May 15, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
CNN’s involvement in philanthropy began when officials at the network noticed two trends: celebrities’ growing advocacy on behalf of causes, and viewers responding to stories with e-mail messages and phone calls asking how they could help, Tonja Brown, director of strategic integration at CNN, told participants at the Council on Foundations’ annual meeting last week.
“We would be missing out on opportunities if we didn’t go in that direction,” she said.
CNN’s Web site offers ways that viewers can donate to a variety of charities, vetted by Charity Navigator, that are linked with current news events. For example, donors are directed currently to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and the World Food Programme, which are assisting victims of the cyclone in Myanmar.
“Every single day there’s an opportunity for people to do something,” she said. “Why not build it into their lifestyle?”
To get there: Go to http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/
