What charities do you donate to?

Every year I like to ask what charities people are leaning toward.

So here we go: what organizations, charities, or good causes are you supporting this year? Lately I’ve been interested in transparency and reform in government, so organizations like the Sunlight Foundation, MAPLight (Money and Politics), and Change Congress are on my list. I’m also looking at Free Press and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

I’d also be interested in hearing about 501(c)(3) organizations that support open-source software, ideally with very low administrative costs. Does anyone know of good groups in that area?

Finally, is there a charity or group that wants to make videos of college journalism classes? Right now if a blogger wanted to take an online journalism class, I’m not aware of many resources in that area. I found a good book called Electronic Media Law that I like, but it would be nice if people around the world could learn the basics of journalism by watching a series of college lectures on video.

Okay, now it’s your turn. What charities would you like to mention, support, or call out?

205 Responses to What charities do you donate to? (Leave a comment)

  1. Heifer Intl. great organization giving people help to help themselves, families, villages etc.

  2. My favorite charity is the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. This organization helps the children of troops killed in combat to be able to afford college.

  3. Soldier’s Angels – Valour-IT

    All funds received go directly to our wounded troops; 100% of your donation to Project Valour-IT will be used to purchase laptops and other technology that will support recovery and provide independence and freedom to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines.

    http://soldiersangels.org/valour-it-donations.html

  4. I prefer to donate to Open Source and I have been doing this for quite sometime now.

    http://www.go4expert.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1211

    But I am not aware of any groups as of now apart from sourceforge

  5. http://www.seashepherd.org/ @SeaShepherd Whale Defense Campaign (Whale Wars in Animal Planet)

  6. After being made aware of Back to the Basics Please and the programs they were trying to bring to people, not only did I donate, but I started donating time and talent to them. I should disclose that I am their Director of Public Relations and Development.

    There is SUCH a desperate shortage of accessible substance abuse and HIV programs in rural America for the LGBT people that need them. There are no life wellness programs at all.

    BTTBP is very small and brand new. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us. There are people that need access to these services and we’ll be there.

  7. I give ~ 50% to state and federal government. I’ll give to charity when that changes.

  8. I donate to a charity my friend started to help educate children in Mongolia. $20 could send a kid to school for a year. http://edurelief.org

  9. I was thinking about open-source and environment.
    and in India , we are also combined thinking about the price rise of common goods and political stability.

  10. “Feeding the hungry” seems to me to be the most important charity — especially when there’s hunger in the midst of plenty, like right now in Silicon Valley. Second Harvest (the Santa Clara and San Mateo counties branch), http://www.shfb.org/Page.aspx?pid=191 , is where by far most of my donations go — I like to “think global, act local”, and I know they’re getting a high fraction (high nineties percent!) of my dollars to actual food feeding the hungry, without the risks (connected with donating to nevertheless-wonderful charities trying to feed the hungry in remote parts of the world with corrupt officials and police, etc) of fattening malefactors’ wallets. Yeah, I know our common employer is also a strong supporter of Silicon Valley, but especially in these dire times they can use every extra dollar we can spare to really, really good effect.

    If I have any money left that I feel I can spare after donating what feels like “enough” to Second Harvest, it goes to our local Humane Society — with foreclosures rampant, and so many landlords of ex-homeowners-now-renters forbidding pets, the number of innocent abandoned pets is soaring and so therefore are the money needs of those who strive to help them get new homes.

    Yeah, neither is a “sexy”, high-tech, or open-source charity — I feel those are wonderful things that just can’t take precedence in my heart over feeding the hungry and helping animals in these dire times. If and when the crisis recedes, I’ll be overjoyed to go back to donating to all sorts of local cultural grassroots groups, from West Bay Opera to Theatreworks, as well as the Python Software Foundation — but I just think we need to focus and be frugal, in donations as in everything else, to get through this crisis with the least damage (yeah, I know the crisis is abating — but look at unemployment figures, and you’ll see the aftermath will be with us for QUITE a while).

