Giving to charitable organizations can sometimes be limited for college students who are strapped for cash. But there is one way students can contribute money to non-profit organizations without using a dime of their own money.

Give2Network is an organization that has partnered with Yahoo! to create a free customizable toolbar, which includes a Yahoo! search engine, links to favorite stores and other personal features. Anytime the toolbar is used, money is contributed to a charitable organization of the user's choice without giving any of their own money.

Seem a little too easy? Wondering where the money comes from that gets donated to the organization?

Chelsea Wright, head of marketing for Give2Network said the money comes from two different sources, searching and shopping.

Searching money comes from advertising dollars, Wright said. According to Give2Network's Web site, advertisers pay search engines, such as Yahoo!, billions of dollars every year to have their ads appear on sponsored search results.

Every time the user searches from the toolbar, Yahoo! donates advertising money to an organization the user has chosen.

Shopping provides the other source of money for donations.Give2Network has partnered with hundreds of shopping sites like iTunes, Amazon and Macy's. These stores donate up to seven percent of the purchase price of the product bought to the selected organization.

Being a former BYU student, Wright said the toolbar is a great way to give service when money is tight.

"On the budget that being in college allows, you don't always have money to give to things that you would like to," Wright said. "It makes you feel like you can give back even though you may not have actual money to give."

For more information, or to download the free toolbar visit Give2Network.com.



Copyright Brigham Young University 8 Oct 2008