Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

New type of charity gives money to schools

A new Yahoo!-powered Internet search engine called GoodSearch.com donates about a penny for every Web search to the charity or school of the user’s choice.

The donated money for the search engine comes from ads, not users. Users can select an organization from the Web site’s list, or add one that’s not already available. Then, every time they search, the money goes to that cause. When a charity isn’t selected, the profits go to fund operations then are divided among other organizations.

The idea for GoodSearch.com comes from brother and sister Ken and J.J. Ramberg, whose backgrounds seem perfect for the endeavor. Ken Ramberg sits on the Advisory Board for Venice Family Clinic, the nation’s largest free clinic. In addition he was formerly CEO of JOBTRAK Corporation, the largest Internet career site for college students and recent graduates. J.J. Ramberg worked as a television news reporter, a director of marketing at Cooking.com, and at NBC news. She spent time working for microfinance organizations in Uganda and India.

The siblings put their heads together to think of a way everyone could support their favorite charities. When they discovered that $6 billion in revenue was generated by online advertising in 2005, they considered what a fraction of that money could do for charities. The site began operating in November 2006.

“It just seemed to make a lot of sense to help raise money for charities just by having people search the Internet,” Ken Ramberg says.

College students have started using GoodSearch.com to raise funds for their favorite charities.

“We’re really excited about the college response and the enthusiasm that’s spreading on college campuses,” Ramberg says.

Universities like Penn State, the University of Georgia, Indiana University and University of Iowa have promoted the site as a way for supporters to raise funds for the charities they support year-round.

The University of Iowa Dance Marathon donates to the Miracle Network for Pediatric Cancer. “In just the first week and a half [of promoting the site] we brought in $50, and we haven’t even promoted it as much as we plan to,” says Travis Bushaw, chief executive director of the UI Dance Marathon.

Since GoodSearch.com’s goal is to raise as much money for charitable causes as possible, they don’t spend much on advertising. The site relies on word of mouth, publicity, and promotion from charities, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation and Heal the Bay.

GoodSearch.com’s greatest accomplishment so far has been the support “already received from thousands of charities, major organizations, and thousands of smaller organizations that they were never aware of,” Ken Ramberg says. “To raise awareness, I think, is a great accomplishment, and the speed of which it’s taken off is very exciting as well.”

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