  11. Calamities hit my country often, aside from Typhoon Ondoy other provinces in my country experienced flash floods (Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and now Misamis Occidental) and now we have the Mayon Volcano erupting just before Christmas. The Philippine Red Cross is so far the most reliable.

    http://www.redcross.org.ph/

  12. Kiva! — It’s a microlending group that lets you make loans as a gift, and you can re-loan the original amount after repayment. Your 2010 Christmas can involve making a new donation, and seeing the progress from the last year’s gift — little businesses formed, lives improved, from the previous year. It is a great feeling, and allows good interaction with the people you give to and with. Loans from 2 years ago that I made with my dad have already led to two businesses — one particularly touching one was a woman in Bolivia who just needed a juicer and a blender to set up a little market stall. We re-lent that money last year and will see how its recipients did in a few days, and do the same this year.

    Also MIT OpenCourseWare is doing the gods’ work and will definitely be getting a donation from me this year.

  13. Lupus Foundation of America

  14. My favorite charity is kiva.org. Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe. Kiva links “micro-bankers” like you and me with screened “micro-preneurs” in the developing world (and now even in the U.S.). You can lend as little as $25 in capital to the Kiva applicant of your choice. Corporate Partners are PayPal, YouTube, Google, MySpace, Microsoft and others.

  15. Battered women’s centers.

  16. I donate to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society each year because my wife has MS. We also do fundraisers each year for the MS society and last year raised over 5k through our friends and social networks. Being an Entrepreneur in the Education space, I also donate to a few donorschoose.org projects each year.

  17. I support a couple of local organizations, the Sacramento Food Bank and W.E.A.V.E. (women’s shelter – stands for Women Escaping a Violent Environment) and nationally the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Last year I helped Heifer International – it was fun to buy a pig and some ducks. ;^D

  18. I support http://StarthrowerFoundation.org, for teenagers (without parents) trying to get an education in Haiti. Thanks Matt!

  19. I donate to my church who participates in a lot of humanitarian efforts.

  20. As an active member of the LDS Church (aka Mormon), I donate 10% of my income (the increase, or Net) to the church, which helps not only fund their buildings and many programs, but also some of the best philanthropic activity around. The church is extremely well organized, and not only has a welfare system to provide for members on hard times, but has led the support to aid in many world disasters, including 9/11, Katrina, the Pacific Tsunamis, and earthquakes globally. It is good to know that the money I provide is in good hands, even if I do not earmark it for any specific cause.

    More about that can be found here: http://www.ldscharities.org

  21. I keep a stack of charities that I donate to on my desk. Each month, I give to one or two ..along with paying the bills. It varies slightly from year to year.
    This year it was: Humane Society, ASPCA, Nature Conservancy, Soldier’s Angels, Red Cross, The Surfrider Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs, The USO, Goodwill, The Assistance League, The Interfaith Shelter (for the homelesss)National Defense League, The Sierra Club. We also donated goods to the soldiers this year in Afghanistan, and sent a lot of clothes, shoes and school supplies to the kids.

  22. Eclipse.org

  23. Also as a Mormon, I do the same as Louis with 10% of my income. In addition to that I like to donate regularly to the American Cancer Society, as it’s had a significant role in the lives of many of my family members and friends. I also try to find causes I can donate my time and talents to. I try to contribute to Open Source where I can. I try to provide free and reduced-cost services to philanthropic organizations (as I am able). I believe the more we help others the better this world is as a place for us to live in.

  24. Matt – I have 3 on my blog sidebar
    Skip1.org
    OneWarmCoat.org
    and the Mark J Reynolds Bike Fund – provides underprivileged kids with their 1st bicycle.
    (Mark, an avid Mt. Biker was attacked and killed by a Mountain Lion in O.C. in 2004)

  25. I go for children institutions… knowing that they’re the future. 🙂

  26. I think Uniting People is a great opportunity to share with: http://unitingpeople.com/

  27. JDRF. Every day I see my little girl, Willow, deal with her type 1 diabetes. I want a better future for her.

  28. I give my time to help the Richmond Psychosocial Foundation International (RPFI). They do really great work setting up Therapeutic Communities for people who fall just outside Mental Health care in their respective countries. With a little bit of support people really can get on with their lives.

