AOL has always been a strong supporter of using the Internet to promote citizen philanthropy. AOL strives to make it easier for nonprofits to benefit from the power of the Internet as a community building platform. AOL is founder and funder of both Network for Good and the ePhilanthropy Foundation, and through other projects has also been a believer in building the technological capacity of nonprofits.

In this specific instance, AOL agreed to include within the Unauthorized Charges Litigation class action settlement (O'Leary et al., v AOL) a charitable contribution, and it has worked with plaintiffs' counsel, Network for Good, the ePhilanthropy Foundation and nonprofits in the East St.Louis area to create a program that will not only benefit these nonprofits in the short-term, but help strengthen them for the long-term, making them better able to meet the continuing needs of their communities.