Pencils of Promise Competes for $1M USD in Chase Community Giving Program on Facebook

NEW YORK, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pencils of Promise, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds sustainable schools, partnerships and solutions to enable basic education for underserved children in developing countries, today announced the launch of "One Million for One Million" a campaign goaled to rally voters to participate in Round Two of the Chase Community Giving Program on Facebook that starts January 15th. Chase has committed a $1M USD grant to the nonprofit able to generate the most votes on Facebook between January 15-22.

Pencils of Promise (PoP) was made eligible for Round Two of the Community Giving Program in November 2009 during Round One of the Competition with the support of the organization's network run entirely by young-professional volunteers. PoP ranked within the Top 100 charities and received a $25k grant from Chase in December.

"Pencils of Promise was created based on the idea that when young people channel their passion and energy towards creating good, the impossible becomes possible," said Adam Braun, 26 year-old Founder and Executive Director of Pencils of Promise. "We've funneled these efforts directly into creating sustainable education for impoverished children abroad."

Founded in October 2008, PoP uses for-profit business principles and non-profit ideals to work to empower Western youth to use their skills, abilities and networks to participate in the nonprofit process in a meaningful way. With more than 75 million children in the world without access to a preschool education, PoP helps bridge the gap of inadequate educational resources for the world's most impoverished children.

As part of Round Two of the Chase Community Giving Program, PoP submitted a Million Dollar Grant proposal to Facebook outlining their plan to build 50+ schools over the next 3-5 years and a new type of nonprofit that empowers both sides of the giving equation. On January 15th Facebook voting begins, with the organization receiving the most votes by January 22nd being awarded a $1M grant. The following top five ranking organizations will receive $100,000 each.

In line with the organization's mission, PoP will allow each of its voters to decide on the next country of impact with Round Two grant funds. In the effort Braun is calling "true democratic social giving," PoP supporters will vote on the organization's Facebook Chase Community Giving page and then be prompted to a microsite to vote for the next country of impact. They will also be provided with materials to self-organize and refer others to the site.

The Top 5 referrers and one referrer selected at random will be rewarded with airfare and a spot in PoP's next school-building volunteer trip if PoP wins the competition. The goal of the campaign is to rally one million small acts to enable the organization to win the one million dollar prize.

To access the Million Dollar Grant Proposal outlined by Pencils of Promise, please visit: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/489381?_fb_fromhash=4c86a5116003885a3bdd1ca33c7e096b&auth_token=97f726d3ad89922489ce86c1aac79f7b&installed=1

To vote for Pencils of Promise on Chase Community Giving that begins January 15th, please visit: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/489381

About Pencils of Promise

Pencils of Promise, a registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofit builds sustainable schools, partnerships and solutions to enable basic education for underserved children in the developing world. Pencils of Promise is a passionate community of individual volunteers dedicated to empowering each person regardless of status or position to make a positive impact on the world.

In 2009, the organization's first year of operation, Pencils of Promise raised over $150,000 in donations through fundraising events and donor support, built three schools in Laos, and established a presence in more than 20 cities and college campuses throughout the country. In 2010, Pencils of Promise has goals to attract 5,000 new supporters across the globe, to build seven more schools in committed villages in Laos and Nicaragua, and to continue to identify additional areas of impact around the world. More information about Pencils of Promise is available at pencilsofpromise.org.

SOURCE Pencils of Promise

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