Recent Press

Microsoft Press Release, February 12, 2012
Microsoft Employees Raise Record-Breaking $100 Million for Nonprofits in 2011
Microsoft employees contributed more than $80,000 in donations and volunteer time to Jolkona, a microgiving nonprofit started by Adnan Mahmud, a Microsoft program manager.

Geekwire, December 30, 2011
Geeks Who Give Back: Nadia Mahmud, Jolkona Foundation
Jolkona is a Bengali word that means "drop of water." For Nadia Mahmud, co-founder of the Jolkona Foundation, it’s a fitting metaphor given that she believes every small drop counts when it comes to changing lives of people across the globe.

Marie Claire, December 16, 2011
The Savvy Girl's Guide to Giving Back
DO-GOODER: Nadia Khawaja Mahmud, Cofounder and CEO of Jolkona Foundation, an organization that connects small donors to global development projects.

TEDxRainier, November 12, 2011
TEDxRainier - Adnan Mahmud - Climbing the Ladder that Matters

Realized Worth, November 7, 2011
Employee Volunteering - An Amazing Resource or a Terrible Waste?
What’s fascinating about Jolkona’s giving platform is the feedback loop. Every donor, no matter how small the amount, is personally contacted on a regular basis. So if you’ve donated $5, you’ll receive updates on how that donation is making an impact.

Huffington Post Impact, October 10, 2011
So You Say You Want to Be a Social Entrepreneur?
A recap of the Social Innovation Fast Pitch and what it means to be a Social Entrepreneur, by Akhtar Badshah, the senior director of Global Community Affairs at Microsoft, who was also a SIFP judge.

Community Organizer 2.0, September 13, 2011
Groupon Case Study: Jolkona’s Groupon Experiment
In early July, Jolkona launched a 3-day campaign with Groupon's G-Team and shared their key learnings in this interview, while the campaign was happening and once it ended.

Geekwire, August 11, 2011
Geek of the Week: Adnan Mahmud, Jolkona co-founder
In this edition of GeekWire's Geek of the Week, they look into the life of Adnan Mahmud, Jolkona's co-founder, who thinks big about using technology to tackle some of the world's biggest problems.

Claxon Marketing Blog, August 5, 2011
Jolkona's Social Media Goodness
What's the secret-sauce behind Jolkona's social media presence? Laura Kimball, our Director of Communications and Social Media, shares her top tips on Claxon Marketing's blog which gives marketing and communications advices to nonprofits.

Humanosphere, July 27, 2011
Turning Seattle's hodgepodge do-gooders into a community
There’s a unique mixture here - a global view on things, a strong humanitarian bent and a creative mindset, but can Seattle's non-profits work together? Currently iLEAP: The Center for Critical Service, Seattle International Foundation & Jolkona are.

Wikibrands Blog, July 26, 2011
Wikicauses 50 - #2 - Jolkona - Small Drips of North West Fundraising Wikicauses 50 - #2 - Jolkona - Small Drips of North West Fundraising (2nd of 2 posts)
As the second of our series profiling the best engaged not-for-profits, I recently had a chance to sit down with Laura Kimball (@lamiki), director of communications and digital media for relative newcomer, but strongly buzzed about, foundation Seattle-based Jolkona (@jolkona) and talk about how they’ve rooted donor and fan digital engagement, particularly among young professionals, into their DNA.

Humanosphere, April 13, 2011
Millennials doing microfinance and microphilanthropy
Millennials are big on microfinance, and microphilanthropy, especially in Seattle where three young, nonprofits, Jolkona, Vitana, and Lumana, are out to change both of these industries.

Realizing Your Worth, January 27, 2011
Employee Giving & Volunteering - What Matters Most

Puget Sound Seattle Business Journal, December 22, 2010
Gates big on Twitter, is your charity?
The Jolkona Foundation has nearly 2,000 followers on Twitter.

