CHARITY HELP NOW ONLINE
By Adnews Staff
CanadaHelps.org, an Internet-based charity that allows non-profit organizations to raise funds and recruit volunteers, goes live today. The site was founded by three Canadian University students, Aaron Pereira, Matthew Choi and Ryan Little and has received support from companies such as Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Ltd., Nortel Networks, Oracle Corporation Canada Inc. and the law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. CanadaHelps.org will include a database of all 78,000 charities in Canada. Consumers can log on to read news related to the charitable sector, search for volunteer opportunities or make a donation. Non-profit organizations can also promote activities through the site's electronic magazine. Pereira said CanadaHelps.org is initially being supported with public and media relations from BenchMark Porter Novelli of Toronto. Upcoming marketing and advertising activities include a four-week campaign through ENN's elevator news network and co-branded promotions with other Web sites. CanadaHelps.org will also be launching its own branded MasterCard through Bank of Montreal and a television commercial, created by fellow students of the partners, has also been put together to promote the site.