ANIMAL PLANET ANNOUNCES MATCHING CAMPAIGN FOR THE NETWORK’S CHARITABLE GIVING INITIATIVE – R.O.A.R.
Eight Nonprofit Organizations Are Eligible to Receive Up to $100,000 Throughout Two Month Initiative hosted by GlobalGiving
August 15, 2011
(Silver Spring, MD) - Animal Planet's non-profit initiative, R.O.A.R., which stands for Reach Out. Act. Respond, is launching an eight-week matching campaign starting September 1 to raise funds for participating R.O.A.R. charities. Hosted by GlobalGiving, a non-profit that connects donors with grassroots projects around the world, the matching campaign allows consumer donations to be matched dollar for dollar up to $90,000 from the proceeds of Animal Planet licensed products. There is also an opportunity for all participating partners, including the American Humane Association, Earthwatch Institute, the Jane Goodall Institute, National Wildlife Federation, the Petfinder.com Foundation, the Jeff Corwin inspired South Shore Natural Science Center, Villalobos Rescue Center and Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, to compete for an additional $10,000 in bonuses. Starting September 1 through October 31, consumers can visit www.globalgiving.org/ROAR to donate to R.O.A.R. charities and learn more about the specific projects. To read more about the initiative, consumers can visit www.animalplanet.com/roar.
During the campaign, consumers will have the option to donate to the R.O.A.R. cause overall or directly to the partner charity of their choice. As part of the campaign, each charity is urged to rally their supporters to generate as many donations as possible. To encourage participation, each charity is eligible to compete for up to $10,000 in bonuses in various categories throughout the eight-week campaign. The bonus categories include top monthly fundraiser ($3,000), most unique monthly number of donations ($3,000), a "spreading the word" bonus that accounts for the most number of "shares" on Facebook ($3,000), and a judgment award for the overall loudest ROAR ($1,000).
The matching funds are generated by Animal Planet's consumer products program, which include pet products and lifestyle products from apparel to toys and home décor. Animal Planet licensees contribute a portion of their sales to R.O.A.R. with the intention of giving something back to the animals the network celebrates daily. To see some of the Animal Planet R.O.A.R. products, consumers can visit http://animal.discovery.com/in-stores-now/ and look for the R.O.A.R. notation. Animal Planet will promote the campaign on-air, online, and via post card inserts sent to consumers who purchase Animal Planet products during the eight-week period, engaging consumers and encouraging them to join in supporting their favorite cause.
"We are so proud that in partnership with our consumer products division we are taking Animal Planet's R.O.A.R. initiative to a new level that continues to support the incredible work R.O.A.R. charities are doing on behalf of animals," says Victoria Lowell, senior vice president, Animal Planet marketing and operations. "With the help of our viewers, consumers and animal lovers everywhere this matching campaign has the ability to improve the lives of animals around the world. It is our hope that participants will join us in our efforts and we will be able to match the full $90,000 in donations plus $10,000 in bonuses by the end of the campaign."
Established in 2006, Animal Planet's R.O.A.R., is dedicated to improving the lives of animals in our communities and in the wild. The R.O.A.R. partners benefiting from this program help wild and domestic animals in the U.S. and abroad. The campaign aligns Animal Planet with a powerful roster of leading animal and environmental organizations. R.O.A.R. is a key component of Discovery's overall Impact initiative which strives to celebrate, support and sustain the majesty of the earth's people, animals and natural beauty through innovative programs and events. For more information about how Discovery is making an impact, please visit: http://impact.discovery.com.
About Animal Planet Media
Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 97 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.
About Discovery Impact
Through its Discovery Impact programs, Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCAB, DISCK) leverages the power of its brands, businesses and employees to give back to the world. From programming that inspires and educates to annual events that make a direct impact on the communities in which we live and work, Discovery strives to celebrate, support and sustain the majesty of the earth's people, animals and natural beauty. For more information about how Discovery is making an impact, please visit: http://impact.discovery.com.
About GlobalGiving
GlobalGiving (www.globalgiving.org) enables individual and corporate donors to find and direct funds to high-impact, grassroots projects around the world. By aggregating many donors, GlobalGiving is creating a new source of funding for people with innovative solutions to challenging world issues.Utilizing its network of local projects and web-based platform, globalgiving.org, GlobalGiving helps companies achieve their charitable, corporate responsibility, employee engagement, and cause-marketing goals. GlobalGiving finds and vets projects, disburses funds, ensures reporting, and develops web solutions that leverage its community for corporate partner programs. GlobalGiving is a 501c(3) registered nonprofit organization located in Washington, D.C.. To date the GlobalGiving community has made over $49 million in contributions to more than 4,300 projects around the world.
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