  29. Greenpeace and doing my daily routine of not wasting water, going by foot instead of cars, energy economy, etc… And I really hope the first world countries do their part in resolving the biggest issue of global warming.

  30. I keep some local and give to 2 orgs that feed and shelter the homeless and a no kill animal shelter. Nationally I give to the Human Rights Campaign and World Wildlife Fund.

  31. Hi, I donate to KIVA and participate in Fondazione Marco Gennaioli.

  32. http://www.kiva.org You can lend money to people in poor countries and help them set up a business. When they have money they’ll pay you back (they actually do!) Cool thing is, when you get the money back you can re-lend that exact same sum to someone else =]

  33. I’m a big supporter of any cause which raises funds and awareness by using simple campaigns which encourage new behaviour. http://www.freerice.com is one great example. It helps you improve your spelling by playing a game and uses the ad revenue to help fund UN World Food Programme. Similarly http://www.tweet2feed.co.uk donates 10p to UN World Food Programme every time someone tweets #tweet2feed. (Disclaimer: I did work on the campaign) 🙂

  34. We support British Red Cross, a few years ago Mike and I met on the 3 peaks challenge to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdonia a fund-raiser for BRC. We fell in love and married so we have a big soft spot for this charity!

  35. My favourite charity is izuluorphanprojects run by an old friend from school, Kate. Kate left London a few years ago and went back to South Africa and started the orphanage for aids orphans. They also cater for other children in the area and put on a Christmas party for all of them every year.

  36. APOPO : Rats that detect landmines! http://www.apopo.org

    The rats are trained to detect the chemicals used in landmines. They can cover a clearance area far quicker that humans.

    They also develop seeds where the flowers change colour in reaction to the presence of chemicals found in landmines so that land can be made useful quickly after war.

  37. 1. World Land Trust – buys endangered rainforest and protects it forever.

    2. 100 friends – gives help directly to people who really need it in the 3rd world.

    In terms of bang for your buck, these charities are outstanding.

  38. Red Cross and HRC are orgs I donate to. I also contribute to NPR and PBS. I support IP rights also EFF (not mutually exclusive IMO) from the perspective of legal discussions and actions my attorney takes. I’ll be putting discussions with him on the air.

  39. My favorite charity is Children’s Miracle Network. http://www.childrensmiraclenetwork.org/ Several years ago I toured 2 of their hospitals in the Atlanta area and was amazed by the work they perform. Even in this real estate downturn I have had to find a way to make a contribution. The work they do is just that important.

  40. I love Kiva.org http://kiva.org and Charity:Water http://www.charitywater.org/ both are well run and help internationally.

  41. I like to go local. Really support our schools’ PTO, local churches, local United Way, food banks, Toy Lift, etc.

  42. I like Esther’s Hope. http://www.esthershope.com. I know the directors personally. It’s a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the orphans of Liberia – the West Africa country, founded by freed American slaves, trying to recover from 14 years of civil war. 100% of the funds donated go to the care of the children of the Victorious Faith Refuge Home.

  43. On the radio this week, a Staff Sgt in the Marine Corp Reserves was on the morning show. The Toys for Tots campaign in my area has over 40,000 children in need this year, with donations levels currently at 26,000. I admire the sustainable charities mentioned above, but, this time of year, I’m supporting Toys for Tots.

  44. I donate to Jehovah’s Witnesses that do Bible education and a lot of humanitarian relief projects (I volunteer time as well – we traveled to the Gulf to help after Katrina – what an experience!). Cancer Society and Leukemia Society on occasion also.

  45. Ironmatt is a charity to support research and children and their families who are affect by pediatric brain tumors. I have been working with them since day 1 of the charity and we have not only raised lots of money, but also raised awareness. It’s a hard charity to work with since many of the children don’t make it past age 7, but rewarding when you can help out those that do.

  46. I like the work my local church does with free health/dental clinics and feeding/clothing the homeless in our area. I also like the Hope Epidemic that my church is supporting through programs like Water Missions International. In reference to transparency and reform in government I like The Heritage Foundation.

