In June 2002, a TV producer named Karyn Bosnak set up a Web site asking strangers to donate money so she could pay off her credit card debt. "My name is Karyn, I'm really nice, and I'm asking for your help," she wrote on her site. "You see, I have this huge credit card debt and I need $20,000 to pay it off." She set up payment accounts through Paypal and Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN).com, and she waited.
Lo and behold, the public responded. Bosnak got the money, not to mention a book deal. Since then, several so-called "cyberbegging" sites have popped up on the Web. Some work better than others.
Should you decide to make money through donations, make sure you follow a few key rules: Express humility, and state a specific financial goal so as not to appear infinitely greedy. And make the donation process as easy as possible by letting viewers pay either by PayPal or by snail mail.
