Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Match $1 Million in Red Nose Day Donations Made on Facebook

NEW YORK, May 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Comic Relief, the nonprofit behind Red Nose Day, announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match up to $1 million in donations to Red Nose Day's US campaign through Facebook's range of charitable giving products. The joint effort enables people across the country to double the impact of their donation to Red Nose Day in the US, which supports programs that keep children safe, healthy and educated here in the United States and abroad.

Red Nose Day is all about coming together to have fun and make a difference for children in need. Red Nose Day supporters can take advantage of the match in a number of ways using new and existing Facebook products:

• Set up a Facebook fundraiser for Red Nose Day USA and encourage friends to donate.
• Use #RedNoseDay or #NosesOn in posts to prompt the option to add a donate button (text posts only).
• Go live on Facebook from a smartphone and add a donate button for Red Nose Day.
• Donate directly to the campaign from the Red Nose Day USA page.
• Support friends' Facebook fundraising efforts for Red Nose Day USA by making a donation.

People on Facebook can make it more fun by doing a challenge or activity if their fundraising goal is met, or challenging their friends and family to do the same. 

Facebook users launch their own personal fundraisers at https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers/rednosedayusa, or make a donation at facebook.com/rednosedayusa.

Richard Curtis, founder of Red Nose Day, said, "The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been a completely key partner of Red Nose Day and it's so wonderful to have their continued involvement this year. With the Foundation's match and Facebook's innovative fundraising tools, it's now easier than ever for people across the country to get involved and help raise money that will truly save and change children's lives."

Rob Rosen, Director of Philanthropic Partnerships at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said, "Donating money should be meaningful and fun. Red Nose Day is both. We're excited to partner with Comic Relief and Facebook to reach as many people as possible to inspire them to join us in ending child poverty."

Janet Scardino, CEO of Comic Relief, said, "Facebook's latest donation and fundraising tools are the ultimate way to let our fans be our fundraisers. We see Red Noses all across social, and now Facebook has made it easy to turn that into a new and personal way to give."

The 2017 Red Nose Day campaign runs from now through Red Nose Day (Thursday, May 25) and everyone can get involved. Buy and wear a Red Nose, available exclusively at Walgreens and Duane Reade stores nationwide, take on a fundraising challenge and share personal stories of involvement on social media to encourage others to make a difference for children in need using #RedNoseDay and #NosesOn.

On Thursday May 25, tune into NBC for a special night of Red Nose Day programming in support of the charity featuring: "Celebrity Ninja Warrior for Red Nose Day" (8 p.m. ET); "Running Wild with Bear Grylls for Red Nose Day" (9 p.m. ET), featuring Julia Roberts in Kenya; and the third annual "Red Nose Day Special" (10 p.m. ET). The three-hour primetime block will both entertain viewers and give them an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children in need here at home and around the world.

Follow Red Nose Day on social media @RedNoseDayUSA.

ABOUT RED NOSE DAY
Red Nose Day is a fundraising campaign run by the non-profit organization Comic Relief Inc., a registered U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity. Red Nose Day started in the U.K., built on the foundation that the power of entertainment can drive positive change, and has raised over $1 billion globally since the campaign's founding in 1988. Red Nose Day launched in the U.S. in 2015 with a mission to raise money and awareness to end child poverty, and has raised over $60 million to date for the cause. Red Nose Day 2017 will take place on Thursday, May 25. Money raised goes to the Red Nose Day Fund, which supports programs that keep children in need safe, healthy and educated, both in America and abroad. Beneficiaries include the Boys & Girls Clubs of America; charity: water; Children's Health Fund; Feeding America; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; National Council of La Raza; Save the Children; and The Global Fund. Since launching in the U.S., Red Nose Day has received generous support from millions of Americans, hundreds of celebrities and many outstanding partners, including Walgreens, NBC, Mars, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

RED NOSE DAY/COMIC RELIEF
Tolu Onafowokan, [email protected], 212.691.2800
Alex Jacobs, [email protected], 212.691.2800
Rosalin Gustafsson [email protected], 646-603-6850
Brooke Wood, [email protected], 646-603-6850

SOURCE Comic Relief, Inc.

Related Links

https://rednoseday.org