Posted July 16, 2012

 In tough economic times, parishes are constantly looking for new ways to raise funds. As the Internet plays an increasingly large role in people’s lives, parishes are looking to it as a means of generating revenue.

St. Joachim Parish in the Frankford section of Northeast Philadelphia is using a service called GoodSearch to fund its parish web site.

The service was founded in 2005 to raise money for charities nationwide. After a user selects his or her preferred charity, every time that person searches using GoodSearch, it donates one cent to the charity.

The money for the donation comes from advertisers on GoodSearch. Since search results are provided by Yahoo.com, the service costs the charity organization nothing while providing quality searches for the user.

GoodSearch estimates that if just 100 people make two searches a day for a year, it will raise over $730.

To date St. Joachim has 115 registered supporters and has raised over $340. The parish currently uses the money to fund its web site, but hopes to expand the program and use it for other parish improvements.

Other local organizations that use GoodSearch include Archbishop Carroll High School and Our Lady Help of Christians, Abington.

To support these organizations or register your parish or school, visit http://www.goodsearch.com/