Better The World giving people, causes a way to help connect Special

Sometimes we want to help a cause but don't know where to start. The group Better The World allows people to help impact the world from their computer and become a virtual volunteer.

Better The World helps to raise money for charities with their virtual volunteers. The group's website allows people to surf the web while helping change the world. Ninety percent of all funds generated through their website will be directed to charity partners. The group has hired an auditing firm to approve and sign off on their annual financial statements. Better The World is a for-profit social venture that is privately owned with operations in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. It is the world's first fund-raising platform that allows people to volunteer for free. The group's goal is to make a positive social change. When you join the site you have a variety of causes to help. Each of the causes has a certain goal. Better The World reports on the progress that has been made in achieving those goals. By helping with your computer students can qualify for volunteering credits for school.

Better The World, Facebook

The BTW Team on Children's Miracle Network's Blizzard Day! In this photo: Nick Lee (photos), Elissa Beckett, Mark Bachman, Steve Croth

image:58353:2::0

I was able to speak to co-founder Steve Croth today about Better The World and how social media and volunteerism are merging. In the past charity was generally not-for-profit. That's not the case with Better The World, a for-profit group that helps a massive amount of charities work better using the Internet. Croth is a former Microsoft employee who has witnessed the growth of his generation wanting to give back through their companies. "Toronto is a hotbed of companies with a strong social mission. Most of my generation work with companies that are committed to give back to their communities." Croth had once been given an application to design the ideal company, his vision then is very much what Better The World is now. "A lot of people don't have the money to support the top causes but they have other ways of being able to help. A lot of the top causes aren't able to raise a lot of money and can use the help of Generation Y's skill sets in social media. It's a perfect match." Better The World's 'job' is brand new. In many ways they act as a PR firm for these causes and market their to a younger generation that is more socially conscience than any other in recent history. "Today the corporate world is more social conscience as well as the employees. There is a trend to be more green, more sustainable. Better The World is like that. Are objective is to bring charities to a charity dot 2.0 style that takes full advantage of what the Internet and social media have to offer them." The media world has not been as helpful to these type of corporation endeavours, preferring to tackle the 'dirty laundry' of the corporate world instead of the positives. "Microsoft is a good organization with very caring programs. They do a lot for the youth in their communities. That's not what is reported on though. The media kicks Microsoft in the butt instead of telling these positive stories." Croft believes that history is re-setting the values of his generation. "We are on the cusp of something entirely new. The Internet is providing opportunities for people to give back in completely new ways." Croft told me that the tools on his company's websites assist in raising money for charities. Those tools also make it possible to track the work that people are doing for charities by using their creativity. "With the new virtual volunteering program we are hoping to inspire people to give back even more and then for those inspired to inspire even more people. We hope to inspire lifetime supporters of a cause. Social media is the perfect platform for today's causes. We are working to impact the charity. It's not about the brand, it's about what people actually do."