[Ed. Note: As you probably know, the Case Foundation, together with Facebook Causes and Parade magazine, is going to award $750,000 to charity. To help illuminate the process and generate discussion and ideas, the NTEN Connect Blog will be posting occasional updates from actual participants in the Challenges.]

Mark Miller, Children's National Medical Center

I was the vice president for communications at the Case Foundation from 2005 to 2007. During that time, I led the development of www.casefoundation.org and helped the team explore ways to get everyday people involved in giving. A big part of that was studying new tools for online fundraising.

Because my daughter has received such great care at Children's National Medical Center, I took a job doing fundraising communications there in June 2007. When I heard the Case Foundation was sponsoring the Facebook and Parade.com giving challenges, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. It fits our strategy perfectly to use the latest technology to raise national awareness and dollars in new and innovative ways.

Facebook Causes Giving Challenge

I had already created a "Cause" for Children's National, so I needed to find a way to start a new one. Dan Froomkin, who writes "White House Watch" for washingtonpost.com, agreed to be our "champion", and set up this cause for us. We're just starting to get the word out, but are excited to reach new audiences and expand our Facebook networks. (As an aside, I'm 43 years old and thought Facebook was for kids -- but the Causes application makes it a valuable and fun tool for anyone who cares about the nonprofit world.)

> View the Children's National Cause

America's Giving Challenge

We have another great partner for America's Giving Challenge with Parade.com: Mike Green of the Washington Capitals. The Capitals are great supporters of Children's National, and after their annual visit, Mike was inspired to get more involved. He created a charity badge through Network for Good.

We've also created an electronic postcard promoting the campaign.

For me, the giving challenges have been a labor of love. After working with Steve and Jean Case and all the great people at the Case Foundation, I'm inspired to think big about online giving, and now I'm able to use what I've learned to support world-class medical care and research for kids in Washington and around the world.

Stay tuned for more updates from Mark Miller.