Charity

Starbucks creates colorful ‘Cups of Kindness’ drinks to support Lady Gaga’s foundation

by Kurt Schlosser on June 12, 2017June 12, 2017 at 10:53 amComment

Step aside, Unicorn Frappucino, there’s a colorful new lineup of Starbucks beverages looking to grab the spotlight this week, and spread a little kindness in the process. The Seattle-based coffee… Read More

Video

Bill Gates recounts epic tennis match with Roger Federer, says he checked an item off his bucket list

by Kurt Schlosser on May 2, 2017May 2, 2017 at 1:09 pmComment

Bill Gates admits that he’s normally pretty composed in front of a large group of people, but playing tennis in front of 16,000 did trigger some nerves in the Microsoft… Read More

Google commits $11.5M in grants to improve racial equity in the justice system

by Jillian Stampher on February 23, 2017February 23, 2017 at 9:14 amComment

Google has committed $11.5 million in grants to organizations working to reduce racial inequalities in the criminal justice system, the company’s charitable arm announced Thursday. The donations are intended to improve… Read More

Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka to host ping pong tournament to benefit charity for homeless

by Kurt Schlosser on December 1, 2016December 1, 2016 at 11:42 amComment

Seattle Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka, who is widely considered the best ping pong player in the team’s locker room, will host a tournament on Monday where the benefit will go… Read More

Seattle Facebook workers assemble 1,000 care packages as part of effort to aid city’s homeless

by Kurt Schlosser on November 11, 2016November 11, 2016 at 3:59 pm 19 Comments

Homelessness has become a critical issue in Seattle as the city continues to evolve and grapple with growth and affordability. The plight of those on the city’s streets is especially… Read More

Bicycling Amazon manager delivers Kindles to Himalayan school, taking customer service to new heights

by Clare McGrane on August 1, 2016August 1, 2016 at 12:45 pm 3 Comments

Liam Ackerman doesn’t take customer service lightly. Last week, the Amazon UK employee biked over 300 miles to deliver two Kindles to the Shey Lamdon School in the Indian Himalayas—the highest Amazon delivery in… Read More

What Bill Gates would do if he were living on $2 a day

by Monica Nickelsburg on June 8, 2016June 8, 2016 at 9:00 amComment

Bill Gates, chicken farmer? The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist says in a blog post that investing in poultry would his first move if he were living on $2 per day. Nearly 1… Read More

Marc Benioff, Airbnb founders join Giving Pledge, committing majority of wealth to charity

by Monica Nickelsburg on June 1, 2016June 1, 2016 at 2:46 pmComment

Airbnb co-founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and wife Lynne are among 17 billionaires joining The Giving Pledge. The initiative, founded by Bill and… Read More

Seattle’s GiveBIG charitable campaign raises $21M, despite tech troubles

by Monica Nickelsburg on May 5, 2016May 5, 2016 at 9:30 amComment

The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG campaign for Seattle-area charities recovered from technical setbacks and surpassed its $20 million goal, with the help of matching grants. Donations via GiveBIG’s website totaled $16.3 million… Read More

Q&A: GiveBIG tech platform recovers, but ‘we still have our helmets on,’ says Seattle Foundation CEO

by Todd Bishop & Monica Nickelsburg on May 4, 2016May 4, 2016 at 3:26 pmComment

The past two days have been difficult for nonprofit groups around the Seattle region that rely heavily on the annual GiveBIG philanthropic campaign. The Seattle Foundation, which organizes the one-day event,… Read More

Tech troubles hit Seattle’s one-day GiveBIG philanthropic campaign

by Monica Nickelsburg on May 3, 2016May 3, 2016 at 3:13 pm 8 Comments

Update: The Seattle Foundation will extend its GiveBIG campaign through Wednesday, May 4. (See statement below). Seattle’s annual GiveBIG charitable campaign is experiencing technical difficulties. The Seattle Foundation, which runs… Read More

Paul Allen bankrolls 611 teacher projects in Washington state in celebrity ‘flash funding’ initiative

by Madeline Vuong on March 10, 2016March 10, 2016 at 9:54 amComment

Hundreds of schools in Washington state — 329 of them, to be exact — are in for a surprise. Microsoft co-founder and Vulcan Inc. CEO Paul Allen is funding 611 classroom… Read More

Yes, billionaires do use LLCs: Legal insights on the new Chan-Zuckerberg charity

by William Carleton on December 5, 2015December 5, 2015 at 10:31 am 3 Comments

Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to form an LLC, through which they’ll conduct charitable and philanthropic activities, made headlines earlier this week. The New York Times notes that other Silicon… Read More

Mark Zuckerberg announces plan to give away 99% of Facebook shares in letter to newborn daughter

by James Risley on December 1, 2015December 2, 2015 at 9:51 am 8 Comments

Mark Zuckerberg is officially a dad. He announced the birth of his daughter, Maxima, today in a note on Facebook, and also announced that he and his wife Priscilla Chan will give away… Read More

