Published: April 08, 2011

"Oprah's Big Give" Winner Stephen Paletta Launches GiveBack.org, An Innovative Way to Help Americans Raise Funds for Their Charities

Share This Story

PORT CHESTER, N.Y. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Stephen Paletta today announced an innovative program to raise the level of philanthropy in America. His new online platform, www.GiveBack.org, makes it easy for anyone to help a favorite charity and raise funds by doing ordinary things like shopping, buying groceries, or renting a movie.

Paletta made the announcement on today's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." In his appearance, Paletta told viewers how winning "Oprah's Big Give" ABC reality series in 2008 inspired GiveBack.org as a way to make it easier for Americans to give to their favorite causes using other people's money. (See how it works at http://gb.to/eKr5V5.)

Paletta's innovative model for charitable giving enables an individual to organize, direct and expand his or her giving through a charitable foundation account established on GiveBack.org. 100 percent of the money in an account will go to charity, with no transaction fees subtracted. His online platform also serves as an ongoing fundraising vehicle for nonprofits.

To encourage people to join the Give Back community, Paletta announced that for the next 100 days he will award $1,000 a day into a randomly chosen member's GiveBack foundation account.

"The campaign, a partnership with Visa, is an immediate opportunity to excite people with a chance to win money for a special cause or even multiple causes," Paletta said. "GiveBack is giving away $500,000 to people to give to charity, but the campaign's aim is to unleash thousands, if not millions, for people to give away."

The "100 Days of Giving" provides special opportunities to accelerate fundraising for one's foundation by shopping online at GiveBack.org/100. More than 450 retail partners already contribute from 2 to 15 percent of a purchase to a customer's foundation and will increase their contribution during the promotion. For example, Mission Athletecare will contribute 50% of the price of any of its products purchased through GiveBack during the campaign into a customer's foundation account.

Members who share the contest with friends and family who then create their own GiveBack foundation account will earn "impact points" for a chance to win a grand prize of $50,000 to give to charity.

To start a foundation, go to www.giveback.org/100.

Editor's note: Photography available upon request.