Canadian Magazine Industry News
14 December 2010,     TORONTO
The Walrus uses new online fundraising tools
Supporters can now bolster The Walrus Foundation’s revenues every time they use a search engine, thanks to the non-profit’s recent partnership with Comtribute, a provider of online fundraising tools.

 

Comtribute provides a search engine platform or tool bar that can be branded for the client, in this case The Walrus, says Comtribute co-founder Yaniv Rivian. Users set the search engine interface page as their homepage, or download the tool bar and choose to power it with either Google, Bing, or Yahoo and The Walrus gets a few cents each time the user searches on the Internet.

The money comes from advertisers who place ad words beside search results and donate a portion of the profits to Comtribute who passes it on to its non-profit clients
December/January 2011 cover
December/January 2011 cover
each time a search is made using its platform, says Rivian. A few cents at a time might not seem like a lot, but over the span of a year it could amount to $14,000 for an organization. “People who might not be able to contribute financially can install the toolbar and help,” he says. Users can also install a window which shows how much they have raised for the cause.

The Walrus Foundation director of development Mary Cranston says she heard about Comtribute in the news and thought it would be a great way to add donations while increasing brand awareness. “It gets people thinking about you all the time because the search and tool bars will always be there in front of you,” she says. “It’s also not much work on our end and easy for the user as well. I hope people will do it, it’s a great way users to do what they are already doing and support The Walrus at the same time.”

The Walrus Foundation’s Comtribute search and tool bar function is currently only available for PCs. The Mac version is currently in development and set for release in two to three months, says Cranston.

The Walrus Foundation publishes The Walrus 10 times per year. It has a paid circulation of 60,000, according to CCAB.




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