The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) recently announced an Emergency Action Plan to continue efforts toward eliminating the disease. In partnership with Rotary International, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the organization has set a goal to raise approximately $1 billion by the end of 2013.

GPEI recently stated that while the number of polio occurrences has decreased, cases in Nigeria, Pakistan, Chad and Afghanistan could threaten efforts that have been made to wipe the disease out. With additional funding for vaccinations in the countries that are still suffering from a polio endemic, GPEI aims to immunize citizens and reduce the risk of continued transmission.

"We know polio can be eradicated, and our success in India proves it," said Kalyan Banerjee, president of Rotary International. "It is now a question of political and societal will. Do we choose to deliver a polio-free world to future generations, or do we choose to allow 55 cases this year to turn into 200,000 children paralyzed for life, every single year?"

Organizations like GPEI that need funding to fulfill important initiatives on a deadline might benefit from nonprofit fundraising software. The platform can help them identify grant opportunities and also generate reports demonstrating their need and showcasing successful efforts in the past.