PHILADELPHIA — (July 24, 2012) — Philly4Philly, powered by Citizen Effect, is recruiting 150 passionate citizens who will work to uplift the city they love through philanthropy. But these aren’t your stereotypical philanthropists. Citizen Philanthropists (CP’s) are everyday people engaging others within their own networks to complete various projects throughout communities in Philadelphia. This initiative is supported by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
“A lot of people want to make a difference in their community, but don’t know how,” explains Dan Morrison, founder and CEO of Citizen Effect. “Philly4Philly provides the training, tools, and technology to help anyone be the change they want to see in Philadelphia.”
Over the course of 2012, Philly4Philly will empower 150 CP’s to complete 150 community projects in support of Philadelphia area nonprofits. Each Citizen Philanthropist will receive online and offline fundraising tools, training from experts at Citizen Effect, and an online technology platform to support their efforts.
“Technology is transforming how citizens engage in improving their communities. The human side, however, is still critical. Citizen Effect keeps both at the forefront, providing the next generation of leaders with the technology and organizing skills they need to foster an informed and engaged Philadelphia,” said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Philadelphia program director for Knight Foundation, which is funding the effort through its Technology for Engagement Initiative.
Rudy Flesher, the Field Manager for Philly4Philly, loves Philadelphia and is excited about the new opportunities for engagement this initiative will bring to the city. “Philadelphia is often described as a city of neighborhoods and that isn’t just about which one has the best brunch spot or dog park; it’s about being good neighbors,” says Flesher. “What better way to be a good neighbor than supporting the organizations that make our city the vibrant, thriving place that it is?”
Philly4Philly CP’s will be working with nonprofits across the city including Campaign for Nonviolent Schools, Center for Literacy, Cradles to Crayons, Drueding Center, Springboard Collaborative, Village of the Arts and Humanities, Urban Tree Connection, The Food Trust,, and LIFT-Philadelphia; by using citizen philanthropy to fund projects that will impact youth, health, job skills, homelessness, food security, urban revitalization or in their community. For more information please visit Philly4Philly.org.
About Citizen Effect
Through the use of innovative training, tools and technology, Citizen Effect transforms passionate individuals into Citizen Philanthropists. Citizen Effect partners with local nonprofits to identify small but critical project that have a transformational impact on their community, impacting thousands of people all over the world in the process. More at CitizenEffect.org.
About John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. Philly4Philly is supported by Knight Foundation’s Technology for Engagement Initiative. More at KnightFoundation.org.