HOUSTON, Dec. 1, 2009 — Landon Fears is selling advertising on his website, but he may have to give away every cent he earns. The 29-year-old Houston entrepreneur is letting users decide how much of the advertising dollars he gets to keep, and how much he will donate to charity.
Fears is raising money to support his website, Admance.com, which lets people share and discover advertising. But the idea to let the public determine his salary was inspired by the recent headlines about outrage over huge corporate executive salaries during the economic recession, and a desire to give this holiday season. “People have no control over where the salaries and bonuses of executives go,” said Fears. “That’s why I’m choosing to give control of my salary to the public and hopefully give back at the same time.”
On Fears’ home page, a running tally of advertising revenues and charitable donations is displayed. Throughout the day, visitors can choose to send money earned through advertising in 1-cent increments to either Fears or a featured charity. Advertisers pay 1 cent every time their ad is displayed. At the end of the day, the amount sent to charity is what Fears will donate the next day.
Fears, who has a bachelor’s degree in computer science, programmed the functionality of the website. He is well aware of the possibly that the public can send all of his advertising dollars to charity. “I’m prepared if I must donate everything I make to charity. Obviously, I can’t maintain the site unless I make money, but at least I’ll have some peace of mind giving to causes that mean something to me.”
A major goal for Fears is to raise awareness for the different charities and foundations featured, as well as help people discover the advertisers who choose to purchase space on his site. He plans to feature a charity until he has donated $10,000 to that particular cause. The first charity featured on Admance is The Salvation Army, a movement Fears has always associated with the holiday season.
Ultimately, Fears hopes his idea can last as long as advertisers and the public contribute to the website. “I’ll let the public determine my salary forever if they would let me,” explained Fears. “As long as I earn a salary I can survive on, I’ll be content doing something I truly believe in.”
Admance.com is a free service that lets anyone create, share and discover advertising. For more information on Admance, visit http://admance.com.
Contact:
Landon Fears
713-963-0095 or 1-800-340-4278
http://admance.com
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