March Madness Bracket for Good

It's hard to predict just how many people will be doing a NCAA Tournament bracket, but it's a safe bet that it will number in the millions. Last year, according to CBSSports.com, there were 7.52 million unique visitors to its free NCAA March Madness on Demand video player (many of whom were probably at work at the time). Meanwhile, according to Advertising Age, 130 million people watched the tournament on TV. If you assume only 10 percent of those people participated in predicting tournament brackets, you've got nearly 14 million participants. Personally, I think that's low. So, if you've been thinking about joining the rather large bracket party but want to feel like you're doing it for the greater good, AirPlus International may just have what you're looking for.

As reported by Business Wire, for the second year in a row, the company that provides corporate travel payment solutions is having a March Madness online tournament for charity. This year, Care+Share India, an NGO helping children in the city of Vijayawada, will receive all the funds from AirPlus International's bracket bonanza. The company, which set a fundraising target of $1,000, has already reached that goal, meaning they will now match all donations, thus doubling whatever entrants decide to give. You can give any amount you like, and the winner will get an HD Filp Cam — and, yes, bragging rights. But, of course, the real winner is Care+Share.

Last year, the company's tournament raised nearly $3,000 for the Make-A-Wish foundation, so hopefully this year they'll be able to surpass that amount. The tournament is only available for the first 400 people who respond, and the cut-off is Wednesday, March 17, at 5 p.m. EST, so if you want to participate, get on it now. And good luck!

Photo by The D34n via Flickr.