Fund-Raising for the Future by Cause-America Branding.

LOS ANGELES -- In Southern California more than 35,000 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations competed for charitable gifts last year. Most of those solicitations were sent through the mail, with 98 percent of them unanswered. As the cost of direct paper mail solicitation continues to grow, nonprofits are seeking better alternatives to increase fund-raising efforts and bring awareness to their cause. On Nov. 11, 2004, at 12:30 p.m. at the Palm's restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, Cause-America Branding LLC will roll out the V-Button(TM), a revolutionary new technology that offers a solution to the high cost of direct paper mail. Developed by Webcasting TV Inc., the V-Button(TM) is a unique video e-mail delivery system that sends a custom-made three-minute video message tailored to meet the needs of a company or nonprofit organization. This patent-pending process integrates all of the popular media players (Windows Media, RealPlayer, and QuickTime) into one Universal Player and enables the delivery streaming video regardless of media types, Internet access speed, or firewalls.

As one of the first nonprofit organizations to use the V-Button(TM), Union Rescue Mission (URM) will use this technology to cut their fund-raising costs and deliver a more complete message about the plight of homelessness in Los Angeles to a diverse audience. URM's first V-Button(TM) campaign will feature a message and appeal from actor Ernie Hudson ("Miss Congeniality," "Ghostbusters," "10-8"). The video's theme, "It could have been me, it could have been you," is brought to life as Hudson is video-morphed to his adult stature from the character of a homeless child. Hudson quotes some daunting national statistics that more than 600,000 families and over one million children are homeless in America. Hudson goes on to say that over 20,000 children are sleeping homeless every night in Southern California. You can view the Union Rescue Mission's video at www.rescuemissions.tv after Nov. 11.

"Our goal with the V-Button(TM) is to raise the public's awareness about the increased numbers of women and children who have become homeless and are victims of circumstances beyond their control," remarked Warren Currie, president of the Union Rescue Mission. "Knowledge is power and it's the first step toward the goal of helping curtail the growth of homelessness in America, and so we must find the most intrinsic manner in which to accomplish that goal."

Not only is the V-Button(TM) an effective way to raise funds and awareness, it is an invaluable tool to help a company build and maintain relationships with its customer base. V-Button(TM) videos can be sent to introduce new products and special promotions. All V-Buttons(TM) can be forwarded to co-workers, friends and family.

The V-Button(TM) was introduced to the Union Rescue Mission by Cause-America Branding LLC (www.cause-america.com) as a part of their work in cause-related marketing and sponsorship. Cause-America sees the V-Button(TM) as the future of fund-raising. "The V-Button(TM) is a rewarding form of solicitation that offers companies a charitable marketing opportunity, while increasing sales and making donations to worthy causes," said Tom Bagwell, CEO of Cause-America.

The Union Rescue Mission is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the poor and homeless. Established in 1891, URM is the largest rescue mission of its kind in the United States and the oldest in Los Angeles. URM provides a comprehensive array of emergency and long-term services at no cost to guests, including: food, shelter, clothing, medical and dental care, recovery programs, transitional housing, legal assistance, education, counseling, and job training to needy men, women, children, and families. 545 S. San Pedro, Los Angeles, CA 90049, 213-347-6300, www.URM.org.

Cause-America Branding LLC brings together over 100 years of nonprofit management, development, marketing, advertising, sales, technology and publishing experience, resultant in executive accomplishment through the integration of corporate strategy and philanthropy.

For lunch reservations to the media event on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 12:30, please RSVP to Tom Bagwell by Wednesday, Nov. 10 at: 714-671-1510 or [e-mail].

The Palm Restaurant
         1100 South Flower St.
         Los Angeles, CA  90015
         Located:  Southeast corner of 11th and Flower Streets
             Valet Parking on 11th (one-way Westbound)
             Phone - 213-763-4600