Consumers’ online activity raises funds for charity

Of all the strategies out there for increasing charitable donations, an effortless contribution process is surely one of the most effective. We’ve already seen that premise put to work in the online SwipeGood and Pennies services — not to mention Australia’s Shebeen bar — and now California-based Ark is doing something similar. Billing itself as “Internet for good,” Ark lets users earn money for the causes they care about simply by going about their usual online activities.

Inspired by the fact that internet users generate USD 180 million in revenue every hour, Ark has forged partnerships with several key online giants — including Google, Amazon, eBay and LivingSocial — to help redirect some of those funds to charities. Users begin by logging into Ark with their existing Facebook account and granting permission for the two services to connect. Then, as they go about their business online — conducting searches, making purchases or sharing sponsored links, for example — Ark’s affiliated advertisers and retailers pay for that traffic and revenue is accumulated under the user’s account. When they want to donate some of those funds, users simply choose a cause, click a button and that charity is credited.

Ark — which is short for “acts of random kindness” — is free for both users and charities. Using the service, consumers have raised almost USD 6,000 in less than three months, according to the company blog. One to try out or get involved in with your own kindness-minded brand?

Spotted by: Andrew Shields