Esurance Announces Winners of 2009 Charitable Giving Grant Program
23 June 2009 - 8:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Partners with YourCause.com to Add Social Web Aspect to Giving SAN
FRANCISCO, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Esurance, the direct-to-customer
online auto insurance company, announced the winners of its annual
grant program for charitable causes. For the past two years,
Esurance associates in each of Esurance's office locations
nationwide have helped select worthy organizations the company
supports for its cause marketing efforts. In 2009, to streamline
the submission process and help connect its charitably-minded
associates across the U.S., Esurance partnered with leading
charity-focused social Web platform, YourCause.com. For the grant
program, Esurance associates submit their favorite community causes
for review and voting, with winning organizations in each location
receiving a $5,000 grant and volunteer support from Esurance. The
organizations selected as this year's Esurance Grant Program
winners represent a wide range of causes, from Children's Hospital
in Denver, to Habitat for Humanity in Phoenix, to Sacramento's
local SPCA. John Swigart, Esurance's Chief Marketing Officer,
stated "Now more than ever, it's important that we give back to our
local communities. Our associates are great resources to guide our
cause marketing efforts, as they have great insights into local
causes that really need our support. By engaging and empowering our
associates through the YourCause.com online platform, we have made
our grant program even more effective by maximizing associate
participation." The Esurance private label YourCause.com site
allows associates to nominate their favorite charities for the
grant program, or find charities in their communities from
YourCause.com's database of over 1,000,000 charitable
organizations. Esurance associates are also able to cast a vote for
a nominated organization to win the Esurance grant. Through the
interface, associates are also able to view information about other
causes supported by Esurance associates, and learn more about those
organizations. "The partnership between Esurance and YourCause is
poised to set a precedent for companies truly devoted to corporate
social responsibility in a Web 2.0 world," says site co-founder
Matthew Combs. "Worthwhile organizations need corporate support
more than ever, and that is what we'll help Esurance associates do
every day, using the power of the Internet to connect individuals
and causes." About Esurance(R) Esurance, a subsidiary of White
Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE: WTM), provides personal auto
insurance direct to consumers online and through select online
agents. Esurance is dedicated to constantly improving the way
people shop for, buy, and manage their auto insurance. By combining
the best of technology with industry know-how, Esurance is able to
offer hassle-free coverage with 24/7 customer service and claims
handling at competitive prices. Through Esurance's Web site,
http://www.esurance.com/, customers can get instant quotes, view
comparison quotes, buy an Esurance policy, and print their proof of
insurance card-- all in minutes. Esurance also offers policyholders
the ability to make policy changes and file claims instantly
online, demonstrating its commitment to improving the entire
insurance process from quote to claim. Esurance is proud to support
our communities through charitable involvement that benefits public
health, youth outreach, and the environment. About YourCause.com
YourCause.com is a cause-focused media platform that connects a
user's cause with donors and the appropriate and qualified charity.
User benefits include customized web pages, marketing and PR tools,
blogging capabilities, objective tracking eligibility for daily
donations, promotion and exposure to the YourCause.com community,
reliable fundraising capabilities, photo uploads, and event
calendars. YourCause.com is closely aligned with the non-profit
Network for Good for all donor transactions. Created by Blastoff
Ventures, the goal of the site is to "Empower Millions to Raise
Billions." The YourCause Private Label now offers a wide range of
services for its clients, including corporate matching
facilitation, corporate grant voting, and enterprise-wide tracking
for all internal community and cause programs. Payroll deduction
and volunteer hours monitoring are also scheduled to roll out soon.
Inline with the current economic conditions, YourCause.com has been
able to expand their private label deployment by reducing each
client's expenditures, while providing significant enhancements and
expansions to current programs. Safe Harbor Statement under the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 The press release
may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than
statements of historical facts, included or referenced in this
release which address activities, events or developments which we
expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future are
forward-looking statements. The words "will," "believe," "intend,"
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similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking
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statements with respect to White Mountains': -- changes in adjusted
book value per share or return on equity; -- business strategy; --
financial and operating targets or plans; -- incurred losses and
the adequacy of its loss and loss adjustment expense reserves and
related reinsurance; -- projections of revenues, income (or loss),
earnings (or loss) per share, dividends, market share or other
financial forecasts; -- expansion and growth of our business and
operations; and -- future capital expenditures. These statements
are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by White
Mountains in light of its experience and perception of historical
trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as
well as other factors believed to be appropriate in the
circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments
will conform to our expectations and predictions is subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially from expectations, including: -- the risks
associated with Item 1A of White Mountains' 2008 Annual Report on
Form 10-K; -- claims arising from catastrophic events, such as
hurricanes, earthquakes, floods or terrorist attacks; -- the
continued availability of capital and financing; -- general
economic, market or business conditions; -- business opportunities
(or lack thereof) that may be presented to it and pursued; --
competitive forces, including the conduct of other property and
casualty insurers and reinsurers; -- changes in domestic or foreign
laws or regulations, or their interpretation, applicable to White
Mountains, its competitors or its clients; -- an economic downturn
or other economic conditions adversely affecting its financial
position; -- recorded loss reserves subsequently proving to have
been inadequate; -- other factors, most of which are beyond White
Mountains' control. Consequently, all of the forward-looking
statements made in this press release are qualified by these
cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the
actual results or developments anticipated by White Mountains will
be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have
the expected consequences to, or effects on, White Mountains or its
business or operations. White Mountains assumes no obligation to
update publicly any such forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise. DATASOURCE:
Esurance CONTACT: Susan MacTavish Best of Best Public Relations,
+1-415-505-0301, , for Esurance Web Site: http://www.esurance.com/
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