Today, I want to introduce you to the wonder of the Web, in a hopefully novel way: online philanthropy. In this field, one website in particular dominates, and that’s TheRainforestSite.com. This is a website with a simple little thing – a button – that you can click for free. Now, as fun as clicking a button sounds, it gets better: clicking this button saves 11.4 square feet of rainforest habitat!
Before going any further, though, it’s necessary to clarify how names are used here: TheRainforestSite is only one of eight websites that are parts of GreaterGood Network, their parent organization. The other sites are, alphabetically:
- TheAnimalRescueSite, where a click pays for 0.6 bowls of food for rescued animals
- TheAutismSite, which provides therapy for children with each click
- TheBreastCancerSite, which allows women to receive free one mammogram per click
- TheChildHealthSite, where clicking pays for health care to children needing it
- TheHungerSite, which pays for 1.1 cups of food to go to hungry communities worldwide
- TheLiteracySite, where 1 click = 1 book “for a child to read and treasure”
- TheVeteransSite, which provides free meals for homeless and hungry (American) veterans.
Now, to clarify, each of these sites offers the same tools and resources, so when I refer to doing something in one site, it’s possible to do that in all of them. For example, if I say “TheRainforestSite even has a section where visitors can create and send free ecards (which it does) and make a difference that way,” it is just as possible to send those ecards from, say, TheHungerSite. I just use TheRainforestSite as my name for all of them out of personal preference. 😉
But back to the Click to Give idea. How is this miracle possible, you ask? How can we achieve such a supposedly great cumulative impact just by clicking on a button at no cost? The answer is simple: sponsors. TheRainforestSite, and all of its counterparts, are funded by a small army of companies that support the work of GreaterGood Network. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, since the websites can achieve impact far beyond what they could if, like most organizations, they charged everyone. The companies, meanwhile, gain reputation as being ethically-run, as well as the online advertising to TheRainforestSite’s estimated 153 million visitors. The consequence of this is that the site is filled with ads and may appear a little ominous, but don’t let that scare you away! Take a moment to look around, and you’ll see that this is a true goldmine.
Besides the Click to Give function, you can sign up for TheRainforestSite’s newsletter, send ecards, and – most importantly – sign petitions. Each of the eight websites has over 80 petitions available to sign at any time, and because of its size as an organization, these petitions usually aim for tens of thousands of signatures. The number ranges from 10,000 to as much as 70,000. To join that momentous movement, all that signing a petition requires from you is your name (unless you wish to be Anonymous) and email address. Finally, here’s one final piece of advice about the site: don’t click on the same website button more than once per day. You might think that the more you click, the more you help, but the site monitors the IP addresses of clicks, because sponsors are only willing to pay for one click per day.
There is, of course, some controversy surrounding Click to Give-style sites – here’s one example. The two biggest arguments against their existence are that…
- Not all of the revenue generated goes to charity; some revenue may be kept by the company for its own profit (however, this isn’t the case in GreaterGood Network websites).
- These sites might make us feel so good that we’re making a difference in the world, that they deter further actions and involvement on our parts. It’s true that you’re making a difference by clicking every day, but it’s meant to be so quick and easy that you can just add it to whatever you were doing before – you’re not supposed to replace anything!
If you’re curious about TheRainforestSite and you want to learn more, you can read what the site itself writes about its results and its history and methodology. For a more objective perspective, you can simply Google “TheRainforestSite.”
Overall, though, I think this is a worthwhile pursuit for anyone. So make a difference. Set TheRainforestSite as your homepage (or if you have multiple homepages, set it as one of them) and each day, when you open the Internet, take a minute and click on as many Buttons as possible. Share this resource with your friends, teachers, clubs, and other important acquaintances. Like it on Facebook, and/or Like this blog post. And try to practice this type of innovation in your own life: using simple methods to solve big problems, one step at a time.