New York, NY, May 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Red Nose Day, the annual campaign to end child poverty, today recognized a wide array of new and expanded partnerships for 2019, supporting its work to raise awareness and vital funds for children living in poverty. The partnerships offer donors frictionless giving opportunities, provide access to new audiences and expand Red Nose Day’s reach through the use of new technologies.
“In the crowded giving space, we realize it can be challenging to break through to new audiences and encourage giving. But through the amazing support of our partners, Red Nose Day continues to innovate, drive donations and, as a result, help millions of children in need,” said Mary Catherine Burdine, Director of Corporate Partnerships, Comic Relief USA. “These critical partnerships have been, and will continue to be, instrumental in the success of the Red Nose Day campaign. We’re grateful for the partnership and support of so many outstanding organizations and platforms.”
Joining long-standing core partners Walgreens, NBC, M&M’S, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Red Nose Day’s new and expanded partnerships for 2019 include:
- Xbox — Gamers are invited to support Red Nose Day by purchasing specially marked Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold memberships at participating Walgreens stores nationwide through June 1, with Xbox committing a $100,000 donation to the cause. Between May 16-23, for every new paid membership sign up to Xbox Game Pass through the Xbox store in the U.S. on your console, Xbox will donate $1 to Red Nose Day, up to $150,000. Xbox also created a Red Nose Day-themed quest to earn Microsoft Rewards, which you can donate to Red Nose Day. Lastly, Xbox donated nearly $25,000 in merchandise and memberships for Red Nose Day’s first-ever ‘Nose Bowl’ livestream fundraiser.
- Alexa — When Americans start their day with Alexa and say, “Alexa, good morning” on May 23rd — Red Nose Day — Alexa will respond with “Good morning! My light ring may be blue, but today I'm thinking about red — in support of Red Nose Day, a charitable campaign with a mission to end child poverty. If you'd like to contribute, just say, ‘Alexa, make a donation to Red Nose Day,’ and I'll walk you through it.” The phrase triggers an easy-to-follow donation process with seamless payment using the information stored in your Amazon account, facilitated by Amazon Pay. In addition to the special Red Nose Day prompt on May 23, Alexa customers can donate to Red Nose Day at any time throughout the year just by saying, “Alexa, make a donation to Red Nose Day.”
- TikTok — TikTok users across America are invited to help the cause by creating the world's biggest Joke-Ha-Thon for Red Nose Day. Users are asked to simply tell their favorite joke on camera and post it to TikTok, a short-form video app, with the hashtag #RedNoseDay. In addition, a custom AR filter will go live on Red Nose Day. For every post created under the hashtag, TikTok will donate $2 up to $100,000.
- PayPal — PayPal has partnered with Red Nose Day since 2015. From May 1-30, PayPal will match 1% of all donations made to Red Nose Day via PayPal.* During this window, they will also help to promote Red Nose Day across their social channels and website. On Red Nose Day itself, May 23, PayPal will send two dedicated emails showcasing Red Nose Day to their full database, reaching millions of PayPal users.
- Humble Bundle — Humble Bundle's mission is to support charity through a store full of games, bundles, and "Humble Monthly", a gaming subscription service. Red Nose Day is Humble Bundle’s chosen philanthropy for June.
- Johnson & Johnson — Johnson & Johnson is leveraging their Donate a Photo App for Red Nose Day, asking consumers to upload a photo of anything that inspires them from now until August 31 — including Red Nose selfies! For every photo uploaded, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1, up to $50,000.
- Veronica Beard — Throughout the month of May, all online purchases on VeronicaBeard.com will result in a $10 donation to Red Nose Day. Red Nose Day will also benefit from net proceeds from the purchase of the VBGB tote bag. Lastly, at all independent Veronica Beard retail locations on May 23, Red Nose Day receives 10% of in-store sales.
- King Features — A unit of Hearst and home to some of the world’s most popular iconic characters, King Features has partnered with Red Nose Day to develop a limited-edition 2019 campaign tee featuring the beloved sailorman Popeye. The tee is retails for $25 at rednoseday.org/tshirt, with 100% of net proceeds supporting the cause. A number of King Features’ most popular cartoonists are also getting in on the fun: on Sunday May 19, comic strip favorites Hagar, Mutts, Marvin, Pros and Cons, Sally Forth, Six Chix’ Susan Konar, Dustin, Barney Google & Snuffy Smith and On the Fastrack featured characters with the signature Red Nose or included a mention of the charitable event.
Red Nose Day’s fifth anniversary in the U.S. is today, May 23, and will bring together millions of Americans to have fun and make a difference. The annual event will culminate with a three-hour block of primetime television programming on NBC at 8/7c. In its first four years, Red Nose Day raised nearly $150 million, positively impacting over 16 million children and supporting programs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and over 25 countries internationally to ensure children who are living in poverty are safe, healthy and educated.
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About Red Nose Day
Red Nose Day is a fundraising campaign run in the United States by Comic Relief USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Red Nose Day started in the U.K., built on the foundation that the power of entertainment can drive positive change, and has raised over $1 billion globally since the campaign's founding in 1988. Red Nose Day launched in the U.S. in 2015 with a mission to end child poverty and raised nearly $150 million in its first four years. Money raised supports programs that ensure children in need are safe, healthy and educated, both in America and around the world. Since launching in the U.S., Red Nose Day has received generous support from millions of Americans, hundreds of celebrities and many outstanding partners, including Walgreens, NBC, Mars Wrigley Confectionery, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Red Nose Day returns for its fifth year on Thursday, May 23, 2019. For more information about Red Nose Day USA and its impact, visit www.rednoseday.org. Follow @RedNoseDayUSA on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.