Online game company Zynga is teaming with Toys for Tots to let game players donate to the charity via games such as ‘FarmVille’.
The seasonal “Oh, What Fun!” Toys for Tots fund-raising drive launched in FarmVille with the arrival of a Cheer-Ewe-Up, a horseback-riding sheep that players can send to other players for $1.
By participating in the next week, players get a holiday teddy tree to decorate their own farm and 100% of their $1 donation goes to Toys for Tots.
The campaign expands to six more games over the next few days, lasting until Dec. 31. In CityVille, a holiday toy shop opens Thursday where players can make virtual toys and donate $1 to $10.
“It’s part of a quest you can go do. You are actually crafting a toy. Like one of Santa’s elves, you are making it and wrapping it,” says Zynga CEO Mark Pincus. “Then ultimately that will result in your money going towards a real toy for a real kid.”
The games Draw Something and Words With Friends will include $5 and $10 text donations. Other games with Toys for Tots tie-ins are CastleVille, FrontierVille andBubble Safari.
“We loved the idea that our players could actually give the gift of play to others while they were playing,” Pincus says. “We think it is really going to resonate with our players.”
Zynga attracts about 311 million players each month, and players have already donated more than $13 million for causes including disaster relief for the 2010 Haiti earthquake and 2011 Japan tsunami.
“We know from listening to our players and from seeing their generosity first-hand, that they are passionate not only about the games they play but also about making a connection and helping others through social games,” says Zynga.org executive director Ken Weber.
Additional information about the “Oh, What Fun!” campaign can be found on the official Zynga blog.
http://blog.zynga.com/
