Searching for a Way to Give

More than 60,000 nonprofits have partnered with a new Yahoo-powered search engine and shopping mall to help supporters make donations simply by searching the Web or buying online.

The sites — co-founded by Ken Ramberg, former president of career site MonsterTrak — have been described as “as philanthropy on a shoestring.”

Consumers who go to GoodShop.com can buy from some 700 online retailers, including Target, Apple, Macy's, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble and Orbitz. Prices are the same as going directly to the retailer, but up to 37% of the purchase price is donated to the buyer's favorite cause.

Similarly, with every search conducted on GoodSearch.com, approximately one cent is donated to the user's charity of choice.

According to GoodSearch, the ASPCA has raised more than $16,000 to date via the site, while the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has pulled in around $8,500. On a smaller scale, an order from Adobe Software earned $191 for California's Capri Elementary School.