in donations, individuals are looking for innovative and free ways to
help their favorite charities.
More than 85,000 nonprofits have partnered with the online shopping
mall, GoodShop.com, and Yahoo! powered search engine, GoodSearch.com,
to enable their supporters to generate funds simply by shopping online
and searching the Internet. What makes the system so compelling is
that it doesn't cost the users (or the organizations) a thing. It's a
form of philanthropy that works for everyone in this tough economy!
Organizations benefiting in the Charlotte area include:
Mommies Network, 704-470-4291
Push America, 704-504-2400 ext. 122
Carolina Raptor Center, 704-875-6521
Jeff Gordon Foundation, 704-455-0625
Down Syndrome Association – Charlotte, 704-536-2163
Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region, 704.375.0100
Childrens Theatre of Charlotte, 704-973-2800
Consumers are helping their favorite causes by shopping at
GoodShop.com where they can choose from more than 1,400 well known
retailers including Target, Apple, Macy's, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble,
Gap, and PETCO among others. The shopping experience and the prices
are exactly the same as going to the retailer directly, but by going
through GoodShop, up to 30% of the purchase price is donated to the
user's favorite cause. GoodShop also offers coupons and free shipping
deals, so not only are the consumers helping their favorite non-
profits, but they are saving money while doing so!
Similarly, with every search conducted on Yahoo!-powered
GoodSearch.com, approximately one penny is donated to the user's
favorite charity. It's used exactly like any other search engine and
the pennies add up quickly! Just 500 people searching four times a day
will earn around $7,300 in a year! And, again it doesn't cost the
users a thing!
Individuals can even add the GoodSearch toolbar to their browser,
allowing them to automatically generate donations every time they
search or shop online – without going to GoodSearch or GoodShop first.
GoodSearch and GoodShop have quickly spread via word-of-mouth, the
blogger community, and a number of celebrities and their foundations
including Jessica Biel, Montel Williams, Jeff Bridges, Faith Hill and
Tim McGraw among others.
To give you a sense of how this has worked:
· Supporters of the ASPCA, to date, have raised over $30,000
to help animals in need.
· The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has earned over $12,000 in
pursuit of finding a cure.
· The National Inclusion Project, which helps children with
disabilities, has used the money it's earned to send more than 100
children to summer camp.
· A single purchase placed at Gaiam.com resulted in a $284
donation to the Motion Mania Dance Theater in Maryland!
Internet users have found GoodSearch and GoodShop to be a compelling
idea. Leslie Philips, a veterinarian in Tennessee, uses GoodSearch
and GoodShop to support The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee – the
nation's largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for
endangered African and Asian elephants. "There's no reason not to use
GoodShop! It makes me feel so good knowing that when I'm buying my
friends and family gifts this season, a portion of that money will go
towards endangered species. And with the new toolbar and coupons,
it's a no-brainer!"
The GoodSearch and GoodShop team is revolutionizing online
philanthropy so that no one is denied the opportunity to support the
causes most important to them. "The response to this idea has been
truly overwhelming," said Ken Ramberg, Co-Founder of GoodSearch and
former President of JOBTRAK, the largest online career site for
college students (which was acquired by Monster.com). "More than 100
new nonprofits and schools register daily and GoodSearch and GoodShop
are making a difference in communities across the country. They are
alleviating the strain in resources and making it possible for
everyone, regardless of how much time or money they have, to give back."
