the invention relates generally to a method and system for funding a collective account through the use of electronic tags , or through profits made off the “ float ” of the prefunded accounts associated with those tags . one embodiment of the invention may comprise associating each of a plurality of tags to a prefunded account and a collective account , or alternatively associating the prefunded account - directly to the collective account . the invention further comprises aggregating tag usage for all associated tags in the collective account . a reward may be calculated based on the aggregate tag usage for all tags associated with the collective account and the reward credited to the collective account , thus providing an incentive for tagholders to increase their use of etc systems . the above steps can be accomplished in real time or on a periodic basis . the funds in the collective account may be used for a variety of purposes as , for example , funding of charitable , religious , political , or educational institutions . individual tagholders may be members of the organization that is the holder of the collective account . according to another embodiment of the invention , the reward to the collective account may be calculated based on the aggregate prefunded account balances for all prefunded accounts associated with the collective account , thus providing an incentive for tagholders to increase the “ float ” amounts kept in their prefunded accounts . in another embodiment of the invention , the system operator may establish a number of collective accounts and designate each collective account for a particular purpose as an environmental purpose , charitable purpose , etc . tagholders may associate all or a portion of their prefunded accounts and / or tag usage to one or more collective accounts . in this embodiment , it is not necessary that tagholders be members of any organization that is the holder of the collective account , and a single tagholder may associate his or her prefunded account and / or tag usage in percentages to multiple collective accounts . tagholders may be issued periodic reporting statements detailing the contributions made in relation to the association of their prefunded accounts and / or tags to collective accounts . another embodiment of the invention relates to a computer - based system for funding a collective account , wherein a tag is associated with prefunded and collective accounts . the system may include a host computer capable of programmed response and software capable of monitoring individual tag usage or prefunded account balances , aggregating tag usage or prefunded account balances , and calculating a bonus based on the aggregate tag usage or prefunded account balances of all prefunded accounts associated with a particular collective account . the computer may perform other functions as generating statements of the prefunded accounts to the tagholders and statements of the collective account to the holder of the collective account , and may also be capable of automatically initiating a funds transfer from an individual account associated with the tag and / or prefunded account to replenish the prefunded account - based upon predetermined conditions , such as low prefunded account balance . in addition , a plurality of remote computers may be networked or otherwise capable of communicating with the host computer , where the remote computers are associated with reader / antennas at tollbooths or other sites where a tag may be used to purchase a good or service . the reader / antennas may be capable of detecting tag identification information and transmitting the tag identification information along with the charge to the remote computers , which can then transmit the information to the host computer to charge the associated prefunded account for that tag . alternatively , remote computers may access the host computer for tag identification information , and identify the prefunded account before transmission of the charge information to the host computer . in another embodiment of the invention , the tag and prefunded account may be associated with an individual account used as a source of funds to replenish the prefunded account based on fulfillment of predetermined conditions , as for example a predetermined low balance amount in the prefunded account . the individual account may be an affinity account , where an organization receives a benefit from use of the individual account . if the affinity organization is also the holder of the collective account , that organization can realize a double benefit from a tagholder &# 39 ; s use of the tag — both from the affinity program when the individual account is used to fund the prefunded account , and again when the reward is calculated and awarded based on tag usage . in other embodiments , the individual account may be associated with a loyalty program , where benefits accrue directly to the tagholder upon use of the individual account . in this scenario , increased tag usage benefits the holder of the collective account , and also causes increased needs to replenish the prefunded account , which then benefits the tagholder directly by increased loyalty program credits . the presence of an led and / or lcd readout in the tag allows the user to view such information as remaining balance in his or her prefunded account or to receive and / or view messages transmitted from the reader / antenna . the tag may also have the ability to generate a sound that indicates a successful detection by the reader / antenna or a low prefunded account balance which might be a theme song associated with the holder of the collective account , as for example the fight song of a selected university . the tag may have a communication port to allow it to communicate with other devices , as for example relaying traffic information received from the reader / antenna to a device capable of reading and mapping out the relayed information within a vehicle or some remote or hard wired device . the holder of the collective account can be an organization comprising a plurality of members . however , the tagholders are not necessarily members of the holder of the collective account , as the tagholders may designate different causes to receive the reward . the collective account may also comprise one or more sub - accounts , where each sub - account is designated for a different purpose . the reward may be calculated in a number of ways . for example , the reward may be based on aggregate tag usage or aggregate “ float ” of the prefunded account balances associated with the collective account calculated over some period of time . alternatively , the reward may be customized by basing it on a comparison of aggregate tag usage or aggregate “ float ” of the prefunded account balances during a given period to historic performance , where increased performance in the given period results in a proportionately greater reward . alternatively , a minimum performance standard may be set to achieve any reward to be credited to the collective account . although the invention is described in terms of electronic tags associated with prefunded accounts , collective accounts , and individual accounts , this description is not intended to limit the invention but is rather one embodiment as will be apparent to those skilled in the