An Easy Way to Help Plymouth County 4-H | 4-H Clover Notes

GoodSearch is a toolbar that you can install in your browser. Everytime you search the Internet with the tool bar's Yahoo search box, Good Search donates half the proceeds it receives from the advertisers on that page to Plymouth County 4-H.

There are a few trade-offs — you will receive a GoodSearch e-newletter about its constiuents and updates to the GoodSearch service. As is the case with Facebook and other search engines like Google that display advertising, information about your searches and where you click are recorded; chances are you are using those services are not noticing any difficulties. GoodSearch, however, unlike others, does not share this information with others (rather, they use it to improve their service).

Here's what its founders say about GoodSearch:

We all have a cause we care about – whether it's finding a cure for cancer, saving the environment, finding homes for abandoned pets or so many other worthwhile endeavors. But what we don't all have is the time or money to support these efforts as much as we'd like. So, what if we could raise money for our favorite charities and schools by doing something we do every day — searching the Internet?

That's the question Ken Ramberg (the former founder of JOBTRAK, now a division of Monster.com) and JJ Ramberg (an MSNBC anchor and the former Director of Marketing at Cooking.com) asked themselves a few years ago. After realizing what a fraction of the $8 billion generated annually by search engine advertisers could do if it were directed towards organizations trying to make the world a better place, they launched GoodSearch in 2005.

GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 50 percent of its sponsored search revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it's powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers — the users and the organizations do not spend a dime!

In 2007, GoodSearch was expanded to include GoodShop, an online shopping mall of world-class merchants dedicated to helping fund worthy causes across the country. Each purchase made via the GoodShop mall results in a donation to the user's designated charity or school – averaging approximately 3% of the sale, but going up to 20% or even more.

We installed the toolbar in about 2 seconds and find it easy to use.  Have you tried it? Let us know your thoughts.

For more information, see:  http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/4h-plymouth-county-advisory-council.