When a disaster strikes, like the earthquake in Japan or the flooding in Pakistan, the images and stories we see in the news are heartbreaking. At times like these, we wish we could help somehow, but often there’s an extra step standing in our way; we have to make a call, visit a website, or send a text in order to make that donation. It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. We want to help, but we’re busy and constantly bombarded with distractions that get in our way. Michael J. Greene of Lake Forest created WorldPennyJar as a convenient way for us to help those faces on the news without ever having to set aside the time to do it.

“After the earthquake in Haiti, I saw that ‘text so-and-so to this number to make a donation’ message, and I thought that was a pretty cool idea, but relying on people to take that extra step was still a barrier for it,” says Greene. “So I thought, how can I make this easier? It’s like the jar you find on the counter at your local hardware store, but for many organizations and on a much larger scale.”

Although the project is still in its infancy, WordPennyJar has already gotten attention on a national level, getting write-ups in both Reuters Money and The Wall Street Journal. The concept is beautifully simple. Say you’re shopping online and your purchase comes to $31.84. When you click to confirm your final purchase, a box would pop up asking if you would like to make your purchase an even $32 by donating 16 cents to WorldPennyJar. Click Yes and that’s it, you’ve just helped your fellow man. It took three seconds, and you’ve made the world a better place.

“While each micro-donation is very small, when combined with many contributions on one retail website, it could become quite substantial,” says Greene. “When combined with multiple websites across the Internet, it could become unbelievably significant.”

Every donation from WorldPennyJar business partners is then pooled together and distributed to select non-profit organizations that aid not only disaster relief, but also offer assistance to world health, education, and environmental programs. It’s perfectly simple and has the capacity to trigger a fundamental change in the way people contribute to non-profits. Who among us hasn’t just dropped their change into the tip jar at the coffee counter instead of having to carry it around? This is the same thing, except it’s digital change for a much larger cause. The WorldPennyJar model needn’t be restricted only to online retailers either. It could be just as effective popping up on the screen of the credit card machine in a store itself, or as a checkable box that appears on monthly bills.

It just makes sense. It’s the perfect combination of Greene’s psychology and economics double major from Lake Forest College. Everyone wants to do something good for other people. If you make a good deed instantly accessible, and with minimal personal cost, it’s bound to work.

“Obviously, since this is the beginning, I’m looking to build support, gain some advocates, and get this thing off the ground,” says Greene. “It just takes one company to get the ball rolling, but the goal is to make it a universal thing. We want to create a universal framework so that a lot of companies can join and we can get some real money into the hands of these non-profits. I’d love to see it on Amazon and Walgreens and Groupon, in the top businesses around the country and around the world. Then we’ll see some real good coming from it.”

It’s only a matter of time now until WorldPennyJar gets some momentum behind it and we get a chance to see our extra change turn into extraordinary change for the people who need it the most.

For more information, visit worldpennyjar.com.

—Jake Jarvi