Origins:   Over the last few years we've seen many a purportedly altruistic appeal circulate on the Internet, each one claiming you could donate money to a worthy cause or right some terrible injustice -- at no cost to you — merely by taking some simple action, such as forwarding an e-mail message. (See our Jessica Mydek page for one example.) Most of these messages have been hoaxes, but occasionally a few real ones spring up.

At The Animal Rescue Site, you can "donate" clicks towards the provision of food for abused, neglected, and abandoned animals in shelters and sanctuaries.

Sponsors become involved with this site (and others like it) as a form of advertising and public relations and thus are willing to pay for their messages to be viewed by consumers. They pay CharityUSA.com, the parent entity of the site, on a per-click basis; CharityUSA.com directs a percentage of the total ad revenue collected towards animals shelters and sanctuaries and keeps the remaining funds. (The Animal Rescue Site is not a non-profit entity, so it shouldn't be confused with a charity even though it does direct a significant portion of its revenues to those in need. It exists to make a profit, and that it's still around proves it's succeeding at it.)