30 September 2008

It's Voting Season at TripAdvisor: Tell Them How To Give Away $1 Million!

TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel community, has launched the "More than Footprints" philanthropic initiative, in which TripAdvisor will donate $1 million to five travel-related nonprofit organisations.

With nearly 20 million reviews and opinions from real travelers, TripAdvisor believes in the power of the collective voice. Accordingly, TripAdvisor will divide the $1 million between the organisations democratically, through online voting. Voting is open through November 9, 2008.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœThis "democratic philanthropy" Says Tripadvisor Ã¢â¬Åâœnot only fits the TripAdvisor ethos, it also empowers people to have a direct impact on corporate giving at a time when the economic downturn might make individual donations difficult. By simply voting online in the "More than Footprints" initiative, people can leave a lasting impression on the world.

We're all aware of the popular travel mantra, "Take only pictures, leave only footprints." TripAdvisor believes people can leave more
than footprints behind when traveling - by making a difference in the places they visit.

The five travel-related nonprofits TripAdvisor selected to participate in the "More than Footprints" initiative are:

-- Conservation International - Eco-tourism

-- Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) - Emergency relief

-- National Geographic Society - Exploring and sustaining authentic places

-- The Nature Conservancy - Environmental protection

-- Save the Children - Aiding children around the world

Voting takes place at:
tripadvisor.com/causes

After voting ends, each organisation will get a portion of the $1 million donation, based on the percentage of total votes it receives. Although each person may vote only once, they can build extra support for the cause they choose by referring friends to cast their own votes. Each
participating nonprofit is guaranteed to receive at least $50,000 from TripAdvisor. Results will be announced on November 12.

"We're a community of travelers around the world, and we wanted to do something that could really make a positive difference in people's lives," said Steve Kaufer, founder and CEO, TripAdvisor. "It's also an election year, so voting is on everyone's mind. We know that people want their voices to be heard, and we hope they'll raise those voices collectively to help us support nonprofits addressing global problems."

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