If you’re anything like me, around the holidays you spend lots of time searching for perfect Christmas gifts online. For friends and family who are far away, anything that helps you avoid the lines at the post office is sweet – but did you know that there is a great tool our there that will tell you if what you’re buying can also benefit a charity?

GoodSearch has created a toolbar and search engine plugin for FireFox that lets you know when your search results in money for charity. Part of what makes this solution so great is that *you don’t have to change your behavior at all*! Talk about perfect usability – just by doing what you always do, you might be helping someone out.

For those merchants who participate, there are coupons available for things like free shipping offers – but the toolbar will tell you exactly how much you would be giving to charity by buying through their service.

What a wonderful way for technology to help us get in the spirit of the season!