file under: Good Ideas

GoodTree.com is a blindingly simple idea for generating money for charity. You use their search service (which aggregates search results from Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask.com), designate which charity/ies the revenue from your searches is allocated to, and voilà, you’re generating money for good causes.

While lots of sites donate a portion of sales revenues to charity or specialize in fair trade and socially conscious merchandise (always a nice idea, if you’re going shopping anyway), and other sites have those “click here to donate to X charity” buttons, their models rely on you either spending money or remembering to go to the “click here” site. GoodTree, OTOH, relies on you doing something you’d already be doing while you’re online: searching for things.

You can choose from over 50 charities, in the following focus areas:

• Medical Research (8 charities)
• Support Our Troops (3 charities)
• Faith (4 charities)
• Hunger (4 charities)
• International Relief (3 charities)
• The Environment (5 charities)
• Animals and Wildlife (3 charities)
• Community (5 charities)
• Human Rights (2 charities)
• Children and Youth (4 charities)
• Women’s Issues (4 charities)
• Education (3 charities)
• Social Enterprise (2 charities)
• Homelessness (2 charities)

You can also suggest additional charities, if your favorite organization is not represented.

Click to add GoodTree to your Firefox search bar

Click to make GoodTree your browser start page

Click to add a GoodTree search box to your website