Each and every one of us use search engines – everyday, I am sure. So every once in a while, why not help someone out, be socially good,  while we search. You wonder if that is possible? Yes, it very much is, when we use some of the many search engines that partner with more of the popular search engines to return their search results, and partner with one or more charities to help (sometimes, the charity itself has the search engine). These search engines typically work by donating a percentage of earnings per search towards the charity. Here are some of the ones I tend to use every once in a while (mostly end up using one per day for a couple of hours) so over the course of the week, I have done my little share.

• Ecosia:  My kids pointed this one out to me. They learned it through friends/teachers at school – I am not sure of their source, but the result is – they love using this search engine. As they continue to use it, they can see the tree they are helping to plant continue to grow; and also lets them know how many trees they have helped plant so far.
  ‘Ecosia is the search engine that plants trees with its ad revenue. Get the free browser extension and use Ecosia every time you search.‘
• Helpuu:  This reroutes the searches to Google and returns those results but by using this search engine, you will be helping contribute to the charities they support, which include, among others, Feed the Children, and the American Red Cross. Their web site mentions the following:
  Helpuu is a website portal that enables everybody to help great charities by simply searching and shopping on the internet. The Helpuu search engine is extremely reliable and efficient through the use of Google’s award-winning search algorithm. Everytime you use Helpuu, proceeds from advertisers, that are raised through the use of the Helpuu website are then donated to various charities and non-profit organizations. We feature various charities and then equally distribute the proceeds to each charity.
• EcoKey is an environmentally-oriented search engine that donates 40% of its revenue to litter removal organizations around the world.
  • Users can search through Google, and also use an option called the ecofilter, which emphasises green search results. For example, a search for “nail polish” will return eco-friendly nail polish. 
• Good Search: With this search engine that partners with Yahoo, searching the web raises a penny for your selected cause. You can also shop via this to donate. 
• EveryClick: This is a UK based search engine that helps donate to charity with every search. According to their About Us page – With Everyclick Search you can raise money for your favourite charity with every web search.Our web search is powered by Yandex. Sign up so you can track your giving, right down to the penny.
  

So there you have it – a list of search engines to help you achieve a goal of being socially good, a little a day… And I will follow it up with another list similarly cool for you to use next week 🙂