Club’s Penguins Raise Cold Cash for Charities

A 10-day charitable campaign in Club Penguin, the Disney-owned online world aimed at kids and pre-teens, has produced a pile of virtual coins worth about $1 million very real dollars.

More than 2.5 million users who took part in the “Coins for Change” promotion between December 14 and 24 agreed to donate two billion virtual coins they earned by playing games on the popular Arctic-themed children’s Web site. Members could choose to donate those coins—which are usually spent to buy gear and apparel for their penguins avatars—to funds devoted to one of three charities protecting the environment, improving pediatric medical care or helping children in developing countries.

As a result of the cause-related marketing effort, the New Horizon Foundation, a charity started by Club Penguin’s trio of founders, has committed to doling out a $1 million donation to three organizations chosen to represent those aims in proportion to the coins each one amassed during the promotion. As a result of the campaign, the World Wildlife Fund will receive $330,000, while the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation will get $394,000. Free The Children will receive $276,000.

“Our goal with the Coins for Change campaign was simple: to cultivate a spirit of giving and empower the children who play Club Penguin to affect real change in a way that truly matters to them,” the virtual world’s operators said in a release announcing the results.

Spokesperson Lane Merrifield said Club Penguin administrators knew members would rally behind the project but were “still blown away by the results.”

Club Penguin accepts members of all ages but targets the 6-to-14 age group. User can join the ad-free virtual world for free but have the option of paying a small monthly subscription for added features. Either way, the network uses filtering and live moderators to watch chat and activity on the site for dangerous or intrusive behavior. In August 2007, Disney paid $350 million in cash for the site, with a possible $350 million additional payout by 2009.