Make a difference for millions, with millions. Rockfish Interactive and Sam's Club have launched a donation-voting campaign that allows Club Members to divvy up $4 million among eight non-profits.

How does it work?
Members can vote online once per day from April 8th to May 2nd for their favorite non-profit in each of two categories: youth education and entrepreneurship. The top vote-getters in each will receive $1 million, second place non-profits will get $500,000, while the third and fourth place organizations get $250,000 apiece.

Participate
There are several ways to get involved in the program, whether you're a Club Member or not:

• Visit Sam's Club Giving to vote and/or learn more.
• Chat with the non-profits (and friends) on the Facebook Fan Page.
• Follow @samsclub on Twitter to learn about Twitter Parties and Double Points Days.

Here are the non-profits!

Sam's Club Makes Giving Simple from Rockfish Interactive on Vimeo.

Read the Sam's Club press release.

The Green Plus™ program helps educate and certify small businesses and nonprofit organizations in the areas of triple bottom line sustainability (People, Planet and Performance). A program of the Institute for Sustainable Development, Green Plus™ focuses on an organization's policies and procedures and therefore applies to businesses across sectors and industries.

"We are motivated by our clients' commitment to the environment and their communities," says Chris Carmody, Institute for Sustainable Development Executive Director. "Their involvement is what makes Green Plus a great community hub for sharing best practices and helping American small businesses understand that sustainability is a growth opportunity."

Congrats to the rest of our certification class!

Learn more about Green Plus.

How do high school football players get recruited? The NCAA states that roughly 5.8%, or less than one in 17 high school seniors, will play at the NCAA level. Yet, there are 20,000 high schools in the country and nearly 900 college programs trying to find the right players for their respective teams.

In other words, it's tough if you're not the star player or on a team with a star player. Introducing PlayNextLevel.com, one of the largest joint ventures to come from the Rockfish Labs incubation division.

"Players spend hours cutting highlight film, compiling stats and then mailing video tapes or DVDs to the collegiate programs that interest them," says Alex Mortensen, founder of PlayNextLevel.com and son of Senior NFL Analyst Chris Mortensen.

Together, Rockfish and Alex built Play Next Level as the place where players, coaches and fans benefit from an improved, innovative high school football recruiting experience:

• Players, of any skill level, can create a personal profile on the web site as a showcase for their physical metrics, performance stats and highlight videos.
• Coaches gain access to profiles for more players than they could ever see in person. This allows them to more efficiently schedule their time, more effectively fill their roster needs, and avoid sorting through a mailbox of DVDs.
• Fans can follow their favorite players to receive alerts whenever the player updates his personal profile.
• Advice, most prevalent in the "Film Room" videos, includes direction from Chris Mortensen for players and parents on how to successfully create a highlight video and navigate the recruiting process.

The Rockfish Labs Joint Venture Opportunity
Got a great idea? Then, you should check out Rockfish Labs, where we develop new technologies, build new products with existing brands, and help entrepreneurs bring their great ideas to the marketplace. Play Next Level is the eighth company to be launched from Labs, and the most ambitious effort to date. The joint venture is co-owned by Alex and Rockfish, which is a model business relationship that we will look to duplicate frequently in the future.

Did you know that unrestrained pets cause more than 30,000 accidents per year? That's one every eighteen minutes of every day. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA®) and Bergan, a company focused on active lifestyle solutions for dog and cat owners, asked Rockfish to build them an online community that supports responsible and safe pet travel.

At Paws To Click, you'll find:

• The ability to post a picture and travel stories about your pet.
• A Store Finder that will locate your nearest store carrying auto travel harnesses and pet travel carriers.
• 11 Safe Travel Tips like, "Don't allow your pet to ride with his head outside the window, which subjects him to injury from flying objects."
• Links to the Paws To Click Twitter and Facebook accounts.
• Information about Bergan and the ASPCA.

How do you get involved?
With a simple click of the button, you can pledge and add your name to the growing list of supporters of safe pet travel. Pledge your oath of responsibility by visiting Paws To Click now.

Our CEO, Kenny Tomlin, was asked to write an article for Ad Age about the experience that Rockfish has had since the announcement roughly six months ago. Read the article about Rockfish's (Positive) Growing Pains.

In a nutshell:

1. Satisfaction! "It's incredibly satisfying to be recognized for your hard work, and the team will feel energized and motivated to be part of your workplace."


2. Talent! "It's not just about the number of (new) heads -- it's about what's in them."


3. Ring! Ring! "Money does not begin to fall from the sky when the award is announced; you still have to earn the business."

We're honored to have been chosen by Ad Age for this award (and for the A-List Award), and we look forward to giving you more amazing Rockfish news in the near future.