Back to School Shoppers Pay It Forward for Global Education

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OO.com, a leading shopping site for top brands and philanthropy, is partnering with Vittana.org, the leading non-profit for education microloans in developing countries, to make education accessible to impoverished youth. Timed with the start of the school year, OO.com shoppers can quickly and easily shop for supplies and goods online. Matching funds will go to students in developing countries to complete their education and help raise them out of poverty. OO.com aims to give back $2M by January 2013 to support education in the U.S. and globally.

“5 Social Capitalists Who’ll Change the World”

MAKING GIVING AUTOMATIC – With OO.com, giving is a part of everyday life. A donation is automatically made every time a shopper makes a purchase on OO.com, without any additional cost to the consumer. Shoppers can now choose which project they would like to support and follow the impact their charity-supported purchases are making on the lives of youth worldwide. Projects focus on education and vary from enabling a student in a developing country to complete their education or vocational training, to helping students in local classrooms.

HOW IT WORKS - A back to school shopper on OO.com can purchase from 30,000 top retail brands and simultaneously help a girl like Ana Lizbeth in Nicaragua get her education. Shoppers vote for who will be funded next, and by selecting Ana, ensure that she has the opportunity to complete her education. Ana Lizbeth, one of Vittana's first students in Nicaragua, dreamed of being a programmer — with a $713 Vittana Loan, that became possible. Her earning power almost doubled, creating a life of opportunity for her and her family.

A single Vittana Loan funded on OO.com will help poor youth in developing nations do what would be otherwise impossible — finish school, graduate beyond poverty and think beyond the four walls of their home. Shoppers can help youth in any of 12 countries like Nicaragua, the Philippines and Rwanda, who are studying to achieve one of 100+ livelihoods such as teachers, programmers and nurses. 100% of all dollars raised by OO.com will go directly to Vittana students.

“We are bringing attention to the powerful impact an education can have on young people, ultimately breaking the cycle of poverty for themselves, their family and community," says Kushal Chakrabarti, Founder and CEO of Vittana.org. “Everyone deserves a chance to achieve their dreams. With OO.com we are engaging socially-conscious shoppers to take action and graduate a generation beyond poverty.”

Charlie Kim, Founder & CEO of OO.com, believes that charitable giving is the new form of marketing. “Just by shopping, a person can seamlessly give the opportunity for someone else to gain an education. This season, shoppers can go to OO.com and purchase everything from clothes to laptops to backpacks from Walmart and other brands and, with just a click, help poor youth around the world afford their own school expenses. We can pay it forward every time we shop.”

About OO.com, a Next Jump Company:

OO.com is Next Jump’s consumer facing shopping site. Founded in 1994, Next Jump is positioned to become the universal loyalty platform for the internet, leveraging proprietary technology engineered over the last decade. The Company already has the largest footprint in providing rewards and loyalty programs to more than 90,000 corporations, organizations, and affinity groups including 70% of the Fortune 1000 and the largest membership clubs in the country, including AARP, NEA and AAA. Next Jump's WOWPoints™ is one of the fastest growing virtual currencies due to its cash-like value and flexibility. Consumers are able to earn and burn WOWPoints™ through all Next Jump powered marketplaces, including OO.com, the Company’s first direct to consumer site. Next Jump was founded by Charlie Kim and is based in New York City with offices in Boston, San Francisco and London. For more information visit www.oo.com and www.nextjump.com.

About Vittana

Vittana, an award-winning global non-profit, fights youth poverty by enabling poor youth to afford economically-powerful education. A single Vittana Loan can enable a girl to graduate from vocational school, triple her earning power and think beyond her home's four walls. To date, more than 4,000 students in 12 countries have received a Vittana Loan. On average, Vittana students have a 99% repayment rate. Vittana is a 501(c)(3) non-profit headquartered in Seattle, WA.

Vittana was named Best Non-Profit at the Seattle 2.0 Awards and voted the #1 Game-Changer in Philanthropy by 1.7 million people on Huffington Post. It has been in the Economist ("A Hotbed of Innovation"), Fast Company ("5 Social Capitalists Who’ll Change the World”), the Clinton Global Initiative, TEDx Brussels and dozens of other organizations. To learn more or see Vittana's students, visit www.vittana.org.