I have a confession to make. My name is Seth Medvin and I have never committed a single hour of community service in my life. I know this may come as a shock to most of you, but I swear, I’m not alone.

There are many just like me who have always been envious of those who spend time giving back to the less fortunate. We’ve always been too busy, or too lazy to go out of our way to volunteer. We like to come up with excuses or just ignore this problem all together.

During my last semester at LSU, I have been fortunate enough to discover a way out of this sorry predicament. LouisianaGives.com is an online community marketplace that gives money back to nonprofit organizations through online shopping. Over 150 nonprofit organizations can benefit from simply shopping online through over 230 stores.

The first step is to log onto Louisiana Gives and begin online shopping. Students in class right now reading this, I’m talking to you because I know you’re about to open your laptop anyway.

Here is how Louisiana Gives works:

When a purchase is made at any of the online stores featured on Louisiana Gives, the online store pays Louisiana Gives a commission for the reference to the store. The revenues generated by these commissions are then distributed to the nonprofit organization of choice.

Participants may choose the non-profit to benefit from each purchase by clicking the particular organization on the participating organizations/causes page. Thereafter, all of purchases through Louisiana Gives will be credited to the organization of choice. Causes may be changed at any time and no additional fees will be incurred through online shopping.

I must admit that the only reason I stumbled upon this remedy was through my public relations Capstone course, which placed me within a team of students tasked with handling the publicity for a nonprofit organization. Luckily for me, Louisiana Gives is our client and I have been motivated to take action.

When I realized how easy it can be to give back to the less fortunate people in this state without sacrificing any additional income (let’s be real, I’m still in college), I immediately had one of those light bulb on top of the head moments.

This opportunity is perfect for people just like me and for those who have avoided community service. My only challenge to you is to come up with an excuse why you won’t be shopping on LouisianaGives.com in the future, because I know a reason simply does not exist.

Seth Medvin,

mass communication senior