GoodSearch & GoodShop: A step forward for online philanthropy

Guest post by Aviva Schick
GoodSearch.com

Cancer patients. The rainforest. Homeless pets. Underfunded schools. Refugees. This is a part of a list J.J. Ramberg was thinking about when she and her brother came up with the idea for their socially responsible company GoodSearch.com.  

As she continued thinking, her list became more personal. Her mother had passed away from cancer in 2001; her nephew has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts; her best friend started a fellowship program helping economically disadvantaged students get into good high schools. Faced with the reality of so much need, J.J. felt compelled to figure out a sustainable way to raise funds and awareness for worthy causes.  She wanted to revolutionize the way people support their favorite causes and create a way to incorporate “doing good” into every day life. The idea she and her brother came up with was so simple, yet so powerful.

In 2005, J.J. launched GoodSearch.com. GoodSearch is a simple concept that is having a large impact. It is a Yahoo!-powered search that donates about a penny per search to the charity or school of the user’s choice.  You use it exactly as you would any other search engine, but each time you conduct a search, about one cent goes to your designated cause.  

There are 98,000-plus organizations listed on GoodSearch, including the ASPCA which has earned nearly $40,000, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which has earned almost $16,000, and the National Inclusion Project, which has earned more than $15,500, among thousands of others. The pennies add up quickly. Just 500 people searching four times a day will raise around $7,300 without the supporters or the organization spending a dime.

The company took off immediately. Within months word was spreading like wildfire via emails and blogs with people asking their friends to “GoodSearch” on behalf of their favorite cause. J.J. said she remembers a moment in 2006 when she was wearing a GoodSearch T-shirt at a sporting event and a stranger who passed by told her, “Hey, I used GoodSearch for my high school!” She knew that GoodSearch had filled a need and that there was more to be done.

GoodShop: Supporting charities and schools

In 2007, GoodSearch launched a sister site, GoodShop.com. It’s an online shopping mall that works with more than 2,000 stores, from Amazon to Zales, that donates up to 30 percent of every purchase to the charity or school of the user’s choice. The buyer pays nothing extra and each purchase benefits his or her favorite cause. GoodShop works with the retailers to provide thousands of free shipping deals and money saving coupons, so users are not only helping a good cause but saving money while doing so. Users can also download the GoodSearch toolbar, which ensures that every purchase counts toward a donation even if the user forgets to click through from GoodShop first.

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. “Why wouldn’t I use it? It makes me feel good knowing that when I’m shopping for gifts online, some of that money is going to help endangered species!”

As the recession took hold of the United States over the past two years, the need for GoodSearch and GoodShop rose. Unfortunately, as the economy teetered, the need for the services of so many nonprofits increased while their funding decreased. GoodSearch and GoodShop were able to help fill the funding gap for many of these causes as they provided a way for their supporters to help.

GoodSearch and GoodShop are 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 overwhelming – more than 100 new nonprofits and schools register daily and GoodSearch and GoodShop are helping make a difference in communities across the country. They make it possible for everyone, regardless of how much time or money they have, to give back.

Related

• Good.ly: A tiny url service for charity (Socialbrite)