The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation – GoDaddy “Matching Challenge” Raises $5MM to Help Injured Service Members via the Semper Fi Fund
Campaign Matching Customer Donations Dollar-for-Dollar Exceeds Original Goal
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Jan. 7, 2014) – Semper Fi Fund, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation and GoDaddy have announced the results of their two-month matching challenge. Thanks to GoDaddy, Bob and Renee Parsons and the hundreds of individual supporters who gave to the Semper Fi Fund this holiday season, the campaign raised an unprecedented $5 million – more thandouble the initial goal.
The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation and GoDaddy initially promised to match donations, dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million to the Semper Fi Fund; but when the veteran charity hit their goal a month early, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation raised the stakes – twice – generously pledging an additional $1.5 million in matching funds!
“Our veterans, from each and every branch of our military, deserve to come home to a support system that reflects how much we appreciate and respect the sacrifice they have made for our country,” said GoDaddy Founder and Executive Chairman Bob Parsons. “The matching campaign was the perfect opportunity to strengthen our commitment to the Semper Fi Fund and give hope this holiday season to veterans who have been critically injured while defending the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.”
Donors were able to double their support for our wounded and critically ill heroes via the Semper Fi Fund’s dedicated donation page; and GoDaddy customers could also elect to “Round Up for Charity” during checkout, a program which allows customers to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar and effectively donate their spare change. GoDaddy and their customers have donated more than $1 million over the past two years to the fund.
“We are deeply grateful to The Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation, GoDaddy, and each and every individual supporter who helped us reach our goal,” said Karen Guenther, Founder and CEO of the Semper Fi Fund. “Through another successful holiday matching donation campaign, this year’s extraordinary $2.5 million gift significantly enhances the Semper Fi Fund’s financial assistance to our injured and ill service members and family supporters. Bob and Renee Parsons truly exemplify what ‘giving back’ is all about and their generosity continues to inspire!”
“We believe it is important to support the brave men and women who serve our country … especially those who are injured in the line of duty,” said GoDaddy Chief People Officer Auguste Goldman. “Our customers and our employees were quick to support the Semper Fi Fund again this year. We proudly hire and support our veterans and we thank everyone who contributed to this amazing cause. Each donation definitely made a big difference!”
To find out more about the GoDaddy/The Bob & Renee Parsons Challenge visit https://SemperFiFund.org/Donate-GoDaddy/.
About Semper Fi Fund and America’s Fund
Semper Fi Fund, and its program America’s Fund, are set up to provide immediate financial assistance and lifetime support for injured and critically ill members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families, directing urgently needed resources to post 9/11 service members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Reserves. Semper Fi Fund has been working with wounded service members since 2004, offering assistance to lessen the burden for those who need it most. The Semper Fi Fund’s streamlined structure keeps overhead very low, 6%; they are also one of three veteran charities to receive an “A+” rating from The American Institute of Philanthropy, and a “Four Star” rating from Charity Navigator. The Semper Fi Fund has given more than 67,000 grants totaling more than $85 million to over 11,000 service members and their families.
For more information visit https://SemperFiFund.org/ and http://AmericasFund.org/
About the Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation
The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation inspires hope by providing critical funding at critical times to communities striving to make a difference. The foundation primarily focuses on issues in the greater Phoenix area. The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation believes every person is entitled to an education, good nutrition, medical care, a stress-free, happy environment and the hope that they too, will share in the American Dream. The foundation provides funding to non-profit organizations that are successfully addressing these essential needs. The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation is also committed to the children of Haiti, helping to grow and improve schools, medical services and overall well-being for communities in rural Haiti through the Hope for Haiti organization.
About GoDaddy
GoDaddy is the world’s largest domain name provider, Web hosting provider and new SSL certificate provider, focused on helping small businesses grow larger. GoDaddy provides dozens of cloud-based services and is the largest worldwide mass-market hosting provider by annual revenue according to 451 Research (Mass-Market Hosting Report-Fall 2012) and is the #1 provider of net-new SSL certificates for 2012, according to the Netcraft, LTD Secure Server Survey. To learn more about the company, visit GoDaddy.com/PR.