  47. I donate try and make sure to always balance some of my giving toward long term things like research that go to the root of problems, as opposed to focusing solely on immediate needs. I like the Jimmy Fund for the fight against cancer http://www.jimmyfund.org. I also like http://www.methuselahfoundation.org which is dedicated to extending healthy human life expectancy.

  48. I (we) donate to the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. 80% of every dollar goes to research. They are offering Holiday Cards this year to help support the cause if anyone is interested. http://www.rockabuygear.com/pcrf/

  49. Charities have so much overhead that I tend to wonder how much of my donation actually goes to the needy. The worst charities are the ones who send you gifts or elaborate reminder cards, bought with your very own donations.

    Me, I like to give to people individually – to the elderly on the street (not younger able-bodied people) and especially to FOSS developers who request but do not demand a donation.

    But to each their own!

  50. My heart still goes out to Uganda (as it did two years ago), and I still support Invisible Children.

  51. This year,
    Children’s Cancer Association
    – Tualatin Food Pantry (community food bank) $ + almost 300 lbs of garden produce
    Mercy Corps

    Provides a mix of close to home and global perspective for me.

  52. We always donate a healthy sum to Riverglen Tiger Shelter in Arkansas. http://www.riverglentigershelter.org/ Ten years ago we actually drove down and visited, although it’s not normally open to the public. They take in tigers that circuses and zoos don’t want, who have been abused or mistreated, or aren’t as “pretty” as other tigers, and provide for them. And yes, they are 501(c)(3)

  53. I give to organizations where almost all of the money goes to helping people, not administrating the charity. http://www.aishelhouse.org/ takes care of people coming to Houston Medical Center, like a home away from home for them. Nationally, I give to religious charities like http://www.chabad.org/

  54. I like to support local child abuse prevention centers because we are nothing if we don’t keep our children protected. Also, I cycle and have lost loved ones to cancer, so I donate to Livestrong, American Cancer Society and World Bicycle Relief.

  55. HOPE Worldwide has projects world wide and over 90% of their expenses go directly to the costs of the projects. I’ve participated in a number of their volunteer projects over the years.

    http://www.hopeww.org

  56. The Prostate Centre They provide unbiased information and support to men with prostate cancer and participate in a clinical trial and research working to discover a cure. They also provide education on prostate cancer by speaking to groups.

    This is a cancer that has a high success rate of a cure if it’s found early but many men are unaware of the risk and don’t ask their GP for the simple tests that will identify a possible problem.

  57. Acumen Fund is a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty.

    http://www.acumenfund.org/

  58. Charities have so much overhead that I tend to wonder how much of my donation actually goes to the needy. The worst charities are the ones who send you gifts or elaborate reminder cards, bought with your very own donations.

    Me, I like to give to people individually – to the elderly on the street (not younger able-bodied people) and especially to FOSS developers who request but do not demand a donation.

    But to each their own!

    What this guy said.

    The biggest thing I’ve learned from having developed multiple charitable websites is that a very large percentage of money is wasted on unnecessary overhead and expenses. In conjunction with the overhead waste, you’ve got the mob mentality and vested interests of the “volunteers”, most of whom are only there because someone they’re related to has whatever problem requires your valuable donations to fix and secretly couldn’t care less about anyone else involved in the charity.

    If you really want to test the worth of a charity, ask them how to give directly to the affected party. If they’re really concerned about the well-being of those they’re “raising money for”, they’ll tell you how to do just that. Most of the charities fail this acid test.

    I have no issue giving something to someone in need if I can; I’m not that cold-hearted (yet). But let me assess whether or not the person is truly in need and do what I can directly. I don’t need or trust a middleman to do it for me.

  59. I usually donate my time to my child’s school. (reading, subbing, groundskeeping, etc)

    also http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/ is a pretty great chrity as well.

  60. I don’t know if it’s really a donation, but I do tithe to this church whenever I can. I should do it more often, really. http://theRCG.org

  61. I donate to the homeless through local food banks.

  62. Teach a man to fish… Seconded, thirded, and fourthed on Kiva.org for micro-lending to people in developing nations.

    I think most people would agree that experience is one of the best teachers, so hand out some bait and poles and enable people to start beating the waters.

