New site and mobile app wants to link positive daily activities to charitable donations

By Scott Kirsner, Globe Columnist

That's the premise of a new Rockland-based start-up called 1Purpose.com; the company is trying to turn every day into a walkathon.

Users can set a challenge, like racking up 500 miles on a bike, and pick the non-profit they'd like to support. 1Purpose relies on Guidestar's database of over one million organizations, or you can direct the money into a college savings account. When you hit milestones along the way, you and others supporting you make automatic donations using a credit card on file. For instance, you or your friends might commit to donating $10 for every 50 miles you ride. (An employer might also choose to match your donations.) In addition to the Web site, 1Purpose also has mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices that let you log your progress. Network for Good handles all of 1Purpose's payment processing, taking 4.75 percent of the money being donated.

"For non-profits, we think it can help them increase the amount of donations they receive, and turn donating into a daily thing, as opposed something you do once or twice a year because of some fundraising event," says Jason Skolnick, founder of 1Purpose. (I should disclose that Skolnick is a friend, and is married to another friend. But I'm writing about 1Purpose because it seems like a good idea.) So far, Skolnick has funded the start-up himself; he says the official launch will happen in early 2012. He's out now having partnership discussions with various Boston-area non-profits who might help promote the site — and use it as part of their fundraising strategies.