January 13, 2000 | Read Time: 1 minute
A new Web site called Charity Counts is on a $1-million advertising blitz to promote its shopping, auction, and donation features, all of which benefit non-profit groups.
Charity Counts has taken out two full-page paid ads in The New York Times, put up outdoor posters in New York and San Francisco, promoted itself on coffee cups in New York convenience stores and delicatessens, and placed ads on Internet search-engine sites.
The company has negotiated commissions with the retailers featured on its shopping site, such as L.L. Bean and Amazon.com. Of the commission amount, 60 per cent goes to the customer’s designated charity and 40 per cent to Charity Counts. People who auction items on the site can decide which charity will receive part of the proceeds or let the decision be made by the winning bidder.
Visitors can also make direct cash donations on the site, all of which go to charity except for the fees charged by credit-card and on-line check companies — which range from 2 to 3.6 per cent.
More than 100 non-profit groups have signed on to participate so far. All organizations that have legal status as charities are eligible to participate.
Charity Counts was started by Gregg Greenberg, a former account manager at the advertising agency DDB Digital. He hopes that ads on the site will help pay for it and is working on getting financial support from venture capitalists.
Mr. Greenberg won’t divulge how much has been donated thus far, but he says that an average of 1,000 viewers are coming to the site each day.
To get there: Go to http://www.charitycounts.com.
