Good Results

Small acts multiplied can have a big impact.

As most of you know, we launched a modest fundraising drive with our December editorial, “Houses Built on Sand.” Among the generous donations and thoughtful letters from our readers, we received toward the middle of December a pleasant surprise in the form a check from the GoodSearch company.

GoodSearch.com is an Internet search engine that donates a portion of its advertising revenue to qualified charities, of which the NOR is one. The average amount donated by GoodSearch is a penny per search. GoodShop.com, an adjunct of Good­Search, uses affiliate marketing to direct percentages of online sales initiated through its online “mall” to charities such as the NOR. (To get an idea of how affiliate marketing works, see our June 2008 New Oxford Note “‘The Catholic Way to Shop.'”) Yes, searching the Internet and shopping online can now be transformed into small acts of charity!

After announcing our relationship with GoodSearch in a March 2008 New Oxford Note (“Don’t Just Search, Good­Search”), April 2008 quickly became the peak month of activity benefiting the NOR at GoodSearch. A total of 7,884 searches were made on our behalf in that month alone, translating to roughly $78.84, and donations from online purchases resulted in an additional $101.31. Activity has since leveled off, averaging 5,569 searches and $67.01 in purchase donations in the summer and fall months of 2008. (Anyone can track the NOR’s income from GoodSearch by visiting Good­Search.com and clicking the “Amount Raised” button once the New Oxford Review has been selected as the designated charity.)