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CauseWorld app aids donations to Haiti disaster relief.

February 17, 2010
Citi, Citi

These days, the mobile phone transcends voice communication. We have the power to book a dinner reservation, purchase movie tickets for afterward and ensure a cab is waiting at the end of evening - all from the palm of our hand.

So why should philanthropy be any different? This question rings especially true in light of the recent devastation in Haiti.

CauseWorld, a new application from shopkick for the iPhone and Android phones (with other platforms coming soon), lets users give back to important global causes simply by visiting businesses in their local area.

With each visit, the user earns "karma points" that they can donate to causes they choose from a list in the CauseWorld application. Users can donate to multiple causes, including the American Red Cross disaster relief in Haiti.

Citi and Kraft have provided nearly $500,000 in donations to power CauseWorld's launch. It is our hope that other companies will follow suit upon seeing the results that such an innovative business model can achieve.

The donation money is converted to the "karma" currency, and users spend the "karmas" on specific actions such as planting a tree or - in the case of the Haiti earthquake victims - providing emergency medical aid. For example, 100 karmas can plant a tree in the rainforest, while 30 karmas can provide clean water for someone in Sudan for one month.

CauseWorld is socially connected, as well. Each time a user makes a donation, they can post to their Facebook wall for all of their friends to see. This helps more people find CauseWorld.

We are always eager to support efforts that better our world. When it comes to CauseWorld, we are duly inspired by the fresh thinking behind that effort and excited to watch the mobile karma movement take flight.

CauseWorld is available for free at the iPhone App store and on Android devices.

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