Causecast

by PHILIP ROSS, Causecast Editor

Big heart, small wallet? Well…this one’s for you! Better The World offers a unique approach to supporting causes without you spending a dime. Ideal for post-grads sporting unpaid internships, book-cramming collegers, and everyone in between, Better The World lets you raise money for various charitable organizations through online advertisement revenue. The only donation you’ll be making is your finger – for clicking, that is.

In a few words, here’s how it works:
1. You visit the Better The World website
2. Sign up
3. Choose a cause to support
4. Download the Better The World sidebar for your browser where partnered corporations can run advertisements
5. The money generated from the ads is given to the charities to put towards positive change

That’s all there is to it. If you’re thinking, A sidebar? Won’t that be an eye sore on my blemish free computer screen? I hear you. But the sidebar itself is not at all intrusive, and the cool thing about it is, with every few clicks or so around the web, your Better The World profile appears in the sidebar displaying your progress – how many points you’ve earned, how close the organization you support is to reaching it’s goal, and the like. 90 percent of the revenue generated from the ads goes directly to the causes.

Need a more visual representation of how it works? Check out the informative video:

To ease the anxiety of making a profile on your own, let’s do it together:

1. Go to the Better The World website.
2. First things first, click the blue JOIN NOW icon (again, totally free.)
3. You’ll now be asked to choose a cause. So, browse away, find something that catches your interest, and click the picture thumbnail.
4. You’ll now be asked to fill out some basic info about yourself – email, username, birth year, etc… Nothing out of the ordinary. Click CREATE ACCOUNT when finished.
5. You’ll now be re-routed to the home page again (now your “dashboard”).
6. From here, you can see your cause, the money its raised, and navigate to the rest of the website.

In addition to adding the sidebar, Better The World offers a list of other small actions you can take to gain more points (more points meaning more money for your cause-based charity).

You earn points through taking “Actions.” Actions include downloading and using the charity sidebar, doing a search, referring friends, and adding the Facebook badge. Those are just a few of the clickable actions you can take from the comprehensive List of Actions.

Point of clarity: when you choose a cause, this is the nonprofit organization that all your “points” are supporting. You can change the cause you support on any beckoning whim, but sticking with one cause longer is a sure way to see your involvement directly impact someone’s life (again, not required, just more dynamic).

I started a profile earlier today, and with 2,063 points to my name, I am well on my way to paying for an ultrasound to help diagnose a childhood illness. Essentially, it’s virtual volunteering.

You can fund HIV tests, climate change research, shelter for the homeless – whatever your cause, you are sure to see your world start to change through the Better The World Toolbar.

Happy clicking!

Photo by risiweb design, flickr.