Invisible Children Wins $1 Million In Chase Community Giving Contest On Facebook

UPDATE: Human rights organization Invisible Children has won $1 million dollars in the Chase Community Giving contest on Facebook. With 123,990 votes, Invisible Children narrowly edged out runner-up The Isha Foundation, who ended up with 122,742 votes.

Chase will announce Invisible Children as the winner officially in a press release on Monday, January 25. Co-founder Laren Poole says they will receive the check for $1 million sometime next week.

Despite the narrow victory, questions still remain about the legitimacy of the voter count. In the final hours of the contest, Invisible Children supporters raised questions about many Isha Foundation voters -- it's still unclear if Chase or Facebook will address these concerns.

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With just a few hours left to vote, the Chase Community Giving campaign on Facebook is nearing its conclusion. Based on votes from Facebook users, one nonprofit organization will receive $1 million to go toward its charitable projects.

The Top 100 nonprofits in the contest have already received $25,000 each, and the five runners-up will receive $100,000 each. Facebook users can follow the race on the Chase Leaderboard, and as time winds down, the competition has been ramping up.

As of 6:00 p.m. ET on January 22, the African human rights organization Invisible Children is in the lead with over 98,000 votes. Isha Foundation, a group that promotes health and wellbeing in rural areas, is in second with 85,000 votes, and suicide prevention group To Write Love On Her Arms is in third with 78,000 votes. The voting tally for these top competitors has increased in recent days, attributable to widespread social media promotion.

Invisible Children is hoping to appeal to a wider group than just human rights activists. The organization has pledged to donate $100,000 to relief efforts in Haiti if they win the grand prize.

To Write Love On Her Arms sent in the ringers as well with a promotional video featuring Joaquin Phoenix and Miley Cyrus.

If you have a Facebook account, you have five votes you can cast before midnight tonight. Simple click here and go to "Cast Your Five Votes."

Supporters of Invisible Children believe that the Isha Foundation may be guilty of fraud in their vote tallying efforts.

Comments

[Predatory Bank]

11:59 AM on 01/23/2010

JP Morgan Chase made $250 million a week in profits last year. The $5 million this predatory bank gave away in their "community giving" advertising campaign was a tiny pittance. I hope people think long and hard before lending undeserving companies the legitimacy of their good names and the good names of the organizations they care about before participating in these public relations schemes.

The amount of misery JP Morgan Chase is causing in our communities every day far, far out weighs any benefit they'll create in this give away. That's why many of us chose not to participate in this campaign at all.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Were-not-participating-in-Chases-Community-Giving-Viral-PR-campaign/184972156459

[lndedington]

01:47 AM on 01/23/2010

While what happened in Haiti is awful, how is it ethical to hang the contingency of a donation on a contest? The excuse that the earthquake happened after is invalid - Haiti is not part of their mission statement. This contest was about a "Big Idea". They listed out several important things they would do with their money, but it did not designate one goal. Why did other organizations post a "Big Idea" if IC could win the money go into their General Operating Budget? Using Haiti as a tool to gain more votes, because of the recent tragedy is hardly ethical. All people focused on was money going to Haiti so then it seemed as if the million would be going there. IC supporters flooded message boards with "choose IC, they're the only one donating to Haiti." This contest was given guidelines - submit a big idea to win $1 million dollars. They did not do that.

If they were planning on donating the money already, why not announce it earlier instead of after being down 10,000 votes for 3 days? How can Invisible Children honestly say the 100k isn't coming from the million, when it's going into their operating budget? Taking the 100k from one part of their budget and then supplementing that area with money from the million is the same thing as donating from the million.

Several organizations played by the rules, but suffered because they decided to not take advantage of a tragedy.

[tmi]

10:59 AM on 01/23/2010

Agreed. What's worse is that they say the $100, 000 will go toward their own relief efforts in Haiti when they are not a relief organization and have absolutely NO experience working in Haiti. They totally exploited the situation in Haiti to win this contest and ultimately the people of Haiti will not even benefit from it.

[lndedington]

03:55 PM on 01/23/2010

Agreed as well. My friend got a phone call from them (they were sending out phone call blasts) and they said the $100k would be donated to Wyclef's organization to help in Haiti. I would hope they'd at least change their minds about that with the scandal surrounding his foundation. Again, more lies from them.

[Nick Wallwork]

11:13 PM on 01/22/2010

Apparently Isha Foundation is signing up with bogus facebook accounts. Vote fore Invisible Children http://bit.ly/7OQalM

[vlnr]

09:35 AM on 01/23/2010

Refer your Chase Community $ 1 Million Contest.

I came to know that Isha Institute Of Innerscience, Mc Minnville, Tennessee,USA and their associate Isha Foundation,Coimbatore, T. Nadu, India is one of the applicant for the grant.

Mercury is a dangerous metal and the above applicant Isha Institute/Isha Foundation is using Mercury idols for spiritual enhancement.That too in large quantities.

You must be aware of Mercury danger and lots of regulations have come in force for reduction/total elimination of mercury from its present industrial/health care segments.Even WHO has come out of with Policy paper on Mercury in Health Care sector.

These people are using Mercury for unscientific/barbaric methods.

By way of this mail, I request you to take up with Isha Institute Of Inner Science, Tennesse and Isha Foundation for safe disposal of Mercury and put a condition that to be eligible for Chase Community Contest, they have to be free from Mercury to save lifes and environment.

Mercury in any form is dangerous to human and environment.Mercury in water can easily react with bacteria and form Methyl Mercury and is most dangerous.World Health Organisation has brought out a policy paper on Mercury for total reduction of Mercury usage,whereas these people are using Mercury for unscientific and barbaric in nature.

Refer their website : www.dhyanalinga.org/theerthakund.htm and www.dhyanalinga.org/theerthakund_qa.htm ,where in they give relevance of Mercury idol and how it helps them to get spiritual receptivity.

[laborgrunt]

11:05 PM on 01/22/2010

Screw you JP Morgan Chase! Stop trying to make a scene and just give the damn money.

[SPQR1052]

09:02 PM on 01/22/2010

I ain't buying into that, nope. Sorry tray agin.

[Olerist]

07:34 PM on 01/22/2010

Yes please help Chase data mine your Facebook accounts after they gave away 27 billion in bonuses

[p90xxx]

06:44 PM on 01/22/2010

Please vote for Invisible Children!!! http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/598099
Voting ends tonight. Only 5 more hours. $1,000,000 to their life-changing programs and $100,000 for Haiti relief. Invisible Children is by far the best pick for the winner!

[heather65]

07:18 PM on 01/22/2010

i'd be happy to.. i have four votes left to cast.