  63. You should donate to:

    Free Software Foundation: http://www.fsf.org
    Software Freedom Law Center: http://www.softwarefreedom.org

  64. The Make-A-Wish Foundation (www.wish.org). It’s an outstanding organization who manage their money well and do incredible work. I’ve attended fund raising events in the past and there isn’t a dry eye in the place after one of the recipients tells their story. It’s a donation that is so well spent, even more appreciated if you have children of your own.

  65. I agree about the wondering about the overhead. That’s one thing that convinced us when we visited the tiger shelter. Seeing a 60+ year old woman feeding, nursing, and taking care of 70 big cats, including carving up donated cattle and road kill and other meat with a chainsaw *by herself* except for a few summer interns – we figured overhead couldn’t get any lower than that.

  66. I’d like to mention the Developmental Disabilities Association (http://www.develop.bc.ca) – since people with developmental disabilities are often stigmatized and ostracized from society, I find bringing their contributions to light very important. If you’re interested about the DDA, you can read more about us at our blog at http://DDA604.com. 🙂

  67. A whole bunch of Free Open Source programs and http://www.invisiblechildren.com/home.php But this year the bulk going to: http://www.citizen.org/litigation/briefs/IntFreeSpch/ and http://www.eff.org/

    Happy Holidays Everyone!

  68. I was very sad to see my comments on my favourite charity (http://www.izuluorphanprojects.co.za for aids orphans) have not been added. Are only American charities good enough for a mention?

  69. For the past couple of years, instead of receiving gifts for myself I ask people to make a loan to Kiva.org on my behalf. These loans go to people in the developing world trying to make a life for themselves. These people take the money to help build a business of some sort, and eventually pay the loan back and then I re-lend it to someone else.

    I think this is an outstanding way to help people, and yet it isn’t even “charity”, per se. It is helping people help themselves.

  70. I love Children’s Cancer Research Fund – they are the fundraising organization for the cancer center at the U of Minnesota.

  71. In the Great White North

    My family and I have made some contributions through http://www.charitycar.ca – they have a USA version too. Basically they send the cash you would have received from the recycler for your old car right to the charity of your choice and the charity issues a tax receipt.

    For straight up donations I usually opt for Cancer research causes because both my parents died of this horrible disease.

  72. http://www.kiva.org – Microloans

  73. San Francisco Food Bank (or any food bank in your area)
    Kiva – micro finance, not charity.
    Oxfam – buy a goat, manure, books, water, seeds, health check-ups – again not charity per se because its tackling the root causes of poverty rather than simply addressing the symptoms.

  74. Hey all, I’ve been on a plane–sorry it took me a few extra hours to approve recent blog comments here.

  75. One of my favorite charities is the Mary Jane Program here is Hawaii. It helps young pregnant girls that are alone and need some serious help. I thinks it great to be able help the local community. Plus any other good cause that presents itself. Being able to help definately makes you feel good 🙂

  76. This is a new and great charity. They support the families of the Veterans of All Special Operation Units : http://www.specialops.org. In this special times we are in, this is a charity that makes a difference

  77. I like to tackle what’s causing an issue.
    Rather than just throw money at reducing the symptoms it’s better to fix the core problem.

    The majority of issues with society today are caused by our Money as Debt based monetary system. A system which requires continuous exponential growth in a finite world.

    My suggestion is to watch The Story of Stuff – http://www.storyofstuff.com/
    It’s a fairly quick video that explains the consumerist society we live in.
    Then, when you get a chance, watch Zeitgeist Addendum – http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7065205277695921912
    It will completely change the way you think about the world, and money. The movie explains the greed and corruption caused by the priority of profit, over everything else. However, unlike a lot of other such documentary films, it explains an alternative system, a Resource Based Economy. I’ve been looking into this for a while, and it is the best system I have heard proposed.
    If you want to know more check out http://www.zeitgeistaustralia.org/synopsis/introductory-guide/

    I believe in a better world for everyone, I support The Zeitgeist Movement. http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/

  78. We donate websites to support the lance armstrong livestrong foundation

  79. I always donate to animal charities. My favorites are Best Friends, the ASPCA, and our local animal shelter. I leave people charities to others…:-)

  80. agree with Nathan, I like Acumen too 😉

  81. ah… and Greenpeace!

