"Getting involved and doing things differently, it's always been the Virgin way. So mobilising our entrepreneurial energy and all we've got into making a difference - well, it just makes sense." Sir Richard Branson said. "In 2003, we spent six months speaking with a number of organisations in the social sector, our suppliers and partners and over 400 Virgin staff members in South Africa, Australia, the US and UK in order to find out what they wanted us to focus on.

We found that people and businesses wanted to get involved, they just didn't know how. The "charity" sector was a bit of a confusing maze for them to navigate through. They wanted us to connect them to organisations and opportunities where they could make a real difference, not just stuff a few envelopes and lick a few stamps.

So we started searching for the "best of the best" grassroots charitable organisations to connect people to - they know what works; all they need is our support and energy to spread their success. As an organisation that has had successful start ups around the world, one of the best things we can do is make "Good" Investments in emerging markets. By unleashing the entrpreneurial energy of our staff and customers we can help grow sustainable social change through economic development.

So who are we?- A group of passionate people driven by the belief that we have a role to play in tackling some of the tougher social challenges by uniting people and Virgin's global resources and of course having a bit of fun in the process too. We launched in the UK in September 2004 and are currently planning our international launches in South Africa, North Americaand Australia.

Excerpted from Virgin Unite