• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, April 13, 2012

Starbucks has introduced a program that enables My Starbucks Rewards members to vote to determine how $4 million in donations to local community and national nonprofit organizations will be distributed.

The program is called “Starbucks Community Card: Vote. Give. Grow.”

Starbucks has already selected 124 organizations, and all will receive some portion of the $4 million.

However, rewards-program members who register their cards at votegivegrow.com can, during the month of April, vote for their favorites among these organizations. At the end of the month, the donations will be distributed based on how many votes each organization receives.

April also marks Starbucks’ second annual Global Month of Service initiative. Throughout the month, Starbucks employees and customers around the world are participating in community service events addressing local needs.

Starbucks has two pages at which consumers can register for service projects in their communities: U.S./Canada and outside of North America.

During the week of April 23, Starbucks will recognize and thank participants by spotlighting the positive impacts made around the world. 

During Starbucks’ first Global Month of Service in 2011, nearly 60,000 volunteers participated from across 30 countries on four continents, resulting in more than 155,000 hours of community service. Starbucks currently operates in 58 countries.