New app turns selfies with celebs into charity donations

Wish there was some way to make your ~basic~ love of celebrities and social media more meaningful? Well you're in luck. There's an app for that.

By combining the power of social media and networking, Csnaps.org -- a unique humanitarian platform co-founded by former Bon Jovi guitarist, Richie Sambora -- makes it possible for fans and celebrities to turn their photographs, videos, and stories into charitable donations.

Sambora told People that he was inspired to create the app -- which encourages avid social media posters to go from "selfie to selfless" -- by Ellen's epic Oscar's selfie. "When I heard a billion dollars could have been raised with one selfie," he said, "I thought, 'Why give that away for free, when that kind of money could be funneled toward important causes?'"

So the app essentially requires people to pay for their own photos, which sounds unappealing as hell, but remember, the proceeds are going to charity.

Csnaps is comprised of three main functions which appeal specifically to fans, celebrities, and users looking to inspire others and give back to the community:

Fan Csnaps

Basically, anyone who downloads the app as a "fan" can have it at the ready on the off chance they should run into celebrity.

Then, should they have the honor of bumping into say, someone like dreamboat , they can snap a selfie on their personal account, enter the names of the celebrities in the image, and "purchase" the picture by making their donation. Once the donation is made, and only then, users will be able to share out their epic photograph.

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Sounds great right? You get a picture with a celebrity AND an opportunity to help people in need. This is NICE. But sadly, we can't help but wonder whether people would actually use the app. What's to stop someone from saving their cash and using their regular, free phone camera?

Verified Celebrity Csnaps

Though the fan aspect of the app has the potential to be slightly problematic, celebrities have have a lot of incentive to utilize Csnaps.

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Any celebrity with a verified account can use the app to raise money by sharing special, personal moments and personal news with fans. They benefit from this, too, since the content will be shared on their own terms.

By having their friends or publicists snap photos or video of them, celebrities can use the app to upload the images to their Csnaps.org account where they can be purchased and sold to the media. The money made off the images will then be donated to the celeb's charity of choice.

So long, paparazzi!

Inspirational Csnaps

Luckily, Csnaps isn't all about celebrities. If you're dying to have your personal brand make an impact but don't want to wait around for a scarce celebrity encounter, have no fear. Users can treat the app just like any other social media platform by sharing any photos they take in their daily lives.

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Simply upload a picture and include a caption or personal message, choose a charity, make a small donation, and share out the photo to your other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The app hopes this communication tactic will encourage fans of your photo to donate or join the charitable movement themselves.

So does the app really work?

According to People, yes. Charities like The Humane Society, PETA, Smile Train and The ALS Association are currently benefiting from Csnaps, and Fred Fisher, President and CEO, The ALS Association Golden West Chapter told the publication, "Humanitarian platforms like Csnaps can be a powerful tool for raising funds to accelerate the urgent search for effective treatments and a cure for ALS."

To try out the free app for yourself; you can download it here.