Digital Ball® Celebrates the Power of Philanthropy and Technology
Online, June 4, 2013 (Newswire.com) - TechBridge is pleased to announce that the 13th annual Digital Ball raised $1.2 million in cash and in-kind donations. More than one hundred sponsors, including presenting sponsor Accenture and marquee sponsors Cisco, Dell, First Data, Savvis, and The Coca-Cola Company, worked together to support the TechBridge mission of leveraging technology to empower the nonprofits that impact the community.
Lisa McVey, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of McKesson Technology Solutions, and Ed Steinike, VP and CIO of The Coca-Cola Company, served as co-chairs of the May 11th event at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. They were joined by more than 50 Digital Ball Hosts (CIO-level or equivalent) who greeted more than 840 technology, business and nonprofit leaders and guests. Additionally, TechBridge welcomed Digital Ball Hosts Emeritus Becky Blalock, Fran Dramis, and Sandy Hofmann, former Digital Ball Hosts who have made significant contributions to TechBridge.
The 2013 Digital Ball highlighted the impact of local nonprofits who engage TechBridge to help use technology to achieve their missions and improve our community. Since its inception, TechBridge's technology support and solutions have helped more than 500 nonprofit clients. Last year alone TechBridge served 100 nonprofits, who collectively touched five million people, and delivered technology valued at $3.8 million, of which $2.6 million was donated by the community.
The evening also honored The Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI) with the presentation of the 12th annual Technology Innovation Award, presented by Accenture. CVI was selected by a panel of Atlanta's tech leaders from a field of 48 applicants. They will use the award to implement a CRM system to manage a growing customer base for their ClearAnswer Contact Center, which employs people with vision loss. CVI received more than $30,000 in TechBridge services, software and cash to implement its technology vision.
"The Technology Innovation Award is one way Accenture supports our national nonprofit partners in the communities where we live and work," said Craig Ramsey, managing director, Accenture. "By teaming with TechBridge, we can help organizations like CVI develop innovative technology that better serves the people in our community. We extend our congratulations to CVI for winning this year's award."
Two finalists, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children, were also recognized and received a prize worth more than $2,500, including a TechBridge technology assessment and a cash award.
To close the evening, James Franklin, TechBridge's CEO, encouraged guests to get more involved with TechBridge through the highly successful Adopt-a-Nonprofit program, which enables sponsors to adopt capacity-building, technology projects for causes they care about. TechBridge is now actively seeking investors for 'NPXchange', an online platform to automate and scale nationally the matching of adopters and nonprofits in need, targeted for launch in 2014. For more information please contact info@techbridge.org.
About the TechBridge Digital Ball
The Digital Ball, TechBridge's signature fundraising gala, brings together Atlanta's technology community to celebrate the impact technology can have in strengthening our community. TechBridge's Digital Ball raises funds to support its mission and work throughout the year. Plans for the fourteenth annual Digital Ball are underway. Sponsorship information can be found at www.techbridge.org/digital-ball.
About TechBridge
TechBridge is a nonprofit with one mission - to leverage technology to empower the nonprofits that impact our community. We focus on technology enabling nonprofits to focus on their mission. TechBridge has provided IT consulting and outsourcing services to hundreds of nonprofits by connecting their needs with the skills and financial resources of the technology community. For more information about TechBridge and its programs, please visit www.techbridge.org.