Donate to Geeks Give Back to receive one of these incredible GeekWire Summit murals

by Monica Nickelsburg on October 22, 2015April 10, 2017 at 8:39 amComment

Translating technical concepts into compelling art is no easy feat. But that didn’t stop muralist Guillaume Wiatr from creating nine incredible, giant art boards during our recent GeekWire Summit. “The first thing… Read More

ImpactFlow raises $5.7M to simplify how companies, employees donate to non-profits

by Taylor Soper on August 11, 2015August 11, 2015 at 12:52 am1 Comment

ImpactFlow wants to help non-profits and businesses work together more effectively, and now it has a good chunk of funding to do so. The Portland startup today announced a $5.7 million… Read More

Startup Spotlight: ActionSprout helps non-profits boost Facebook engagement

by Monica Nickelsburg on July 30, 2015July 29, 2015 at 4:24 pmComment

Non-profit organizations have a tall order. Getting people to engage, donate, and volunteer their time without concrete compensation is no easy feat. In the past, non-profits relied on grassroots efforts and… Read More

Mystery solved! Amazon delivers giant boxes of toys to charities around the U.S.

by Blair Hanley Frank on December 13, 2014December 13, 2014 at 7:57 pm 3 Comments

The mysterious giant Amazon boxes that have been popping up around the U.S. are mysteries no more: the Seattle-based retail giant has spreading some holiday cheer the past week delivering them… Read More

Startup Spotlight: LilyDrive wants to change how and when we make donations to charity online

by Monica Nickelsburg on December 12, 2014February 3, 2015 at 6:53 pmComment

Consider the last story online that left an impression on you; the most recent content you shared with friends; the most memorable article you engaged with in the last week. Did it make you… Read More

Seattle-based Landesa wins Google Global Impact Award

by Blair Hanley Frank on December 12, 2013December 12, 2013 at 4:17 pmComment

Landesa, in partnership with Frontline SMS, has been named one of the recipients of Google’s Global Impact Award, which celebrates entrepreneurs going out and solving problems facing the world today.… Read More

Amazon donating $20 to charity for every Kindle HDX purchase made this week

by Taylor Soper on December 3, 2013December 3, 2013 at 8:03 am1 Comment

Back in October, Amazon debuted its Amazon Smile program that allows customers to donate 0.5 percent of the price of eligible purchases to a charity of the buyer’s choice. Now, for… Read More

Sloth bears and scoreboards: Crazy items from Microsoft’s annual charity auction

by Todd Bishop on November 1, 2013November 1, 2013 at 10:25 am1 Comment

Microsoft just wrapped up its yearly Employee Giving Campaign, the latest installment in a philanthropic initiative that has raised more than $1 billion for charity over the past three decades.… Read More

Survive the Streets uses crowdfunding to help people on brink of homelessness

by Taylor Soper on October 7, 2013October 7, 2013 at 10:50 am1 Comment

When you donate money to charity or give someone a few dollars on the street, it’s hard to tell exactly where and how the funds will be used. Survive the… Read More

30 Hour Famine: Teens tweet about starving for charity

by Lily Katz on February 22, 2013December 3, 2014 at 9:07 amComment

This weekend, the Christian humanitarian organization World Vision will put on its 20th “30 Hour Famine,” a biannual youth fasting event aimed at raising awareness and money for hungry families around… Read More

Microsoft employees raised $105M for 19K non-profits in 2012

by Taylor Soper on February 20, 2013February 20, 2013 at 2:20 pm 4 Comments

For the second year in a row, Microsoft employees eclipsed the $100 million mark in charitable donations, raising $105 million for nearly 19,000 nonprofit organizations. The announcement comes nearly four… Read More

Bill Gates wants your help to change the world by 2030

by Taylor Soper on January 25, 2013January 25, 2013 at 11:18 amComment

Once a year, Bill Gates pens an annual letter that recaps the work being done around the world that’s helping the less fortunate. Before his 2013 words come out next… Read More

Microsoft’s disaster response app HelpBridge alerts family and friends during crisis

by Taylor Soper on January 17, 2013January 17, 2013 at 1:07 pm 2 Comments

The next time a big disaster hits, Microsoft wants to help you connect with your loved ones. To do that, the Redmond software giant just debuted HelpBridge, a new app… Read More

Giving back made easy: New Placed app lets you donate to charity by installing app

by Taylor Soper on December 20, 2012December 20, 2012 at 8:46 amComment

Privacy is important and understandably, people often opt-out of having their location tracked by certain apps. But a new app from Seattle location analytics startup Placed encourages tracking by allowing users… Read More

How geeks do charity: Use your GPU to churn out goats

by Todd Bishop on December 20, 2012December 20, 2012 at 8:34 am 13 Comments

Your computer’s graphics processor might be more charitable than you think. CoinLab, a Seattle-based tech startup that focuses on the Bitcoin digital currency, has come up with a way for… Read More

‘Tis the season: Google’s unique Seattle-born G-Give charity program raising thousands this week

by Taylor Soper on December 13, 2012December 13, 2012 at 4:20 pmComment

Life can get hectic for a mid-twenties software engineer at a big company. You’re working long hours at an exciting, fast-paced job and when you’re not grinding away at the… Read More