  82. St. Luke’s Hospice here in my hometown of Plymouth in England.

    Happy Christmas Everyone!

    D 🙂

  83. Great question for this time of year!

    If you like to help foster children, a great organization is 4 Kids of S Florida

    Two other great organizations are:
    World Vision
    Compassion International

  84. Rather than donate money to some organization, I think its more fulfilling if you help someone in need by yourself when you are free.

  85. I donate 10% of what I make on my directory and match that with my own donation of 100%
    to http://www.stjude.org/ for sickle cell cancer care and research.

  86. I’ve always been a fan, back in England where I’m from, of Guide Dogs For The Blind, as well as, to a lesser degree, the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

  87. There was a recent profile of a secret santa in detroit who gave out 12k directly to people in need, eliminating the middleman…its hard to do due dilligence to see how much money goes direct to the people in need, I thought this was a great idea!

  88. One organization that deserves a huge “shout out” is Invisible Children http://www.invisiblechildren.com/home.php They help with the specific problems faced by the children of Uganda. It’s a grassroots organization started by three young men who produced an indie movie about their travels and have used the internet to make their cause well known.

  89. There is a fantastic organization right up your alley, started by a hedge fund manager who quit to work full time on creating free educational videos for everything from basic math to complex economics. It’s a fascinating story, simple presentation, and very effective. Very “Googley”
    http://www.khanacademy.org/

    Also, here’s a way that costs you not a penny more: Based on my own experience with premature babies, I donate the proceeds of my amazon referral account to my March of Dimes Walk team (http://marchforbabies.com/kobergs).
    Just click on this link before you buy on Amazon and you’re done: http://bit.ly/71cIxq

    If that last part is to self-promoting for your taste, feel free to delete it (although it’s all to a very good cause!)

  90. Please check out my very goods friends at http://www.greengeckoproject.org/. Tania has been hard at work over the last 5 or so years creating a safe haven for the street kids in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

    Tania is an walking angel who has transformed the lives of dozens of little children (who are now growing up into young adults) and has a profound effect on everyone she meets.

    Any help people can offer is greatly appreciated.

  91. Motor neurone disease association because I have a similiar desease (Corticobasal Ganglionic Degeneration) and the MNDA has helped our family a lot. In fact, I’m just out of hospital after having an external feeding tube inserted in my stomach.

    http://www.mndnsw.asn.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=11&Itemid=88

  92. I support the American Cancer Society Year round, serve on the board of the Habitat For Humanity and try to support local community groups when I can (Youth Soccer, Boy Scouts, etc)

  93. I’m a big fan of the Central Asia Institute and ADRA. Both do a great job making the world a little bit better, in my humble opinion.

  94. Spokane Aids Network (SAN) http://www.san-nw.org
    CrossWalk http://www.voaspokane.org/

    Both of these organizations do so much within our community to take care of those who can’t take care of themselves. Both of these organizations and many others like them saw many years of declining gov’t and private support.

    I’ve been a SAN volunteer for 10 years. Its been the most rewarding experience of my life.

    I’d like to do something for CrossWalk in the future, an organization that helps Spokane homeless teens just get through another day, on a good course and away from drugs and petty crimes. I recently attended a benefit concert where I was introduced to this organization and its works and my eyes were opened even more. It gets very cold in Spokane and lord knows, I wouldn’t want my 12 year old out in it.

  95. Morris Rosenthal

    Matt,

    Take the time working through friends or family to find individuals who need the money and give direct. It’s hard to find a better use for money than giving somebody a “loan” that never need be repaid to go to school or try to start a business and make a living.

    Other than that, established religion education orgainizations can run very lean, essentially zero overead, with volunteers putting in big hours. Stick with local ones you know or have family who can vouch for. But most chairties plain suck, and university donations are unlkely to go where you expect even if you have legal control.

