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LivingSocial has raised $2,301,130 for the American Red Cross’s Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund after leveraging its popular group-buying platform to solicit donations.
Instead of offering a discount coupon for a product or activity, the site offered its more than 24 million subscribers an opportunity to make a $10 donation for just $5. LivingSocial picked up the difference.
The offer started Thursday afternoon and ran throughout the weekend in all of the company's U.S. markets. Exactly 230,113 members responded with $1,150,565 in donations. Although the company originally said it would only match up to $1 million, a spokesperson says it will match the user donations dollar for dollar.