Surf the Web for a Change

Most Fast Company readers love change. They love to change their assumptions about business. They love to change the trajectory of their careers. They love to change companies. But many also love the idea of changing the world -- making some kind of contribution, to the community or to a global cause, that goes beyond the cold dollars-and-cents calculations of business life. Just as they're using the Web to change the way they do their work, they're using it to change the way they contribute to social change.

Consider Randy Smith, 45, a free-agent TV producer who uses iGive.com (www.igive.com) to raise money for his organization, the Lost Children's Network (www.lostchildren.org). The group helps families and law-enforcement agencies use television programs to locate missing children. Smith founded the group in 1996, after his niece was abducted. (She was eventually found.)

In 1998, the Lost Children's Network was getting 20 to 30 calls per week from families seeking help, and Smith was severely in need of funds. That's when he found iGive, a site that lets users donate part of what they spend on Web-based purchases to good causes. Smith registered the Lost Children's Network with iGive and put a link to iGive on his site. So far, iGive has helped Smith raise enough money to air four national TV programs that helped recover seven missing children. "It's a great way to raise funds without having to beg for money," says Smith. "If you can bring seven children home, it's worth it."

Or consider Steve Hawkins, 49, a senior VP of a major national bank who uses the Web to donate to his favorite charities. After finding out about charitableway.com Inc. (www.charitableway.com) from colleagues at work, Hawkins gave it a try. While browsing through information about a number of charities, he came across Action on Smoking and Health. He hit the "Donate Now" button, entered the dollar amount, and supplied his credit-card information. He was even able to opt for anonymity. "It was easier than writing a check," says Hawkins. "I discovered causes that I'm interested in and put the money where I wanted it to go. And I can do some good without having to deal with getting on a mailing list and being constantly solicited to give more. It was a very pleasant experience, one that I will repeat."

That's what makes social change on the Web so promising -- you don't have to spend huge amounts of time or money to make a big difference. Activist Danny Seo, who founded a national environmental group when he was just 12 years old, believes that everyone can have an impact on the world around them by spending just 15 minutes a day -- so long as they spend it wisely.

"I don't believe," he says, "that we have to choose between contributing something worthy to humanity -- like fighting hunger, poverty, disease, and abuse -- and enjoying some hard-earned leisure time. That's why I believe in 15-minute miracles."

This @work is dedicated to showing you how the world's most powerful new technology -- the Internet -- can be harnessed to help remedy some of the world's most pressing social problems. It also offers you a comparison of some of the best places to turn everyday Web shopping into a force for good works, and even suggests what to give this holiday season when you want a gift that gives something back to the community.

Make a Difference, One Click at a Time

We have all heard the excuse, and we have probably used it a few times ourselves: "I'm so busy meeting deadlines that there's no time for making a difference." We sympathize with busy schedules -- but the Web is making that excuse harder and harder to accept. The fact is, it's never been easier, or faster, to do your part for social change.

Nowhere is that new reality more evident than at the Hunger Site (www.hungersite.com). This site allows you to make a free food donation to hungry people around the world by simply donating some surfing time. Just visit the site, locate the "Donate Free Food" button, and click. That's it! The sponsors (whose postage-stamp-size ads thank you for your donation) pay for your contribution. For each click made by a site visitor, the sponsors agree to pay half a cent to the United Nations World Food Program, the world's largest food-aid organization. The food program then uses the money to buy and distribute staples like rice, wheat, and corn to more than 80 countries -- mostly in Africa, Asia, and South America. One piece of advice: Don't be a glutton with your clicks. The site monitors each donation, and it only allows visitors to make one donation per day. So if you visit the site once a day, you'll be doing your small part to fight world hunger.