RNC Raising Cash with Search Toolbar

The Republican National Committee has rolled out a search toolbar for Firefox and Internet Explorer that allows the committee to raise cash every time a supporter to conducts a Yahoo search.

When a supporter using the toolbar searches the Internet they automatically send a small donation to the RNC. Users pick the size of each donation, which averages three cents per search.

The tool also guides users to specific vendors which give the RNC a portion of the sales revenue generated by the searches. The money from the vendors is technically a payment back to the toolbar’s user, like a commission on a sale, that the user then automatically donates to the RNC.

When supporters install the toolbar they sign off on a licensing agreement stating that the cash back they get for using vendors will get transferred to RNC coffers. Over 300 vendors have signed on, including Amazon and eBay.

Since the money from the vendor comes in the form of an individual contribution it does not violate FEC rules.

In addition to its fundraising capacity, the RNC will also use the toolbar to disseminate information. Messages from the RNC are delivered through a widget on the toolbar, which also includes an RSS reader.

The toobar was invented by FreeCause to raise funds for a breast cancer charity group and has since been employed by several other fundraisers. The RNC is the first political group to implement the fundraising tool. Several Democratic and Republican candidates and committees have contacted the company interested in creating their own version.