Times are tough and money is tight right now. We are all feeling the pinch. Things you would normally buy without hesitation in the past are now things you think twice about. Chances are the thought of sending anymore of your hard earned cash to a charity right now are just not in the cards.
What if you could send money to your favorite charity without spending a dime of your own money? What if you could shop for things you already need, and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to your selected charity? Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Well, it is true, and a company by the name of GoodSearch is paving the way. Here are a few services that GoodSearch provides:
GoodSearch: How many of you use Google or Bing to conduct online searches? Well it’s time to switch search providers to GoodSearch. Just go to the GoodSearch*website, select the charity you want to raise money for, and then use GoodSearch for your searches. The search results are powered by Yahoo! so you will receive quality search returns, and approximately one penny per search is donated to your selected charity.
GoodShop: Do you do any of your shopping online? Use GoodShop* the next time you need to buy something, and a portion of your purchase will be donated to your selected charity. The amount that is donated is different from retailer to retailer, but there’s a wealth of retailers to choose from. Here is just a sampling of some of the participating retailers: Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, Expedia, Lowe’s, Petco, Staples and many more!
GoodToolbar: This is an application that you can download and install on your computer. It will add a Toolbar to your web browser so that you don’t need to go to the GoodSearch website every time you want to conduct a search. It will also automatically tell you if the website you are visiting is a GoodShop participant, the percentage they will donate, and a listing of any available coupons. You are free to change to a different charity at any time.
GoodDine: The GoodDining program allows you to earn donations for your charity at thousands of participating restaurants, bars and clubs. You must register for this service and then after that a percentage of your restaurant bill will be donated to the charity of your choice. The registration process will require you to create a login account and register the credit card you will be using for dining purchases. This is how they track your spending so they know how much money to donate. Please visit GoodSearch for more information about their services and a listing of frequently asked questions.
GoodSearch isn’t the only organization that is giving back to charity based on your online usage. There is another organization similar to GoodShop, but it focuses specifically on animal shelters and rescue organizations. That organization is called Adopt A Shelter*. There are other organizations out there that offer similar services, but most of them donate to the charities that they personally support, and don’t allow you to choose the charity you want the donation to go.
*The links above to GoodSearch, Goodshop and Adopt A Shelter are set up for donations to be made to Canine Lifeline, which is my charity of choice. I would be grateful, as would Canine Lifeline, if you sent a few searches/purchases in their direction, but you can easily change it out to your charity of choice. Thanks!
