This month-long "fundraising 2.0" movement is inspired by the US President Obama's successful use of social media during his election campaign.

With no glitzy charity galas or glamourous celebrity endorsements, the power of crowd-sourcing and social networking are put to test as students rely on creative use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook to win over donors' support for the causes they champion.

"It's interesting how the youths' reputation as a generation of 'keyboard warriors' can be tapped on for something meaningful. Social media have been touted to change the way we communicate. I think it does more than just that. It's a platform that presents immense potential to do good," says Pei Sai Heng, one of the 85 Causathon's student campaigners.

All donations will be collected through GIVE Singapore's donation portal which allows fund-raisers to set up their own fundraising pages in a fuss-free, secured manner. The funds raised will impact thousands of lives through ways such as the provision of free meals to destitute migrant workers, support of families in crisis and purchase of medical supplies for old-aged patients.

The two best teams with the highest amount of funds raised and most innovative fundraising concept will be honoured with the Top Fund-Raiser Award and the Most Creative Fund-Raiser Award respectively at the Project Reach Conference on 29 July 2010. The awards are sponsored by The PR Element, a full-service public relations agency backed by an award-winning team.

In support of the launch of Causathon, SMa Institute of Higher Learning, which partners Murdoch University to offer a selection of degree courses in Singapore, will donate $1,400 to the 14 causes to kick-start the fund-raising drive.

The public is encouraged to join in the race for cause with these 85 students by supporting their favourite charity through: www.causathon.give.sg.