September 09, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Caroline Carver
Director, Media & PR
(760) 583-1042
caroline.carver@philanthroproductions.org

YOUNG ADULTS RAISE OVER $15,000 FOR KIVA.ORG AT PHILANTHRO PRODUCTIONS’ LASTEST BLOW-OUT HOLLYWOOD EVENT

Philanthro Productions Engages Gen Y Across Multiple Touch Points on Behalf of Micro-Lending Charity

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 9, 2008) – Philanthro Productions, a non-profit organization that creates unique opportunities for young adults to engage in charitable giving, today announced results from its latest event. RIPPLE: How Big is Your Effect? benefited Kiva.org, an organization whose mission is to broker loans to aspiring entrepreneurs in developing countries and help alleviate poverty through the power of one-to-one connections over the web. RIPPLE took place at Peter Famulari’s Boulevard3 in Hollywood, Calif. Friday, Sep 19.

Philanthro Productions engaged 850 patrons and raised over $15,000 to loan to Kiva.org entrepreneurs in developing countries. Once the micro loans are repaid, another round of entrepreneurs will receive loans. After two rounds of repaid loans, the evening’s proceeds will be used to fund Kiva.org’s ongoing operations.

100% of door, raffle and other contributions went directly to fund Kiva.org entrepreneurs, as Philanthro absorbed all event production and development costs with internal funds for the first time since launching in early 2007. Philanthro raised the bar with this event, hosting its most aggressive educational campaign and multifaceted production to date. Philanthro members personally greeted patrons before they entered the club to spread the word about the night’s purpose and offer free Kiva raffle tickets. DJ Sleeper, drummer Ricky Rocks and the Style Proze dance troupe performed for the crowd. The Designated VJ Michael Benz emceed and conducted video interviews with patrons, while Boulevard3’s DJ Tee spun into the night.

Philanthro is now engaging young adults across multiple touch points with the launch of its new blog, The After Party. After attending events, young adults can go online to give feedback, ask questions on how their money will be invested, or even debate social causes and concerns in general. The blog also provides a forum for Philanthro to directly interact with its patron base.

“This tool will go a long way in establishing open dialogue and transparency, furthering Philanthro’s valued one-on-one connection with members of the Gen Y set,” said Sean Cramer, 26, Philanthro’s Director of Volunteerism.

To continue the RIPPLE effect, Philanthro Productions has encouraged its subscribers to visit its team page on Kiva.org to view donations and profiles from select entrepreneurs across the globe.

About Philanthro Productions (www.philanthroproductions.org):
Philanthro Productions is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to get more young adults involved in charity by hosting first-rate parties in partnership with leading non-profits. Philanthro's goal is to eliminate the trade-off for young adults between going out with friends and giving back by creating unique opportunities for charitable giving where there were none before.

About Kiva.org (www.kiva.org):
Kiva.org (www.kiva.org) is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to an entrepreneur in the developing world. Founded in 2005, Kiva.org's mission is to connect people, through lending, to alleviate poverty. Kiva.org currently connects lenders in more than 100 countries with entrepreneurs in 43 developing countries, through 90 microfinance partners. Kiva.org is headquartered in San Francisco.