Canadian Schools Team Up, Face Off All For Social Good with The Koodonation Online Throwdown

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 30, 2012) - Canada's first-ever online microvoluteering community, Koodonation, is gearing up for even more social good by challenging universities and colleges across the country(1) to lend a helping hand with The Koodonation Online Throwdown. For two feverish, mouse-clicking weeks, students and alumni can team up, give back and strive to do the most good for non-profits in an effort to win a $35,000 contribution to their favourite Canadian charity. This ground-breaking, innovative and entertaining online showdown will launch on November 5, 2012, exclusively on Koodonation.com.

Over the two-week challenge period, school teams will have the opportunity to answer bite-sized volunteer challenges from non-profits big and small across Canada. Teams receive points for every challenge answered, for every 'thumbs up' congrats from fellow microvolunteers and for every award of recognition from non-profits. The more points earned, the closer the team gets to claiming fame as Canada's ultimate microvolunteering champions and making an incredible contribution to its Canadian charity of choice.

"We launched Koodonation in October 2011 - just one short year ago - and we've already seen more than 4,000 microvolunteers and 250 non-profits get involved," says Kevin Banderk, Chief Koodo Officer. "The Koodonation Online Throwdown is another fun and competitive way to get Canada's students and alumni active for the community. It's so simple; the more you give your time and skills, the closer your team comes to winning a $35,000 contribution for its favourite Canadian charity. It's the most interactive way to give back and get involved with what we see as the future of social change."

Koodonation gives us a lesson in throwing down online

So how does it work? Simple!

1. Visit Koodonation.com.
2. Sign in to participate. If you're new to Koodonation, filling in your profile takes just a few, simple steps. Input you skills, interests and abilities to be matched with tailored volunteer tasks right up your alley.
3. Head to the Koodonation Online Throwdown page to read and accept the rules.
4. Are you a student? Graduate? College and university enthusiast? Choose the school team you would like to help win a $35,000 charitable contribution.
5. Microvolunteer! All your points will be tabulated in your profile and added to your team's total.

Koodonation will up the entertainment - and the rivalry - with various bonus tasks throughout the Throwdown's two weeks. Think your team can take on the challenge?

Koodonation 101

Koodonation was launched in 2011 as a grassroots initiative to encourage community engagement in the easiest, most convenient and most simplistic way possible. Based on the concept of microvolunteering - volunteerism built for today's social, web-savvy generation - Koodonation gives Canadians the ability to make a huge contribution to non-profits right from their computers, in 15 minutes or less.

Tasks on Koodonation suit the time-pressed, socially-astute world of today, following the basic, underlying principles of microvolunteering:

• Convenient - Microvolunteering fits into our busy schedules when we have time. Tasks are simple enough so that anyone can contribute, right from the comfort of the living room sofa!
• Bite-Sized - Tasks are broken down into small pieces that can be easily completed in 15 minutes or less.
• Crowdsourced - Anyone can help, work together and build off other answers. Koodonation puts heads together to create genius responses for non-profits across the country.
• Network-Managed - Koodonation is not just a hub, it's a community. The community helps non-profits together by rating answers, deciding which responses are best and creating an easy and functional way for charities to receive free work, without the time constraints.

The launch of Koodonation last year drove more than 1,500 microvolunteer responses to non-profit challenges, partnered with an incredible wipeout-style tournament that raised over $100,000 for student and ambassador-supported charities, including Grandview Children's Centre and Rose of Sharon.

"Helping to launch Koodonation last year was such a rewarding experience," says Derek Fullerton, Koodonation microvolunteer and former captain for team Durham College and UOIT, winners of the 2011 Koodonation Challenge. "Our school signed up more than 600 microvolunteers on Koodonation,com last year. As a result, we were able to contribute $20,000 to Grandview Children's Centre. I'm so happy to say that Durham is competing again in this year in the Koodonation online Throwdown. I know the team at Durham is going to do its best to give back to the community so our school can take home the $35,000 for charity!"

"We're looking forward to bringing Koodonation to some of the most technologically-clever and socially-experienced individuals in Canada: post-secondary students," says Kevin. "Imagine feeling the rivalry, competing for a grand title and experiencing the togetherness of a team, all while knowing you're making a difference, right on your computer screen. It's something that's never been done before in Canada. I can't wait to see the excitement play out, all in the name of social good."

About Koodonation

Koodonation is the first-ever Canadian online microvolunteering community, launched and operating as a charitable, not-for-profit initiative by Koodo Mobile. As an award-winning Canadian mobility innovator, Koodo is proud to support this grassroots social change revolution as an initiative to support the invaluable work of charities and volunteers across Canada. Koodo's mission in business has always been to redefine mobility; today the company is proud to support a social change movement redefining volunteering.

Find more information about Koodonation at Koodonation.com

(1) The Koodonation Online Throwdown is not open to students and/or residents of Quebec.