But let me start off with a disclaimer: this is entirely my voluntary opinion - no one approached me and asked me for a plug. I just want to share it in the hopes that more people will take advantage of this little-used tool.
Second disclaimer: I am a hardcore Google user. I don't know if they keep track of who uses their search engine the most, but my guess is if they do, I'm on a very short list of people they keep a wary eye on. On a light day I might run around 100 searches; on a hard-hitting day I can easily run a few thousand - my history logs don't lie. I almost never bother to type he URL into my browser window, even when I know where I'm going. So yeah it can be said Google and I are tight. But it's not a completely exclusive relationship.
As much as I like Google (and generally ignore Yahoo, Bing and every other also-ran search engine), I do have a GoodSearch box on my toolbar. If you're not aware, GoodSearch and GoodShop's motto is "You Search, We Give." They've been around for quite a while, they are legit, and they give you flexibility to decide who to give your charitable click monies to. They run off Yahoo's search (which is not my favorite, but it's pretty handy for basic searches.)
The GoodSearch tool lets you direct donations from your online purchases at places like Amazon, Target and eBay to the charity you choose. (And you can change charities as often as you wish.)
If you're looking for a charity to help out, our congregation provides office space for a free counseling service called Search For Truth (SFT Awareness.) Their main sponsor is Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, so I designated them as my charity of choice, and my search pennies would go to help fund this worthy program.
I suspect my Amazon and eBay purchases contribute more to them via the GoodShop program than my search engine clicks, but I figure every little bit helps.
I encourage you to check out GoodSearch. Adding the search box to your toolbar is easy and free. Remembering to use it is the hard part! Look up your favorite charity(ies) and see if they're listed, and start clicking. When you want to purchase anything from a GoodShop participating store, just check to make sure the little alert comes up stating how much of a percentage will go to the charity of your choice, then shop away.
Happy searching!
