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HELP Worldwide Foundation: Turning Everyday Commerce into Everyday Compassion
Mission Born from Faith and Function
From the very beginning, Richard G. Stewart, Jr., Ph.D. believed that the true purpose of commerce is to serve and uplift people. When he created Source, HELP Worldwide, and later the International Clearinghouse (ICH), he always envisioned a financial model in which a percentage of the revenue captured from every transaction would automatically flow to the humanitarian causes that matter most.
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He often illustrated this concept by saying: When the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) clearinghouse was developed to support the real estate industry, what if its original business rules automatically set aside a small access fee—say, fifty cents, or even a nickel—for charitable causes?
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The potential impact is staggering. Analysts estimate there are 100–200 million MLS data calls per day in the U.S. alone, and globally between 500 million and 1 billion discrete MLS data transactions every 24 hours. With such scale, even the smallest transaction-based donation could have helped countless people year after year. This insight became the foundation of his belief that everyday commerce can and should be a funding tool to support humanity and the planet.
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After consulting with legal experts in fundraising and charitable giving, Richard and his team designed a model to channel these automatic donations effectively. They realized the need for a non-profit foundation—a kind of “catcher’s mitt” to receive transaction-based donations, vet charities, and grant funds responsibly.
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In 2008, they established the HELP Worldwide Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in California, created to work in tandem with their public-facing company and marketing arm. Its purpose is simple yet profound: to convert automatic commerce donations into reliable charitable support, ensuring that every purchase, every sale, and every shared transaction helps heal the world.
How It Works
Every participating merchant in the ecosystem pays a Co-Marketing Fee (CMF) when a member makes a qualified purchase. A set percentage of that fee is earmarked as the charitable portion and donated to the HELP Worldwide Foundation.
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ICH provides full data verification and auditable reports showing exactly what was earned, by whom, and how much of the charitable portion went to the Foundation. The Foundation then grants those funds to a roster of approved 501(c)(3) organizations.
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The brilliance of the system lies in its automation—no extra check-writing or complex campaigns. Every swipe, click, or sale generates measurable giving in the background, creating transparency, accountability, and trust at every level.
Who We Support
The Foundation funds humanitarian, educational, and community-benefit organizations—charities that help people move from crisis to stability and growth. Whenever possible, it also helps those organizations modernize by offering training and tools in cause-related commerce, empowering nonprofits to build sustainable support through everyday activity.
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In this way, the HELP Worldwide Foundation is not just a donor—it is a partner for long-term empowerment, ensuring that generosity doesn’t stop with a single transaction but continues through every act of commerce across the network.
Built-In Generosity
What makes the Foundation unique is that giving isn’t an afterthought—it’s built into the financial DNA of the system itself.
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Built-in generosity: Donations come from merchant economics, not from the consumer’s pocket.
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Community impact: Local and national charities receive consistent, rules-driven support.
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Operational rigor: Clearinghouse data and Foundation governance ensure funds are distributed with precision and integrity.
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Every dollar flows through a process that is transparent, traceable, and testable.
Transparency and Trust
Merchants and members can log into dashboards to view charitable totals and periodic distributions. This level of visibility keeps the Foundation accountable while allowing supporters to witness their impact in real time.
Safeguards are also in place: donations depend on active merchants and cleared transactions, and grants go only to approved 501(c)(3) charities in good standing. The Foundation never promises fixed amounts and never sells personal information. Every process is handled with the highest respect for privacy, compliance, and good governance.
Our Role in the Greater Ecosystem
The HELP Worldwide Foundation serves as the charitable engine of the HELP / WeSave / ICH network. The Clearinghouse attributes the charitable portion, WeSave drives the transactions, and the Foundation stewards those funds toward approved charities. Together, they close the loop on what Richard G. Stewart, Jr., Ph.D. set out to build years ago—a self-sustaining economy of compassion, transparency, and shared prosperity.
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To him, this represents the true meaning of a partnership economy with a purpose. It isn’t about replacing traditional charity—it’s about upgrading it, making generosity automatic, traceable, and scalable through modern technology and timeless values.
The Bottom Line
The HELP Worldwide Foundation transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, turning everyday commerce into everyday compassion. It is the heart of the network, the living proof that faith and finance, technology and transparency can work together to serve humanity.
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Every transaction matters.
Every purchase helps.
Every person can make a difference.
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That is the world Richard G. Stewart, Jr., Ph.D. and his team are building—one transaction at a time.