Google is currently running a limited, US-only trial of a new Android app called One Today that “brings together people and nonprofits through the simple act of giving $1.”
Each day, the app displays a good cause, tells users about it and gives them the option to donate $1. Over time, One Today personalizes the causes it displays to a user’s tastes. Users can share details of the day’s cause via social media to encourage others to donate.
One Today is a showcase app for members of Google for Nonprofits, a program that offers non-for-profit organizations free access to Google Apps; a special version of AdWords called Google Grants; ‘donate now’ buttons for YouTube accounts, and special tools for Google Earth and Google Maps. Causes currently supported by One Today include Rhino Protection, scholarships for students in Laos and a tree-planting program in Kenya.
$1 microdonations may not seem that significant, but in an age where charities and other non-profit organizations bombard us with requests for commitments to monthly donations, this more lightweight approach could have potentially more impact on a wider section of the population, even if each person is giving less.
Access to One Today is currently by invitation only, and invites can be requested from the website. Although it’s only described as an Android app, users of iPhone, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices can also register interest. As TechCrunch notes, despite its invite-only status, the app is on Google Play.
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