GoodSearch
Encyclopedia
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
that donates 50% of its revenue, about a penny per search, to listed American charities and schools designated by its users. The money donated comes from the site's advertisers. According to the company's website, as of January 2011, more than 96,000 non-profits are participating in the program and 100 new organizations register daily.
GoodSearch was founded in November 2005 by siblings Ken Ramberg (Co-Founder of JOBTRAK, purchased by Monster.com and operating today as MonsterTRAK
MonsterTRAK
MonsterTRAK, now called MonsterCollege is a division of Monster.com focused on the emerging workforce. It was initially founded in 1987 by Connie Ramberg, Ken Ramberg and David Franey as JOBTRAK, with a focus on college students. In November, 2000 Monster acquired JOBTRAK and changed its name to...
) and JJ Ramberg
JJ Ramberg
JJ Ramberg is host of MSNBC's weekend business program Your Business, which airs Sunday mornings at 7:30 ET and repeats on the following Saturday at 5:30 a.m...
.
Description
Users can designate which of the selected charities their searches benefit and also see how much money and how many searches have been performed on behalf of each charity.As an example, as of April 2010 the ASPCA has earned over $40,000, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis . The Foundation provides information about cystic fibrosis and finances CF research that aims to improve the quality of life for people with the...
has earned more than $16,000 and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a nonprofit medical corporation chartered as a 501 tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations.In...
has earned nearly $15,000.
Features of the site that change several times per week include the "Charity of the Day" which highlights a particular charity's logo with a click through to their website and "Success Stories" which highlight the amount of money donated to particular charities. In the Who's Doing Good section of the site, a number of celebrities including Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Biel is an American actress, model, and occasional singer. Biel is known for her television role as Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven...
, Montel Williams
Montel Williams
Montel Brian Anthony Williams is an American television personality, radio talk show host and actor. He is best known as host of the long-running The Montel Williams Show, and more recently as a spokesperson for the Partnership for Prescription Assistance...
, Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
and Emily Deschanel have created videos promoting GoodSearch and the cause they care about.
Goodshop
In September 2007, GoodSearch launched an online shopping mall called GoodShop. The company has affiliations with more than 1,300 online retailers including AmazonAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, Staples, eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
, Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
and Apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
. A percentage of each purchase, as indicated on the GoodShop site, is donated to
Commission (remuneration)
The payment of commission as remuneration for services rendered or products sold is a common way to reward sales people. Payments often will be calculated on the basis of a percentage of the goods sold...
the user's designated charity or school.