Clinton Foundation News & Guidance: Donor Update

From:press@clintonfoundation.org To: press@clintonfoundation.org Date: 2015-10-29 17:57 Subject: Clinton Foundation News & Guidance: Donor Update

Today, the Clinton Foundation updated its donor posting with contributors who gave in the third quarter of 2015, which included CGI's Annual Meeting. We wanted to make sure you were aware and had information about today's news. We were pleased with the results this quarter, because: * Total amount donated to the Clinton Foundation in the first three quarters of 2015 is higher than the same period in 2014. * The number of donors is higher compared to the first three quarters of 2014. * Consistent with previous years and the first two quarters of 2015, approximately 90 percent of donations were $100 or less. * CGI sponsorship revenue rose in 2015, with 33 new and returning sponsors. These include Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Co., Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Cisco, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Gap Inc., NRG Energy, Swiss Reinsurance Co., the Rockefeller Foundation and Western Union. * Membership in CGI is strong, with 16 of the 30 companies in the Dow Jones industrial average part of CGI. First-time CGI members this year included Apple, Cardinal Health, Xerox and Zurich Insurance. Donna Shalala posted a retrospective of the Foundation's work this past quarter on the Clinton Foundation blog: "The Clinton Foundation has a strong commitment to transparency and accountability. In fact, we take measures that make us one of the most transparent nonprofits in the world-including disclosing all of our donors on a quarterly basis. We released the latest update just today." "Compared to this time last year, donations are up-both in terms of the amount donated and the number of donors. And, as was the case in previous years, about 90 percent of donations were in the amount of $100 or less." Read it here: https://www.clintonfoundation.org/blog/2015/10/29/our-donors-and-important-work-they-make-possible Last month, Bob Harrison, the CEO of the Clinton Global Initiative, wrote an op-ed about how support for CGI has strengthened: "Despite our mission, some have characterized the turnover of a handful of CGI's sponsors as 'trouble' for CGI and 'abandoning' the Clintons, but this is just another example of critics trying to politicize philanthropy, and the facts don't bear out the argument." "At CGI, corporations not only provide funding, but also apply their expertise in management, technology, manufacturing, distribution and research to help non-governmental organizations and foundations be more effective. These corporate commitments are providing better access to education and healthcare in the developing world, creating jobs and improving infrastructure in the U.S, and protecting the environment." Read it here: http://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/2015/09/22/corporations-stay-committed-to-clinton-global-initiative/ Share the piece on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ClintonGlobal/status/646441578366672896 Share the piece on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative/posts/10153246430420318 And yesterday, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported on the Foundation's hiring of Kevin Thurm as the new Chief Operating Officer: "Kevin Thurm will serve as executive vice president and chief operating officer, Ms. Shalala said in a message to foundation staff. He will focus on strategy, day-to-day operations, and the Clinton Foundation's administrative units. He will report directly to Ms. Shalala." "'Kevin has been a trusted colleague and partner since he served as my chief of staff and then deputy secretary for HHS in the '90s, where he oversaw major policy and management issues, including the implementation of legislative initiatives like the Government Performance and Results Act and challenges like the 'Y2K' computer programming situation,' Ms. Shalala said, referring to the fear in 1999 of a breakdown in important communications when computers switched to 2000." Read the story here: https://philanthropy.com/article/Shalala-Hires-Former-Colleague/233964 The support to the Clinton Foundation has enabled specific programs to expand their work and reach even more individuals across the globe. Over the past three months, we have seen many examples of this work in the news: An Associated Press article looked at Commitments to Action that came out of CGI's Annual Meeting, profiled the unique commitment model. The piece cites several commitments, including: "One such pledge has led to financial education for more than 1.2 million poor women and youths and scholarships for more than 10,000 students in Kenya. Another has spawned more than 430 successful online crowdfunding campaigns for projects centered on women and girls. A third, aimed at enlisting African-American churches in combatting HIV and AIDS, has trained more than 500 religious leaders." "We're in the middle of defining the terms of our interdependence in a world where so much of our identity is caught up in our differences," Bill Clinton said. "So our job, as citizens - those of us who have no political power - is to do what we can to build up the positive forces of our interdependence and reduce the negative ones." Read the piece here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/bill-clinton-global-initiative-results-34083188 In September, the Atlantic wrote about the importance of closing the word gap not only to resolve education consequences, but also to improve health outcomes saying, "Children with more words do better in school. Adults who were good students and earned a college degree have longer life expectancies." The article sites Too Small to Fail's "Talking is Teaching" campaign as one of the organizations focusing on this issue. "There are certainly people watching, from state health officers in California and Indiana to academics at the University of Kansas. The White House has issued a 'call to action' to reduce the word gap, spotlighting the Georgia program specifically. And the Clinton Foundation has launched 'Talking is Teaching' through its early childhood Too Small to Fail campaign." Read the article here: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/09/georgias-plan-to-close-the-30-million-word-gap-for-kids/403903/ At the beginning of September, Reuters published an article about climate change's effects on island nations and how the Clinton Climate Initiative's Islands Energy Program is helping to develop sustainable, renewable energy solutions. "Dymphna van der Lans, CEO of the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), which is working with around a dozen Caribbean and East African island nations to develop and roll out renewable energy strategies, said there was both a moral and economic imperative for such states to transition away from costly diesel imports." Read the article here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/01/us-islands-climatechange-energy-idUSKCN0R13BB20150901 In August, Refinery29 posted a story about the Clinton Foundation's recent trip to Haiti, where they got a firsthand look at our work there and what we're doing to empower girls and women. "I think there is such a case for optimism about Haiti," Chelsea says. "And also really about what women can do when we're truly unfettered." These female entrepreneurs strive for success not because it will bring them wealth or fame, but because with steady employment, they're able to economically support not just their families but also other women as well. Read the article here: http://www.refinery29.com/2015/08/92969/chelsea-clinton-foundation-haiti-women-empowerment#.mfdbkf:4DM6 In August, Forbes wrote about how the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership is working with CropConnect Enterprises to streamline the farming process in India. This partnership empowers farmers and reduces agricultural waste. "Partnering with former president Bill Clinton and Canadian philanthropist Frank Giustra's Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, [CropConnect Enterprises] is currently working to create joint platform across India's often ignored northeastern states. They plan to introduce a crop cycle that allows farmers to maintain a sustainable business throughout the year by growing different types of fruits and vegetables." Read the article here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/abehal/2015/08/18/in-indias-disorganized-agricultural-sector-a-connector-of-crops-to-markets/