Thanks – With your help we make a real impact!

It is two years since we started to pilot our social search engine Gexsi. During this phase we already achieved a lot. Time to say THANK YOU!

Our claim is “Gexsi – the search engine for a better world”. And we really mean it. We take the revenue we earn from our users’ search queries to support pioneering projects that make the world a better place. We also share their stories. Raising visibility often is more important than writing a cheque.

We have already supported 27 projects. Every month we add at least one more.

It was important to us to use the money we generated through our search engine to support our cause from day 1 onwards. We started supporting social entrepreneurship projects since we launched our very first beta version 2 years ago, even though the amounts initially were very small.

We are adding a one new project at least once per month. The idea is to continuously inspire our our users with new solutions that change the world in a positive way.

At the same time, we bring the abstract 17 Global Goals to life. Every project that we feature, illustrates what the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the SDGs or the Global Goals, are all about. Moreover, we show that the Global Goals are not just something for politicians, but for us. Each and everyone of us can think about new solutions which make the world a better place, and make them happen.

We have generated 11.000€ for our projects so far

To date, we have generated €10,943 for our Gexsi project portfolio. Up to now, 100% of the income generated by your search queries has been invested in the projects. This is double the percentage of other social search engines like Ecosia or Lilo; however, we will likely adjust this policy over time in order to cover our own costs. With our company shares being held by the Good Impact Foundation, we ensure that any future financial surplus will remain within a charitable framework. This differentiates us from many other social search engines.

We already cover all 17 Global Goals today, some more than others

We keep track which of the 17 UN sustainability goals are supported through our project portfolio. We have already supported all 17 goals in one way or another. There is a particular accumulation of support for the following goals:

#12 – Sustainable production and consumption, as we consciously support projects that could positively change all our consumption patterns
#10 – Fewer inequalities, as most of our projects implicitly make the world a more just place, and
#17 – Partnerships for the goals, as many social innovations are based on initiating new cooperations, often between partners who otherwise would not team up together (for example: a social start-up with a large UN organisation).

Here the SDG Tracking at a glance:

Many of our projects combine a local with a global impact

The majority of the projects supported – in numbers: 22 projects, or 80% – are located in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. Strictly speaking, there are currently 21 from Germany and one from Austria. However, we plan to strengthen our project base in both Switzerland and Austria. For this reason, we are currently launching regional sites for Switzerland and for Austria (coming soon).

It is noteworthy that half of these 22 projects based in German speaking countries have an international impact and hence build a bridge from local to global. Examples are Socialbnb from Cologne, OneDollarGlasses from Nuremberg, or SwimSol from Vienna.

In two projects, ChillChoc and ForestGum, we see the positive impact equally distributed among consumers in Europe and along the supply chain in Latin America and Asia respectively.

In total, almost two-thirds of our projects target people living in tenuous situations in countries of the global South, especially in Africa (13 projects) followed by Asia & Pacific and Latin America with 9 projects each.

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We are committed to climate protection, the preservation of biodiversity, and the protection of the seas, but always with a social component!

The projects that we support cannot be classified as either “environmental” or “social”. For us the combination of both criteria is key. We have no project in our portfolio that scores ecologically but does not achieve a targeted social impact. So neither the wind farm on the North Sea nor the solar park on a greenfield site would meet our criteria. Likewise, when we talk about social impact, a positive environmental impact typically is implied, such as climate protection, the preservation of biodiversity, or the regeneration of terrestrial or maritime ecosystems.

Details can be found in our detailed project evaluations, which we carry out for each project based on our Gexsi Scorecard. This reflects what is important to us when selecting projects – and makes it clear why.

«If it is possible to help a social entrepreneur in a critical phase and the social entrepreneur can then develop his concept over the next 20 years, the impact is almost infinite.» Andreas Renner, Co-Founder of Gexsi

So you can help us to generate more impact!

We have successfully kickstarted Gexsi. With your help, we know want to take the next and increase our reach. The more people know about Gexsi or the more organizations – companies, administrations in cities and communities, non-profits or civil society groups – use Gexsi for their employees, fans or followers and thus set a sign for sustainability, the more money will be generated for Impact.