HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — What if even a fraction of the $140 billion generated by search engine advertisers and online shopping was directed towards the Huntington Symphony Orchestra?

That is the concept behind GoodSearch.com a new search engine powered by Yahoo!

Good Search donates 50 percent of its revenue, approximately a penny per search, to the charities designated by its users.

You use it exactly as you would any other search engine and the pennies add up quickly – just 500 people searching four times a day will earn around $7,300 in a year. It doesn’t cost the users a thing!

Similarly with GoodShop.com, consumers are helping their favorite causes by shopping at hundreds of well known retailers including Amazon, Target, Apple, Macy’s, Best Buy, Orbitz, Staples and others.

The shopping experience and the prices are exactly the same as going to the retailer directly, but by going through GoodShop, up to 37 per cent of the purchase price is donated to the user’s favorite cause.

The Huntington Symphony Orchestra recently registered with the sites, giving its supporters a chance to raise money for the cause every time they search the Internet or shop online.

The goal is to earn $100,000 through the site this year which will be used to pay for educational and music programs.

More than 72,000 nonprofits and schools are now registered with Good Search and Good Shop and more than 100 charities and schools are registering daily. GoodSearch has quickly spread via word-of-mouth and the online community.

Examples of other organizations listed on the site include: the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation which has earned more than $10,000; the ASPCA which has raised more than $23,000; and the Bubel/Aiken Foundation which supports children with disabilities and has earned more than $12,000.

Using GoodSearch is simple. Because the site is powered by Yahoo, users are assured of high quality results — but each time you search, money is generated by the advertisers for your favorite charity or school.

“Every penny counts,” says T. Hogan Haas, CEO and executive director of the Huntington Symphony Orchestra.

“While doing a search or shopping online why not raise money for our cause? There is absolutely no reason not to use GoodSearch and GoodShop. It’s so easy.”

“We know there are a lot of people who want to do good but may not have the time or the money to help out.” said Ken Ramberg, Co-Founder of GoodSearch and former President of MonsterTRAK, the largest online career site for college students (now a division of Monster.com).

“GoodSearch and GoodShop make it as easy as possible. We’ve taken something people do every day — searching the Internet and shopping online — and have turned it into doing good.”