iGiveFirst wants to making ‘giving’ to charity as easy as ‘tweeting’ and ‘liking’

When we visit sites that host any type of content, be it news or videos, we’re all used to being presented with options on how to share it. On The Next Web you’ve probably become familiar with our sharing options that are displayed above each article.

While Facebook has made “liking” a piece of content simple and mainstream with its Like button and iGiveFirst wants to make “giving” to charity just as easy with a “Give” button.

The premise is so insanely simple that I’m surprised that there aren’t any other companies doing it. The idea is that if publishers will use a “Give” button on their site, they can choose charities that match what they care about or what the piece of content relates to, and offer a way for its visitors to give money directly to the organizations.

The company also wants to bring big brands into the mix by allowing them to become sponsors of the giving process. This not only creates more real estate for publishers to sell sponsorships for, but it raises money for charity at the same time. Smart, right?

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Publishers can sign up for iGiveFirst here, and the startup does all of the vetting for charities that are available to include in campaigns. The organizations must be properly set up as a 501c3 nonprofit and can fill out an application form to be considered for inclusion in the iGiveFirst network.

If a few large publications decided to include a Give button on its sites, I could see people becoming used to giving as much as they are liking. If anything, this is a great way to get the word out about charities and show consumers that your organization really cares about doing some social good.

Here’s what the process would look like if you were to click a Give button on a publisher’s site:

The process doesn’t require readers to sign up for an account and the entire system is secure, so readers don’t have to worry about entering in their payment information. There are currently 1.2 million nonprofits in the US alone, so it’s likely that a publisher can find a few that it cares about to share with its readers.

If you saw a Give button on The Next Web, would you donate to a charity of our choice? Let us know in the comments!

➤ iGiveFirst