# Charitable URL Shorteners 'Hope.ly' is a Link Shortener That Drives Donations to the Red Cross By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2015-10-22 | Social Good Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hopely References: [causeupdate](http://causeupdate.com/blog/hopely) When browsing social media, it's common to see [shortened links](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sharely), so the Red Cross and Bitly teamed up to create an inventive way to encourage [charitable donations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/charityexplorer) to be made with 'Hope.ly.' Hope.ly allows users to share the same way as on Bitly, but with more of an emphasis on social good. Once a URL has been shortened, a banner appears with shared links to announce: "Someone wonderful shared this page—to help people in need through the [American Red Cross](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/snowfall)." With such a simple and concise message, the intended call to action is extremely clear, making it easy for people to execute just a few extra clicks in order to support the organization. Beyond being useful just for the Red Cross, it's easy to imagine that this could be adopted to suit a number of campaigns and causes. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.5/10 - Popularity: 60% | Activity: 66% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Social Good](https://www.trendhunter.com/socialgood) > [Charity](https://www.trendhunter.com/charity) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Charitable URL Shorteners:** The rise of charitable URL shorteners presents an opportunity for businesses to integrate social good into their marketing strategies. - **Innovative Donation Mechanisms:** Innovative donation mechanisms like Hope.ly open up possibilities for disrupting traditional fundraising methods. - **Social Media Philanthropy:** The emergence of social media philanthropy through platforms like Hope.ly showcases the potential for leveraging social networks to drive charitable donations. ### Where This Applies - **Nonprofit Sector:** The nonprofit sector can benefit from adopting charitable URL shorteners as a tool to drive donations and increase public engagement. - **Digital Marketing:** Digital marketing professionals can leverage innovative donation mechanisms like Hope.ly to create socially conscious campaigns that resonate with audiences. - **Technology:** The technology industry has an opportunity to develop and improve upon charitable URL shorteners, contributing to the advancement of social causes through digital innovation. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Link Management Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ishortn.md) - [AI-Powered URL Shortening](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aipowered-url.md) - [Instant URL Shortening](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/link-shortener.md) - [Link Management Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/link-management-platforms.md) - [Smart URL Trackers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lol-url.md) - [Link Management Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lynklet.md) - [Analytical Link Management](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/prime-link.md) - [Connective Altruistic Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/heart-2-help.md) - [All-in-One Link Management](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/linkee.md)