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Virgin Unite
Virgin
Unite is the working name of The Virgin Foundation,
the independent charitable arm of the Virgin Group.
Created by Richard Branson and Virgin employees
in September 2004, Virgin Unite pools volunteering
efforts from across the Virgin Group and its hundreds
of subsidiaries and associated companies to grow
the efforts of smaller grassroots charitable organizations.
Partnered with more than a dozen charities worldwide
the company also provides a resource through the
Internet by serving as an online donation centre
for those wanting to contribute.
The
primary aims of the foundation are to make sustainable
change through economic development towards tough
social and environmental issues. These include
addressing the issue of delivering healthcare
to rural parts of Africa. Branson and Virgin underwrite
all the operating costs of the organization, so
100% of contributions can be applied towards causes.
History
Parent
charitable organizations - 1987
AIDS was first recognized on June 5, 1981. In
1986, it was reported that three to five million
Americans would be HIV positive and one million
would be dead of AIDS by 1996. In response to
such reports, Virgin incorporated a charitable
group called The Healthcare Foundation on August
3, 1987 to provide research in and education about
AIDS. In July 1988, the foundation's charitable
objectives expanded to include the relief of poverty
and the relief of disabled persons from their
disabilities.
Virgin
Unite - 2004
In 2003, the foundation sought to determine what
others thought it should focus on. After spending
six months speaking with social issues groups,
Virgin Group suppliers and partners, and numerous
Virgin staff members in South Africa, Australia,
the United States and the United Kingdom, the
organization concluded that many people and companies
were deterred from participating in philanthropic
activities by the complexities of the charity
sector. The foundation sought then to use the
Virgin Group's corporate and organizational experience
to identify the best practices in this sector
and to facilitate the entry of new participants.
Between
1987 and 2004, Virgin Unite operated first as
The Healthcare Foundation and then the The Virgin
Healthcare Foundation. In mid-September 2004,
Virgin established the subsidiary The Virgin Foundation
doing business as Virgin Unite in the United Kingdom
to coordinate all Virgin's worldwide charitable
ventures. Citing the spread of HIV in Africa and
the twin problems of malaria and malnutrition
as the first priority issues, Branson explained
his reasoning behind Virgin Unite:
I've
reached the age [54] where I've made a lot of
money, the companies are going really well and
we've got a lot of talented people working for
us. Now we are going to turn our business skills
into tackling issues around the world where we
can help. ... In the next 30 years or so I can
make an enormous difference to a lot of people's
lives just by using the strength of my own brand
name and being able to pick up the phone and get
through to the President of Nigeria or Thabo Mbeki.
We have the financial resources and the business
know-how. If the Virgin foundation works as I
hope it will, it could be that Virgin becomes
better known for that than for the businesses
we are in.
Branding
Virgin Unite has created a branding scheme based
around the idea of redemption to encourage Virgin
company employees to donate their time, rather
than their money, to one of twelve partner charities.
The launch scheme included the strapline 'Spend
time with your better side', a brochure, posters
and promotional items that juxtapose the seven
deadly sins with seven good deeds: lust is contrasted
with love, for instance, and gluttony with generosity.
According to Virgin Unite, this approach was largely
driven by the principles of having fun and celebrating
the reality of how people live their lives, while
encouraging them to donate time.
Your
Finest Hour
Also in 2004, Virgin Unite helped launch "Your
Finest Hour," a campaign that distributed
more than one million copies of educational materials
across the United Kingdom. The campaign also raised
more than GB£50,000 for South Africa's "Women
on the Move Project," a project that unites
three South African charities and targets vulnerable
young women between ages 15 and 24, who comprise
four of every five new HIV infections among South
Africans in this demographic. For these actions,
Virgin Unite received the Business Excellence
Leadership award from the Global Business Coalition
on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC) in
September 2005.
Outside
the UK
In 2006, Virgin Unite established itself in the
United States and Canada and presently is operational
in the South Africa and Australia. In addition,
Virgin Unite was cited in 2006 as an example of
organizations founded by philanthropic entrepreneurs,
young billionaires putting the benefits of capitalism
to charitable use.
Activities
The foundation is involved in several activities,
including to end obstetric fistula. It has also
been involved in youth AIDS awareness campaign,
and helped organize a clothing drive for homeless
and at-risk youth at Virgin Megastores in cooperation
with the charity StandUp for Kids. A main activity
of Virgin Unite is to raise money and awareness
to help defeat on a global scale what the foundation
refers to as The Big 3: AIDS, HIV, and malaria/tuberculosis.
In the United States, Virgin Unite is focusing
on global warming and rehabilitating homeless
children. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
Profiles
Virgin
Enterprises Limited
Richard
Branson
Media Man Australia and Casino News Media director,
Greg Tingle, is a pro active member of Virgin
Unite
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