PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
November 17, 2021
NetHope Communications Team
Communications@NetHope.org
Nonprofit NetHope has today launched a first round catalytic Fund that will support new, innovative programming designed for impact-at-scale on urgent issues of humanitarian and environmental need. The NetHope Collective Impact Fund, which has already received pledges in excess of $335,000 from individuals, nonprofits, technology companies and funding partners of NetHope, will be used to ideate, design and implement initiatives that bring leading nonprofits and technology companies together in partnership to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges.
“NetHope was founded on the belief that technology and collaboration can change the world,” says NetHope CEO Lance Pierce. “In an age of competition and brand-centric promotion, I am excited to launch a Fund that is mobilizing the collective action of a great many impact-driven NGOs, technology companies and funders. These organizations know that together, we can create bigger, more sustainable change for people and planet.
“The NetHope Collective Impact Fund will accelerate the work of our Members, helping them reach millions more people with help over the coming years and ushering in the next generation of global aid and development.”
Following extensive research into the strategic plans of its 60+ nonprofit Members (some of the world’s biggest and most impactful NGOs), NetHope aims to use the Fund to prioritize and advance programs that will meet the high-need and high-impact goals of the global nonprofit sector – harnessing the powers of technology and cross-sector collaboration to maximize outcomes.
The Patterson Foundation has generously contributed the first $100,000 to the NetHope Collective Impact Fund, helping catalyze financial support from Member organizations and alumni including NetHope’s founding organizations and board, former NetHope CEOs, current NetHope Fellows, and philanthropic givers. Member organizations have already exceeded the $100,000 Member match portion with their giving, and the corporate match for the Fund has been generously pledged by a long-time corporate partner of NetHope. This community-driven spirit of the Fund has even inspired a personal fundraising event on social media, well before the Fund’s official launch. When the Fund reaches $400,000, The Patterson Foundation will contribute an additional $100,000 — resulting in a total of $500,000 of support for this round.
The historic Collective Impact Fund was launched today at NetHope’s 20th Anniversary Summit, in the presence of over 1,800 people from over 100 countries, who represent more than 100 of the world’s leading nonprofits and technology companies.
What will the Collective Impact Fund do?
Over the first two years the Fund will strengthen the world’s most effective humanitarian and conservation NGOs in their missions to create a more just, healthy, and safe world for everyone. It will enable more NetHope Member impact through new partnerships with the 50+ NetHope corporate partners, unlocking their unparalleled talent, capabilities, and reach for good. And it will create the opportunity for faster prototyping of new working models for collaboration amongst the NetHope community, catalyzing better results across multiple platforms for people and planet. In short, the NetHope Collective Impact Fund will result in initiatives with enormous benefit for the millions of individuals served by NetHope Member organizations every day.
Examples of potential strategic projects this Fund could seed include: digital safeguarding initiatives that work to increase the online safety, skills, and inclusion of young people in low-income communities; the creation of data and information frameworks that ensure speed of collaboration in emergency response situations and so save thousands of lives; joint digital initiatives amongst humanitarian relief and conservation organizations on climate resilience; and harnessing the promise of emerging technologies to close digital divides and empower nonprofits to have more impact in their missions for the good of people and planet.
NetHope: 20 years of collaboration and collective impact
NetHope, and its Members and partners, has been collaborating for 20 years, responding to some of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises, bringing the benefits of digital to bear for the world’s most vulnerable communities, and leading the way for the ethical use of technology in the nonprofit sector.
The impact of the NetHope community has been shared at the organization’s 20th Anniversary Summit this week, and is summarized in this short video and report. Prestigious speakers at this year’s NetHope Summit include technology and nonprofit leaders such as Brad Smith (President and Vice Chair, Microsoft), Tae Yoo (Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility, Cisco), Parker Harris (Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Salesforce), Jan Egeland (Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council), Michelle Nunn (President and CEO of CARE USA), Courtenay Rattray (High Representative and Undersecretary General at the United Nations), and Janti Soeripto (President and CEO Save the Children US).
To support the next generation of nonprofit collaboration by giving to the Collective Impact Fund, visit: nethope.org/the-collective-impact-fund/ or contact katie.havens@nethope.org.
Notes for editors:
For more information and for interviews, please contact Katie Havens katie.havens@nethope.org and Dianna Langley dianna.langley@nethope.org.
About NetHope
NetHope enables mission-driven nonprofit organizations to better serve individuals and communities in the developing world through smarter use of data and technology. Working at the intersection of its Members (international NGOs) and partners (global technology corporations), NetHope is a membership organization currently serving nearly 60 leading humanitarian relief, development, and conservation organizations around the world. NetHope empowers its Members to collaborate, innovate, and leverage the full potential of data and information communications technology to support their work in 190 countries. NetHope and its Members partner with 50 of the world’s leading technology firms to create innovative solutions to existing and emerging challenges, and to reimagine how technology can improve our world. The NetHope community has touched millions of lives over the past 20 years, helping vulnerable and marginalized populations, enabling solutions at scale across sectors, and powering last mile delivery in disasters and day-to-day living alike. Find out more at nethope.org.
