For
Immediate Release
AMERICAN EXPRESS
ANNOUNCES THE START OF MEMBERS PROJECT
CALLING FOR PROJECT
IDEAS THAT WILL MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT
New Survey Results Show
Americans Belief in the Power of Ideas and the Desire to Make a Difference
NEW YORK (JULY 22, 2008)
American Express
announced today the official start of this years Members Project
(www.membersproject.com), the online initiative that invites Cardmembers to submit ideas for projects to make a positive
impact on the world that American Express will fund with $2.5 million. In conjunction with the launch of Members
Project, American Express unveiled new survey results which showed that 96
percent of Americans feel now, more than ever, the world needs great ideas to
make a positive difference; 92 percent of Americans surveyed said that they
believe in the power of ideas to help change the world. With Members Project, American Express puts the power of ideas into
the hands of Cardmembers and, whether a Cardmember or not, everyone is invited to join the
discussion and nominate their favorite projects online. This
year, American Express will fund five winning projects; the top project will
receive $1.5 million, the second place project will receive $500,000, the third
place project will receive $300,000 and two additional
projects in the Top Five will
receive $100,000 in funding.
Every idea has the potential for greatness,
particularly when a community of supporters gets behind it, said Jud Linville,
president and chief executive officer of Consumer Services, American
Express. Today is the official kick-off
of Members Project, a unique way for people to come together and share their
ideas, passions and beliefs that may help shape our future. And its not just about ideas; it's about all
participants galvanizing their own personal networks - friends, family members,
colleagues - to get behind the causes that are meaningful to them. We look forward to seeing our Cardmembers get engaged in Members Project and determine
which projects receive the $2.5 million in funding.
Members Project 2008: Get
Involved
From
July 22 through August 19, Cardmembers will be able
to submit their own ideas for projects to make a positive impact in the world
and discuss, nominate and decide upon their favorite projects. Whether a Cardmember
or not, everyone is invited to participate by commenting on and nominating
their favorite projects online. Cardmembers can
select one of the following categories that best fits their project submission:
Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment &
Wildlife and Health. Cardmembers
can use photos, audio and video to enhance project submissions on the site and
anyone can go online and share feedback and insights about specific projects
for project submitters to consider. This
type of collaboration is greatly encouraged as submissions can be revised
throughout the first four weeks of the program. In addition, there are new and easy tools to promote
projects and spread the word, including online badges, widgets and banners to
be posted on sites like Facebook and MySpace.
Once
the submission phase closes on August 19, American Express will work with an
Advisory Panel of experts to review the projects and announce the Top 25
submissions on September 9. Its up to Cardmembers to ultimately choose which projects American
Express will fund. Cardmembers can make a collective difference by casting
their vote, showing their support for their favorite projects, and narrowing
down to the Top Five projects starting September 30. The winning projects will
be those with the most Cardmember votes, announced
October 14.
Because
there was so much passion for the final projects last year, this year, American
Express will award multiple projects with a total of $2.5 million in funding.
The top project will receive $1.5 million, the second place project will
receive $500,000, the third place project will receive $300,000 and two additional
projects in the Top Five will receive $100,000 in funding.
New Survey Shows Americans Desire
to Do Good
A
recent American Express survey uncovered current trends about Americans views
on the power of ideas and their desire to give back, including:
92 percent of
Americans say that they believe in the power of ideas to help change the world.
87 percent of 18- to 39-year-olds and 71 percent
of people 55+ believe that one person
can help change the world.
Men tend to be more
likely to focus on ideas that broadly impact the country, and women are
slightly more interested in ideas that impact their communities.
Almost three-quarters
of Americans say they would dedicate their lives to making a positive
difference if they could.
Four out of five Americans have done something
in the past year to help make an impact, including donating household articles
(57 percent), giving money (56 percent) and volunteering (49 percent).
The
survey uncovered that health, education and the environment/wildlife are some
of the most important issues to Americans; these, along with arts and culture
and community development, make up the five project categories for this years
program. Last year through Members
Project, American Express Cardmembers
chose to bring safe drinking water to millions in Africa.
This year, its up to Cardmembers to once again make their voices heard as to
which projects will be funded.
Experts
on Making a Difference
The
Members Project Advisory Panel, a roster of thought leaders and experts in
arts, community, education, the environment and health, will participate in
vetting the project submissions and narrowing down the field to the Top 25
submissions. The panel is looking for projects that are innovative and
achievable with a broad, positive impact, and Cardmembers
will ultimately vote on the winning projects.
The Members Project 2008 Advisory Panel includes:
- Geoffrey Canada President & Chief Executive
Officer for Harlem Children's Zone
- Mike Feinberg Superintendent & Co-Founder of KIPP
(Knowledge Is Power Program) Foundation
- Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE Founder,
the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of
Peace
- Dr. Sanjay Gupta Neurosurgeon & CNN Chief Medical
Correspondent
- Judith Jamison Artistic Director, Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater
- Craig Kielburger Founder & Chair, Free The Children
- Vanessa Kirsch President & Founder of New Profit Inc.
- Dr. Michael L. Lomax President & CEO, UNCF - the United Negro College Fund
- Dr. Wangari Maathai 2004 Nobel
Peace Laureate & Founder - Greenbelt
Movement
- Gail Sheehy Author &
Journalist
- Edward Skloot Director, Center for Strategic Philanthropy
& Civil Society, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University
- Jeanette Takamura,
M.S.W., Ph.D. Dean &
Professor of Social Work, Columbia
University
Members Project 2007 Updates
In 2007, after 8,000 project submissions and three rounds of voting, thousands
of American Express Cardmembers from across the
country chose Children's Safe Drinking Water as the winning project, and
American Express provided $2 million in funding to UNICEF to bring the project
to life. With funding from American
Express, UNICEF has been working to promote and provide education about household
water treatment and safe storage options in countries including Angola, Guinea,
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Tanzania.
At the conclusion of the project, Members Project funding will
help to significantly reduce waterborne diseases by promoting household water
treatment, safe storage and a healthy environment, and will additionally
provide safe water to more than 3.5 million people for at least two years.
For
more information or to submit, discuss and vote on projects, visit www.MembersProject.com.
American Express and Good Citizenship
Giving
back is a core value and being a good citizen is a hallmark of American
Express. Often credited as the first company to launch a cause-related
marketing campaign via a program benefiting the Statue of Liberty in 1983,
American Express has continued to roll out successful initiatives around the
world that enhance communities and bring support to important causes.
More and
more people are seeking ways to give back, align with important social issues
and do business with companies that are making a positive impact. Members
Project from American Express is a key way to bring to life the value of
Membership for Cardmembers, empowering them to unite
to make a positive impact in a meaningful way.
American
Express Company is a leading global payments, network and travel company
founded in 1850. For more information, visit http://www.americanexpress.com.
*About the Survey
International
Communications Research (ICR) partnered with a web survey panel firm, Authentic
Response. Sample was nationally representative of adults age 18+, balanced
based on age, gender, income, gender and geography. 1,000 online interviews
were obtained between May 8 and 17th, 2008, consisting of 468 males
(46.8%) and 532 females (53.2%). The survey consisted of 20 closed-ended
questions, and two Other/specify types. Because this
is a sample, and not an actual population, an associated margin of error
applies. At a 95% level of confidence, the margin of error for 1,000 completes
is 3.1%. This essentially means that we can be 95% certain that for any percentage
result for the total sample, the true percentage is within +/-3.1 percentage
points of that obtained via the survey. Within the data tabulations,
significant differences are reported at the 95% level of confidence.
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