This year, holiday shoppers can score a discount and easily support a favorite cause at no extra cost. The website Goodshop.com asks users to register and choose a cause, then offers coupons or deals for many well-known stores, such as Target, Crate & Barrel, Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Gap and many others. The coupons tell you what percentage you will save and what percentage of your order will go to your chosen cause. Usually, it’s between one and five percent, but depending on the offer, sometimes more. The site has raised a total of more than $11,000,000. Currently, it includes more than 110,000 causes nationwide, some based in Colorado.

In Colorado, Prairie Wildlife Research in Wellington (prairieresearch.com) is currently one of Goodshop’s highest-earning organizations, with a total of more than $8,300.

“We”ve had to explain Goodshop to folks because sometimes they suspect it is a scam, but it is 100 percent legitimate,” says Travis Livieri, executive director of Prairie Wildlife Research. “We have primarily used social media, e-mail newslettersand word-of-mouth to attract consumers to use Goodshop. It took a few years, but we have a dedicated core of supporters that shop online, and they use Goodshop on a regular basis.” Prairie Wildlife Research receives a check from Goodshop once per year, and the funds support the organization’s mission—saving the endangered black-footed ferret.

After you register, the site keeps track of how much you”ve earned for your cause. Through a few quick clicks, you can select stores at which you”ll shop the most, and you”ll receive e-mail alerts when coupons for those stores are available. You can check who else is supporting your cause and track the total amount earned.

Sure, holiday shopping can be a daunting task, but using goodshop.com allows users to make the world a little less daunting for many people in their community.

How Families Can Help:

Raise money for your kids” school or group by clicking “Add a Charity or School” on the website. Then, spread the word to others and get them to register. Goodshop makes this easy, too, by offering “badges” you can add to your organization’s website, featuring the amount you can save and the percentage that will be donated from various stores.

Shop “Til You Help

Search “participating nonprofits” to find a vast range of Colorado-based organizations. Here are just a few examples of causes you can support when you shop online.

• Access Housing acchouse.org Self-sufficiency for homeless families
• Realities for Children Boulder County rfcbd.org Educational scholarships to disadvantaged youth
• The Sexual Assault Victim Advocate (SAVA) Center savacenter.org Crisis intervention, advocacy and counseling for all those affected by sexual violence
• Developmental Pathways developmentalpathways.org Services for persons with developmental disabilities and their families
• Dumb Friends League ddfl.org Care and placement of homeless pets
• Kempe Center kempe.org Child abuse and neglect treatment and prevention
• Zumas Rescue Ranch zumasrescueranch.com Rescued horses paired with troubled children in a therapeutic setting.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver bgcmd.org Youth character development
• HawkQuest hawkquest.org Environmental education with non-releasable live raptors (birds of prey).
• Healing Waters International healingwatersintl.org Sustainable, safe water solutions for urban poor communities in developing countries