New search engine helps charities

Philanthropy is no longer just the business of the Heinz or Carnegie families. Donations to… Philanthropy is no longer just the business of the Heinz or Carnegie families. Donations to charities now come from Internet search engines, too.

GoodSearch.com, a search engine still in its inaugural year, gives one cent for every search to a nonprofit organization designated by the searcher. While most search engines take in 100 percent revenue from their advertising sponsors, GoodSearch keeps about half of this profit.

“Everyone wants to do good, so we created GoodSearch.com and partnered with Yahoo,” JJ Ramberg, co-creator of the program, said. She and her brother, Ken Ramberg, developed the software as an easy way for people to help out their favorite charities without spending the money or the time.

To date, more than 20,000 nonprofit organizations have registered and earned money through the Web site. In order to register, an organization must submit a simple form to GoodSearch that details basic contact information.

According to Ramberg, more than 100 organizations submit information every day, and any reputable nonprofit can be added.

University programs in particular have been successful with their GoodSearch campaigns.

Dance marathons at both Penn State and the University of Iowa have generated $1,200 and $700, respectively, since registering with the program. “It’s been an enormous response from colleges and universities,” Ramberg said.

The use of GoodSearch.com spreads mostly through word of mouth. Talk about GoodSearch on college Internet hotspots like blogs, Facebook accounts and MySpace.com helps the search engine immensely, according to Ramberg.

However, no nonprofit organizations at the University of Pittsburgh use GoodSearch.com. “It’s interesting as an option,” Student Volunteer Outreach administrator Terry Milani said, “but we don’t fund-raise.”

In the city of Pittsburgh alone, almost 20 organizations use GoodSearch.com as a donation tool.

Some of these organizations, such as Children’s Hospital of UPMC and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, have earned less than 10 dollars each through the Web site.

When asked about their involvement in GoodSearch, Melissa McMasters of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy said, “This is news to us.”

Although some organizations are barely aware of GoodSearch’s donation abilities, the Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh, a charity providing housing and assistance for the developmentally challenged and mentally handicapped, has gained almost 100 dollars since its May 2006 registration. Emmaus boasts the largest GoodSearch revenue of all Pittsburgh organizations listed on the site.

“We’ve advertised on every piece of communication that leaves our office,” Jennifer Pavlisko, of Emmaus’ Pittsburgh office, said. “I personally am very encouraged that a search engine this big is so socially minded.”

And with people searching the Internet so often, the power to do good is enormous, Ramberg said.