Charity volunteers rewarded with discounts at local businesses

Indianapolis-based Cause.it enables charity volunteers to be recognized with discounts at local businesses.

Virtue may be its own reward, but there’s nothing like tangible goods to make the payback feel a little more real. Much the way French CitéGreen rewards participants for their eco-friendly behavior, so Indianapolis-based Cause.it enables charity volunteers to be recognized with discounts at local businesses. Following its debut at SXSW Interactive earlier this month, the free Cause.it mobile app is now available from the iTunes Store. Using it, volunteers, nonprofits and local businesses can connect for greater community good. Socially minded consumers begin by signing up for either a “say cause,” such as tweeting about a nonprofit on Twitter, or a “do cause,” such as participating in a real-world project, according to a Good Worldwide report. Either way, those volunteers earn points for their participation that are redeemable for discounts at local companies, which in turn gain fresh goodwill and extra business. Participating nonprofits, meanwhile, can reportedly pay USD 29 per month for the list of everyone who signs up to support their causes. The video below explains the premise in more detail:

Cause.it has already launched in Indianapolis, but a national version of the app is coming soon. Entrepreneurs and nonprofits: one to get involved in? Spotted by: Florent Lesauvage