Lilly Global Giving Puts Power of Philanthropy in Employees' Hands

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) INDIANAPOLIS - July 28, 2011 - For the first time, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) employees worldwide can donate to more than 800 grassroots projects across the globe and have their donations matched by the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation—doubling the value and impact of each employee's charitable contribution.

Lilly is partnering with the GlobalGiving Foundation to offer its employees across the world a customized Lilly Global Giving website, where employees may choose from multiple projects that are helping to advance Lilly's corporate responsibility goals in the areas of health, hunger, education, and the environment.

Employees who donate $25 (USD) or more to projects featured on the Lilly Global Giving website will have their donations automatically matched by the Lilly Foundation. Each year, the Lilly Foundation will match employees' contributions through the program up to $1 million (USD) companywide.

To encourage employees' participation in the new program, the Lilly Foundation is offering every eligible Lilly employee worldwide the opportunity to direct a $50 (USD) credit toward causes that are most meaningful to them via the Lilly Global Giving website. For each project to which they donate, employees will receive updates from project leaders to learn how their contributions are making a difference in the lives of others.

"We have a 135-year history of giving back and are proud of the Lilly Foundation's strong philanthropic footprint in Indianapolis and across the United States," said John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., Lilly chairman, president, and chief executive officer. "Through Lilly Global Giving, we're expanding our reach and engaging our employees in new ways.  For the first time, Lilly employees worldwide will have the opportunity to support global projects they're passionate about and have their contributions matched by the Lilly Foundation. Not only does the match make their donations go twice as far, it gives our employees a voice in how we use some of the Lilly Foundation's resources."

Lechleiter noted that the new Lilly Global Giving program complements the Lilly Foundation's U.S. matching gifts program, which allows U.S. employees to have donations matched for select non-profit organizations, such as the United Way.

"Our company is global and so is our role as a good corporate citizen," Lechleiter added. "Lilly Global Giving is a natural extension of our corporate responsibility efforts and our vision to make a significant contribution to humanity by improving global health in the 21st century."

Through Lilly Global Giving, employees may support hundreds of different grassroots programs, including projects that:

• provide insulin and insulin supplies to patients in Guatemala;

• improve the diagnosis and care of people with tuberculosis in India;

• teach farmers in Zambia about animal management and sustainable farming;

• provide an education for orphaned children in Cameroon; and

• help restore acres of rainforest in Brazil, among hundreds of other projects.

By participating in Lilly Global Giving, employees may select, contribute to, and follow the progress of global programs that are addressing causes they care about.  

Lilly selected the GlobalGiving Foundation as its partner because of the organization's grassroots approach, which connects donors to charitable projects and puts decision-making in donors' hands. Projects approved by the GlobalGiving Foundation have undergone compliance checks to ensure they meet applicable laws relating to international philanthropy. Since 2002, the GlobalGiving Foundation has channeled more than $44 million in donations to eligible projects and programs across the globe.

"We are so excited to work with Lilly to provide a unique way for its employees to support high-quality projects around the world," said Donna Callejon, GlobalGiving's chief business officer. "Lilly employees have a long history of generosity, and we are glad to help them extend that generosity even further."

Lilly Corporate Responsibility

Lilly Global Giving expands the global reach of Lilly's corporate responsibility efforts, which are focused on:

• improving health for people in need, especially in low- and middle-income countries;

• improving specifically K-12 education in the company's home state of Indiana;

• improving communities that are home to Lilly's major operations;

• fostering a healthier environment, specifically in areas that are touched by its operations.

Lilly Global Giving provides employees with unique opportunities to help advance this work and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by people and communities across the world.

Earlier this year, Lilly introduced its Connecting Hearts Abroad program. In 2011, 200 employees will travel to 10 countries to assist people and communities that often lack access to basic resources. To date, 70 Lilly Ambassadors with Connecting Hearts Abroad have completed two-week global service assignments in Brazil, China, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Russia, Tanzania, and Thailand. Some of these ambassadors are sharing their experiences at www.connectingheartsabroad.com and www.facebook.com/connectingheartsabroad.

In addition, Lilly employees worldwide are gearing up for the fourth annual Lilly Global Day of Service on October 6, 2011. The annual employee service event has been recognized as one of the largest, single-day volunteer initiatives of any company in the U.S.

About the GlobalGiving Foundation

The GlobalGiving Foundation helps individual and corporate donors contribute directly to grassroots charitable organizations around the world. Utilizing their network of local projects and web-based platform, globalgiving.org, GlobalGiving helps companies achieve their charitable, corporate responsibility, employee engagement, and cause-marketing goals. GlobalGiving finds and vets projects, disburses funds, ensures reporting and develops web solutions that leverage their community for corporate partner programs. GlobalGiving is a 501c(3) registered nonprofit organization, located in Washington, D.C. To learn more about this program and other GlobalGiving corporate partnership opportunities, please contact Nicole Kukowski, partnerships manager, at nkukowski@globalgiving.org.  

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers—through medicines and information—for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com. CR-LLY

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