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AOL Impact ‘Share Your Cause’ Contest Open For Submissions

One cause initiative will win 24 hours of high-profile exposure on AOL.com and AOL Mail in the second annual “Share Your Cause” contest sponsored by AOL and the Cause Marketing Forum.

Nonprofits or corporations with cause initiatives have until March 30, 2012 to submit a short essay on how their program would benefit from this exposure. Full contest details and the entry form are available at www.causemarketingforum.com/aol2012.

“We’re excited to partner with AOL Impact to once again offer causes an opportunity for valuable exposure,” said David Hessekiel, president of Cause Marketing Forum, Inc., a company that educates nonprofits and businesses on doing well by doing good together. “The winner of the 2011 “Share Your Cause” contest, One Warm Coat, tells us they experienced the largest number of web hits in its history thanks to its exposure on AOL – a full 20% higher than it achieved after appeared on a nationally syndicated morning television show,” Hessekiel said.

“One of our core values at AOL is our commitment as an organization to empowering our users to connect and engage with worthy causes” said Blair Cobb, Senior Director of AOL’s Cause Marketing & Partnership initiatives. “We are thrilled to partner with the Cause Marketing Forum again to demonstrate the power of the AOL Impact platform. This year, we’ve expanded visibility for the winner by including a full-page presence on the AOL Mail Sign In Page for a day and a Huffington Post Blog in addition to one day in a premium position on the AOL homepage.” Thirteen million people visit AOL.com and AOL Mail daily.*

AOL Impact reinforces AOL’s dedication to “giving back” by dedicating premium placement on AOL.com and AOL Mail to garner exposure for nonprofits at no cost. AOL Impact connects users with charities, making it easy to get involved and spread awareness. Visit http://impact.aol.com/ for more information on AOL Impact.

To enter, eligible nonprofit organizations, their cause marketing partners or representing agencies must submit their contact information and a short essay on how their cause-related initiative would leverage this exposure.

The contest opened on March 1, 2012 and runs through March 30, 2012. The winner will be selected by a panel of judges based on the compelling nature of the campaign as described in the essay.

To submit an entry, view official rules and browse frequently asked questions, visit: http://www.CauseMarketingForum.com/aol2012.

The 2012 winner will be announced at the 10^th Anniversary Cause Marketing Forum conference taking place on May 30-31, 2012 in Chicago.

About AOL
Having helped millions of Americans to get online, AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) is on a mission to inform, entertain and connect the world. The home of a world-class collection of premium brands, AOL creates original content that engages audiences on a local and global scale. We help marketers connect with these audiences through effective and engaging digital advertising solutions.

About Cause Marketing Forum
Since 2002, Cause Marking Forum’s events, online offerings and membership program have helped thousands of business and nonprofit executives learn to succeed together and make valuable connections in the expanding field of cause marketing. www.CauseMarketingForum.com, the industry’s leading website, offers free access to prodigious amounts of background information, statistics and case studies. CMF’s free CauseUpdate service delivers the newest cause marketing campaigns to subscribers’ inboxes multiple times each week.

*comScore Media Metrix January 2012