Searching for a Purpose
How web browsers and extensions are bringing impact to your fingertips.
We are most ourselves when helping others. Giving back strengthens and clarifies our convictions, betters our communities, and has a variety of health benefits. However, only 25% of U.S. adults volunteer, and just 67% donate to charities. That’s because not everyone is in a position to give their time and/or money. In fact, if everyone could afford to, many charities wouldn’t exist. But there are more ways to give back than direct contributions. One of the simplest: web extensions.
Web extensions are simple tools that provide alternative functionalities, interfaces, and support than typical browsers. These extensions do everything from blocking unwanted ads to protecting passwords to managing to-do lists. Some, however, don’t just settle for making your life easier, they seek to make it more meaningful. These are the cause-based browser extensions.
Cause-based extensions can be grouped into several distinct categories. The first group focuses on generating ad revenue for charitable causes. This category includes Ecosia (planting trees), Tab for a Cause (user’s choice), and Good Tab (feeding the hungry). Simple and effective, these extensions replace the ads you already see (and ignore) with ads that generate charitable revenue. In other words, they let you make a change in your community without changing anything about yourself or your search habits.
The second group of extensions provide affiliate links, coupons, and website alternatives to turn sales into donations. Examples include AllGives, Goodshop, and TreeClicks. While a bit more time-intensive, these extensions can make day-to-day purchases go further while providing savings for their shoppers. However, because donations are not direct, contributions are not tax deductible and there is no guarantee partnering institutions will donate more overall due to your purchase. As such, while it is best to donate directly to personal causes whenever possible, these extensions provide a passive alternative to traditional contributions.
Finally, not all impact is monetary. Ecosia provides a search engine powered by renewable energy. GreenFrame helps web developers create more energy efficient web applications. And GreenCheck lets searchers know which websites are hosted using green energy. These and others empower users to make their own decisions based on their own principles.
While nothing will ever beat picking up a ladle in your local soup kitchen or writing a check to your neighborhood shelter, cause-based web extensions are a must-have tool for any aspiring change-makers toolbelt. They are free-to-use, easy-to-integrate, and impact on the world without impacting your schedule or your wallet. So before you open another tab or hop on another engine, download a cause-based web extension and search for a purpose.