Huffington Post Impact, December 1, 2010
Give the Gift of Impact
Last year, in an attempt to stave off yet another season of empty gifts, Taylor reached out to friends and family. He requested they give and receive gift dedications through Jolkona in lieu of exchanging actual presents.

KUOW Presents, August 21, 2010
Adnan Mahmud's Drop of Water
Our Co-Founder and CEO, Adnan Mahmud, speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck and shares the story of what inspired him and Nadia to start Jolkona.

Jolkona: One-to-one Philanthropy, July 27, 2010
Jolkona: One-to-one philanthropy
JD Lasica, the founder of Socialbrite.org, "met Adnan Mahmud, co-founder and CEO of Jolkona, during Beth Kanter’s book signing party for "The Networked Nonprofit" at TechSoup Global last month - and was immediately impressed by his seriousness and dedication to helping great causes through one-to-one philanthropy."

Social Edge, April 27, 2010
Small donations add up to big money: Jolkona Foundation
"Adnan Mahmud and Nadia Eleza Khawaja have created a model for generating small donations from young people that have a big impact - make is simple, effective, transparent and viral."

Microsoft Research Asia Blog, January 13, 2010
Trip to Cemetery Creates Life-Changing Moment (in Chinese)
"Adnan Mahmud's quest to change philanthropy started in a cemetery."

Microsoft Corporation internal publication, December 9, 2009
Trip to Cemetery Creates Life-Changing Moment
"A stranger in Bangladesh helped Adnan Mahmud realize he could help make the world a better place without much money."

King5 News in Seattle, October 12, 2009
Adnan Mahmud talks about Jolkona Foundation with King5
Our Co-Founder and CEO, Adnan Mahmud talks to Renay San Miguel about Jolkona Foundation and social entrepreneurship in Seattle.

Comcast Newsmakers
Adnan Mahmud talks about Jolkona Foundation

Seattle Times, August 25, 2009
Jolkona Foundation extends micro-giving to Seattle
"The Jolkona Foundation has added Seattle education and microfinance projects to its Web site, allowing people to reach local programs with targeted small donations."

Springwise, July 28, 2009
Microcharity uses tangibility to target young donors
"Using technology to combine the immediacy, transparency and personal connections consumers increasingly demand, Jolkona may just have hit upon the model of giving for the future. One to watch!"

A Small Change, July 22, 2009
Jolkona Foundation: Measuring Impact [Part 1 | Part 2]
"I was so encouraged by their vision for young philanthropists."

About.com, July 8, 2009
Do We Need More Micro-Charity Websites?
"Adnan Mahmud and his wife, Nadia Khawaja, take an entreprenuerial, low overhead with big impact approach to philanthropy."

TheDailyTell.com, July 7, 2009
Philanthropy goes digital, allowing donors to see their impact
"The site features extensive tracking of donations, with news alerts, charts and graphs."

SeattleMicrofinance.org, July 2, 2009
Jolkona.org: Leveraging Micro-Donations for Macro-Impact
"The co-founders have everything you need to be successful in starting a nonprofit: talent, passion, energy, and the identification of a need to fulfill."

Seattle Times, June 29, 2009
Microsoft veterans aim to make philanthropy more personal
"Adnan Mahmud, a program manager at Microsoft Research, started the Jolkona Foundation with his wife, Nadia Khawaja, a University of Washington graduate student."

GiftHub.org, June 23, 2009
Jolkona Foundation
"Web 2.0 microphilanthropy with an emphasis on interaction, human connection, and consideration of impact."

SocialEarth.com, June 20, 2009
Jolkona Foundation Launches Website Targeting Young Philanthropists
"... and after talking with Adnan and learning about Jolkona Foundation, I see the connection as each donation is a drop, that causes a ripple effect of good, and eventually washes away pain."

Seattle Times, June 19, 2009
Drop by drop, a current of young philanthropy grows
"The solution was to create an online space for people to get excited about philanthropy with just a couple hundred dollars a year."