inKLine Media

We’re not quite at the halfway mark of the fundraising season for Relay for Life, but as of 6:40 AM on April 23rd, the SL  leg of the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event has raised $76,095.  That’s USD.

Relay for Life represents one of the biggest philanthropic organizations in SL, no doubt.  While it’s mission is non-profit, it runs with the precision and execution of a non-profit or for-profit.  I got to thinking.  After I turned off the smoke alarm, I started reporting.

The general sentiment from business owners during my time writing this column can best be summed up as this: It isn’t what it used to be.  There are many contentious reasons for this, and a fair amount of evidence to support the sentiment.  Among the most simplistic answers is that the RL economy is sluggish, so the average resident spends less on what they view as entertainment, especially SL.

On the same token–or lack there of–when such a downturn occurs in the real world economy, generally charity would also suffer as a result.  I wondered if the same applied to charity in SL. Theoretically the same would apply to SL, but not so, Watson!

At least in the case RFL, donations have actually increased every year (except 2010) since RFL in SL first started in 2005.  It’s estimated that RFL has already surpassed the fundraising mark it set at this time last year, so it could very well be on track to another record-breaking year.  Last year, RFL raised a total of $375,385.

Of course, the event has grown dramatically since it first began.  So has SL for that matter.

Nevertheless, we at inKLine Media & SL Business Review hope that RFL continues to break those yearly totals and, along with all the non-profit, charity, and support groups, continue to reinforce the positive values that do exist in the virtual world.