We are building this company on that simple premise that you can trust people who give.

Think of it this way: If you witnessed someone giving money to a charity or a non-profit or even a needy person on the street, would you be more or less likely to think they are a good person? And as it turns out, good people are much easier to trust than the not-so-good variety. There is a correlation between giving and character and GiveTrust.org is a service that will help consumers identify the good guys and gals.

First, it is good for businesses. By verifying the donations that a business makes and then displaying their philanthropic achievements we believe we can reveal a bit more of the character of those behind the business. This helps the business gain the trust of shoppers and ultimately increase sales. In a crowded global market, differentiation by good deeds is going to go a long way.

Second, it is good for consumers. We want to make corporate donations a factor in purchasing habits. We have a hunch that most people are like us in that they desire to support businesses that give to charity. By helping consumers identify those who give a portion of their profits to charities we are empowering them to both reward good corporate citizens but also make sure their money is put to good use.

Lastly, it’s just good for the world. As more consumers ask for giving and more businesses respond by giving, charities and non-profits ultimately benefit. That means the world-changers get to spend more time changing the world. More famine relief, more malaria nets, more homeless shelters and more clean drinking water. That’s cool.

It really is a win-win-win situation.