 International ePhilanthropy Awards were: Artez Interactive, FundraisingInfo.com, GetActive, TenneyTech Corp. and eTapestry. Sponsors for the awards ceremony were IATS Ticketmaster and GrantStation.

The ePhilanthropy Foundation

The ePhilanthropy Foundation, a 501(c)-3 nonprofit, is the global leader in providing educational services via conferences and seminars, through publications, fliers and printed articles and over the Internet in eLearning courses in support of charities seeking to use the Internet for philanthropic purposes. The website is www.ephilanthropy.org.

The 2006 International ePhilanthropy Awards

The 2006 International ePhilanthropy Awards ceremony will be held in NYC on Thursday, September 21, 2006. Nominations will be opened early in 2006 with judging taking place in August 2006.

Those interested in the very latest information regarding the 2006 Awards and Nominations are encouraged to register to receive future copies of the ePhilanthropy eZine where the very lastest information will be posted. This can be done by sending an email to: subscribe@ephilanthropy.imakenews.net