art . referring now to fig1 , a schematic of one embodiment of the invention is detailed for funding a collective account 100 such as a charitable contribution account . the invention comprises a plurality of tags 105 1 through 105 n , each tag associated with at least one prefunded account 110 1 through 110 n . also , each tag may be associated with a collective account 100 , as selected by the tagholder . alternatively , each prefunded account 110 n may be associated directly with the collective account 100 , or each tag 105 n may be associated with multiple collective accounts ( not shown ). the invention further comprises aggregating the tag usage for at least some of the tags associated with the collective account 100 , calculating a reward based on the aggregate tag usage , and funding the collective account 100 with the calculated reward . alternatively , for tags associated with multiple collective accounts , the tagholder may select the percentage of tag usage to be associated with each collective account . in other embodiments , account balances of prefunded accounts 110 1 through 110 n may be aggregated for purposes of calculating the reward . the tags and prefunded accounts may also be associated with individual accounts 115 1 through 115 n , which may be used as a source of funds to replenish the prefunded accounts 110 1 through 110 n upon fulfillment of a predetermined condition , as a low prefunded account balance . a flowscheme of one embodiment of the invention is shown in fig2 . at 200 , each tag is associated with some tag identification information , which could be detected in various manners as ir or rf transmissions or bar code scanners . at 210 , each tag is associated with a prefunded account within the etc system as well as at least one collective account . when the tag identification information is detected by a reader / antenna during tag usage at 220 , it is used by the etc system to identify the specific tag and associated prefunded account . the detector could detect signals emitted by a transponder located in the electronic tag , as rf or if signals , or alternatively the tag may comprise a bar code which is detectable by a sensor . regardless of the form of detection , the etc system debits the prefunded account associated with the identified tag for the amount of the toll or purchase . tag usage , or portion of tag usage , can be aggregated for each tag associated with the collective account at 230 . at 240 , a bonus or reward can be calculated based on aggregate tag usage for a collective account , which is credited to the collective account at 250 . a flowscheme of an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in fig3 . at 300 , each tag is associated with some tag identification information , which could be detected in various manners as ir or rf transmissions or bar code scanners . at 310 , each tag is associated with a prefunded account within the etc system as well as at least one collective account . when the tag identification information is detected by a reader / antenna during tag usage at 320 , it is used by the etc system to identify the specific tag and associated prefunded account . the detector could detect signals emitted by a transponder located in the electronic tag , as rf or if signals , or alternatively the tag may comprise a bar code which is detectable by a sensor . regardless of the form of detection , the etc system debits the prefunded account associated with the identified tag for the amount of the toll or purchase . on some periodic basis , prefunded account balances can be aggregated for each prefunded account associated directly with , or indirectly through a tag with , the collective account at 330 . at 340 , a bonus or reward can be calculated based on aggregate prefunded account balances for a collective account , which is credited to the collective account at 350 . referring to fig4 , one embodiment of a computer - based system for funding a collective account is described . the etc system may have a host computer 400 , a plurality of remote computers 410 1 through 410 n , and a plurality of reader / antennas 420 1 through 420 n associated with remote computers 410 1 through 410 n . the host computer has a processor 460 capable of programmed response , and also has a storage unit 470 , which may comprise a hard drive or other magnetic , solid state or other storage media , for storing applications , data , operating system and other information . upon or anytime after tagholder enrollment with the etc , searchable indexed computer files 430 1 through 430 n are created by the host computer processor 460 for each enrolled tagholder and stored in the host computer storage 470 . the files 430 1 through 430 n may contain such information as an individual tagholder &# 39 ; s name , address , tag identification information , prefunded account information , tag usage , and selected collective account ( s ). the files 430 1 through 430 n may also contain information identifying individual accounts that may be used to replenish the prefunded account balances . each account can be indexed by the tag identification information , name , and selected collective account . also , files 480 1 through 480 n may be created by processor 460 and stored in storage 470 containing information for a plurality of collective accounts . a plurality of readers / antenna 420 1 through 420 n may be located at remote locations from the host computer 400 at the sights where the tagholders use the tags to purchase goods or services . the tag can transmit or is otherwise detectable to provide the tag identification information . each reader / antenna 420 n may be associated with and capable of communicating with a remote computer 410 n , where each remote computer is capable of communicating with and transmitting information to and receiving information from the host computer 400 . in addition , each local computer 410 n may also have a processor capable of programmable response and storage capability . when a tag is detected by the reader / antenna 420 n for a purchase of a good or a service , tag identification information can be recorded in the local computer 410 n along with the amount of the charge . either in real time or on a periodic basis , the local computer 410 n can communicate with the host computer 400 and transmit the detected tag identification information along with the associated charge amount . using the tag identification information , the host computer 400 can access the file 430 n indexed by that tag identification information , and debit the prefunded account associated with that file for the charge amount . either in real time or on a periodic basis , the processor 460 of the host computer 400 can access all tags and / or prefunded accounts that are associated with a certain collective account 480 n and either aggregate the total tag usage or the “ float ” of the prefunded account balances for the prefunded accounts associated with that collective account . a reward can be calculated based on these aggregates , and the processor 460 can initiate a funds transfer in an amount equal to the reward to the collective account 480 n . the foregoing embodiments have been presented for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way . the scope of the invention is to be determined from the claims appended hereto .