NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Small businesses enrolled in Verizon's Small Biz Rewards loyalty program have a chance to help themselves and their favorite charity in the company's Give and Give Back Holiday Sweepstakes.

From now until Dec. 31, Verizon's small-business customers can visit the Small Biz Rewards website to join the program for free and enter the sweepstakes, which will award a grand-prize winner $5,000* on a reloadable Prepaid MasterCard. In the spirit of the holidays, Verizon will also make a $5,000 contribution to the charity of the winner's choice, which must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Additionally, after they enter the sweepstakes Small Biz Rewards members can click to support one of three charities: Juvenile Diabetes Research, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Verizon will donate a total of $15,000 to these three nonprofits; the amount of the individual awards will be in proportion to the number of times each charity is selected by a Small Biz Rewards member.   

Verizon's Small Biz Rewards members also can make a personal donation. Support for Verizon's Give and Give Back Holiday Sweepstakes can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+ by using #VZSmallBizRewards.  

"Small businesses give a lot to their customers and their communities, and Verizon is kicking off the holiday season by highlighting our own small-business customers and several outstanding nonprofits," said Jane McCarthy, senior account manager of Small Biz Rewards at Verizon. "We are always looking to provide our customers with the best network and services to help them successfully run their business."   

Meeting the Needs of Small Businesses

Verizon recently provided its FiOS Internet small-business customers with a free upgrade to SpeedMatch, which provides matching upload and download speeds. Upload activity is expected to double over the next few years, according to company estimates, so the upgrade helps FiOS customers upload more quickly and provides the best customer experience. For more information, visit smallbizready.com.

Verizon is ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Very Small Business Wireline Service" in the J.D. Power "J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Business Wireline Satisfaction Study"^sm. The company was ranked highest for overall satisfaction, which consists of the following factors: performance and reliability, customer service, communications, sales reps, cost of service and billing.

Verizon is the only major telecommunication service provider that offers a rewards program for small business customers. To enter the sweepstakes or learn more about Verizon's Small Biz Rewards program, Verizon small business customers can visit https://smallbizrewards.verizon.com. 

*Dollar prize amounts will be awarded in the form of a Verizon Small Biz Rewards Prepaid MasterCard. Prepaid MasterCard is issued by MetaBank, Member FDIC, pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 106 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 178,500. For more information, visit www.verizon.com/news/.

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SOURCE Verizon