Do you spend all your time playing Pokemon Go? Of course you do – and now you can play for a good cause.
Charity Miles, an app that raises money for charity by tracking a user's physical activity, is encouraging players to play the game using its app. Charity Miles says the game's huge success could have a huge impact on charities in need of donations.
“We got a big wave [of miles] over the weekend and we couldn’t really figure out what was going on,” Gene Gurkoff, founder of Charity Miles, told The Huffington Post. “And then I realized: This must be from people using Pokemon Go.”.
Here's how it works: Charity Miles rewards a charity of your choice with small amounts of money for every mile of physical activity. Walkers and runners earn 25 cents per mile, while cyclists earn 10 cents per mile. Users can choose one of nearly 40 charity partners to donate their miles to, including organizations like the World Food Program, DoSomething.org, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the ASPCA.
Pokemon Go, the game that has seen huge success in the week since its launch on July 6, encourages people to move around the real world and catch Pokémon through augmented reality. To catch more Pokémon, you have to move a lot – which is why this unofficial partnership works so well.
Half of all proceeds go to partner organizations, while the remaining 50% is used to fund operating expenses. According to The Huffington Post, Charity Miles has donated about $2 million to charitable causes since it started in 2012. In the last year alone, Gurkoff says it has donated $500,000.
If the Pokemon Go hype continues – especially as it spreads globally – there is potential for an even greater impact.
