Charity

Apple’s (PRODUCT)RED contributions have topped $130 million

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 21, 2017

Tucked away as a side-note in today's press release with which Apple unveiled (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition iPhone 7 is an interesting update: the Cupertino firm's raised more than $130 million for the RED organization thus far. Apple is the world’s largest corporate donor to (RED).

For those not in the know, (RED), spearheaded by U2 frontman Bono, aims to fight preventable and treatable diseases like AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. (RED) also funds programs that help prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their unborn babies.

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Nonprofits in U.S. now able to accept donations using Apple Pay

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 14, 2016

Apple announced that nonprofit organizations in the United States are now able to accept donations using Apple Pay. In the past, Apple accepted various charity donations via iTunes billing. With support for Apple Pay, donors now have one more option when sending money to various charities. Apple says a total of 19 U.S. nonprofits will start accepting Apple Pay donations starting this morning.

Some of them include household names such as American Red Cross, (RED), Save the Children, UNICEF and World Wildlife Fund. Other nonprofits will be implementing Apple Pay support over the coming months.

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Apple opens Red Cross donations for Louisiana flood relief

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 20, 2016

Apple is tapping into its vast base of hundreds of millions of iTunes accounts with credit cards on file to help collect donations to the American Red Cross in an effort to help victims of the flooding in southern Louisiana, which has forced thousands of people out of their homes. Banners on the iTunes and App Store and Apple's U.S. website went live Friday, with donations to the American Red Cross available in $5/$10/$25/$50/$100/$200 tiers billed directly to your credit card.

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Tim Cook’s charity lunch auction raises $515K for human rights

Cody Lee ∙ May 5, 2016

Tim Cook's annual CharityBuzz auction ended this afternoon, with the winning bid raising $515,000 for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights. The winner of the auction will get a one-hour lunch date with Tim Cook at Apple headquarters, as well as tickets to an upcoming Apple keynote event.

There were over 40 bids in the auction, with the high bid nearly doubling over the last 24 hours. The lunch date is valid for up to two people, and will be scheduled at an agreed upon date, based on availability. Obviously the guests will be subject to security screenings, but don't worry, the cost of the meal is included.

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Tim Cook charity fundraiser earns $200,000 for RFK human rights campaign

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Bidding for the annual Tim Cook lunch auction closed today and the winning bid stands at a cool $200,000, which goes to the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

Even though there were more than twenty bids, with the starting bid beginning at $10,000, the fundraiser has actually earned less this year than previous auctions held in 2013 and 2014, probably due to a shift in CharityBuzz’s authentication policy to better prevent false bids.

The annual auction broke records in 2013 when it raised $610,000 for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. In 2014, the auction ended at $330,001.

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Win lunch with Tim Cook and two VIP tickets to attend future Apple keynote

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

For the third year in a row, Apple CEO Tim Cook is participating in a charity auction organized by the fundraising service CharityBuzz. You can now bid on the opportunity to have lunch with Cook on the Apple campus in Cupertino, California, and to be his guest at an Apple keynote event. In fact, the highest bidder will win not one but two VIP passes to an Apple keynote.

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Poll: did you donate to (RED)?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Apple's (RED) campaign to help raise funds to fight AIDS in recognition of the World AIDS Day 2014 is over now and we wanted to ask if you had taken an opportunity to donate to the charity.

You donated to the Global Fund to fight AIDS if you purchased one or more (RED) apps in the App Store or made In-App Purchases in (RED) apps from Monday, November 24 through Sunday, December 7; bought PRODUCT(RED) merchandize at Apple’s retail and online stores on Monday, December 1; bought select Apple products in the U.S. retail stores on Friday, November 28 and received a special edition (RED) iTunes gift card; made a donation through a special page on App Store/iTunes; or donated directly through RED.org.

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Apple broke its own rule by pushing a (RED) promo message. So what?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Apple on Monday tapped its Push Notifications mechanism to remind users that they can donate money to (RED) charity by purchasing (RED)-branded iPhone and iPad apps.

The company has also created a donation page in the App Store (the first banner below ‘Games for (RED)’ section) for simple, convenient and frictionless donations of $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or $200.

A dedicated donation webpage is available at RED.org, but it requires you to use a web browser and type in your credit card information, as opposed to the simplicity of iTunes billing.

Reminding folks to “get great apps and help (RED) fight AIDS” via a push alert did not sit well with some nit-picky watchers. I'm talking about Instapaper and Tumblr creator Marco Arment whose blog post insists Apple broke its own rule about using Push Notifications for promotions.

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Watch Apple’s boss Tim Cook getting ice bath to benefit ALS research

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 15, 2014

Yesterday, Apple's marketing honcho Phil Schiller undertook the Ice Bucket Challenge. In a tweet accompanied by a series of images showing himself dumping a bucket of ice water on his head at the beaches, Schiller called on Apple CEO Tim Cook to accept the challenge and also get doused, by tagging him in the post.

Sure enough, Cook rose to the occasion and had a bucket of ice water poured over his head by recording artist Michael Franti.

Even better, this all happened in front of company employees who earlier tonight gathered for Apple’s Diversity beer bash at 1 Infinite Loop headquarters. And in an even more peculiar move, the iPhone maker has documented this in a video posted to its official YouTube channel and included for your viewing pleasure right below the fold...

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Apple’s design guru Jony Ive and U2’s Bono to talk (RED) charity partnership at Cannes Lions festival

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 2, 2017

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity said today that Jonathan Ive, Apple's SVP of Design, will be in attendance of the Cannes Lions festival, due later this month in Cannes, France.

In addition, the rock band U2's lead singer Bono will be honored with his first ever LionHeart Award. The two men are scheduled to sit down for an interesting 45-minute chat to talk working together on (RED) campaigns that raise funds to help fight AIDS.

Apple recently donated a cool $500,000 to a San Francisco anti-poverty charity. Besides, a charitable auction for a lunch with CEO Tim Cook has raised over $330,000...

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Tim Cook charity lunch auction sells for over $330K

Cody Lee ∙ May 13, 2014

Last month we told you about Tim Cook's CharityBuzz auction. Folks were given the opportunity to bid on a one hour luncheon with Cook, the CEO of the world's largest company, with proceeds going to benefit the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights.

The lunch, which was donated by Cook himself, will take place at Apple's Cupertino headquarters and had an estimated value of $100,000. But as expected, bidders blew well past that amount. The auction ended this afternoon with a final bid of $330,001...

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