    I prefer getting burned by the occasional individual mistake than spread money around scattershot to orgainizations where the staff spends it on travel and comfy offices.

    Morris

  96. I listed my favorite charities on my blogCharityNavigator can tell you what percentage of a charity’s revenues go to admin & fundraising. As others have mentioned, the SFLC and EFF help create and protect FLOSS; the Participatory Culture Foundation, which sponsors Miro, would be another fine recipient.

  97. In the UK we have so many worthy charities that it can be difficult to pick one over the other so I tend to give what I can when I am asked regardless of the cause.
    If I had to pick – the 3 UK charities I would favour would be:
    helpforheroes.org.uk – a UK charity which offers help and support to wounded soldiers – shameful that they should need a charity really?
    cancerresearchuk.org – a charity dedicated to research of the causes and treatment of all forms of cancer.
    shelter.org.uk – a charity which offer help and support to people without a home and help for those in danger of becoming homeless.
    Merry Christmas Matt

  98. Good Topic !
    Hope more and more people will donate to charities, I remember we sichuan, China received a lot of help after the earthquake last year. Thanks …

  99. Like some other people here I am an avid supporter of Kiva.

    http://www.kiva.org basically lends money to entrepreneurs in poor countries through local micro-financing organisations.

    I’m sure quite a few of us have heard of Mohammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi who created a micro finance organisation in the Grameen Bank. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grameen_Bank

    Anyway Kiva exploits the power of the internet to link up kiva members with local micro financing institutions in a large number of poor countries.

    So far I have made over 100 loans, and as the money is paid back I simply finance more borrowers in developing countries.

    It makes me feel good and is addictive. 🙂

    Spare a few dollars before christmas and help the world’s working poor.

    This is an unpaid advertisement 🙂

    .

  100. I love AMURT.
    It’s a small NGO working on various country trying to increase the life quality of many poor people. Mostly they work on under develop country.
    The major plus of this NGO is that since it’s small, so most of the donation really goes to the project not on the admin site.
    And personally I love their Gift from the Heart card 🙂

  101. I’d go with the Salvation Army – a tried and true veteran (that has almost nothing to do with online publishing). What I want to know is: why is Google becoming an active Government participant; what do you mean by transparency (personalized data-mining, anyone?); why is Aaron Wall so angry with Google lately; why doesn’t Google do more to protect children from offensive adult content; if the moon were made of cheese, would you mine it?; and are you planning on giving free Adwords credits to the (shell-game lobbyist) charity of your choice?

  102. My tip is Action Aid. They have a couple of projects where they focus on women in poor countries. For example, “The goat-project” where the give a pregnant got to a family, this family will then give the baby-goat to another family. They also have a vacation-charity, where you travel to an place where the are building something, for example a well. You then contribute both with money and muscle-power.

  103. Matt,

    Interesting that you mention looking for charities using open source. How about charities applying the principles of open source to web analytics? At Save the Children, we just announced a partnership with the WAA that will provide learning opportunities for new analysts, and teaching opportunities for experienced analysts.

    We’re essentially letting WAA members and UBC students become part of our web team, then finding out together what it takes to create a data driven culture from scratch. Some of the inspiration actually comes from Summer of Code and we’re seeing how open source open source ideas can go. While we’ll work on areas like SEO, SEM, and optimization, we’ll also be tackling the more difficult issues of stakeholder interaction, processes, and more.

    For those who have or get a WAA membership or get one, we’re hoping analysts will be interested in going beyond simply donating, to making a genuine difference in the lives of children worldwide through learning, doing, and teaching the things we’re already passionate about. 🙂

    Kicking off in January!

    Cheers!

    Adam Laughlin – Web Analyst
    Save the Children

  104. Matt – great that you ask about Open Source non-profits. I would like to recommend you look at the Open Source Digital Voting Foundation (OSDV). OSDV, and its first major project TrusttheVote. They are developing with the community open source technology for digital voting. The project has a mandate to make demonstrative progress by the 2010 mid-term national elections, delivering applicable, actionable, and useful results for some of the “choke points” that currently exist in the efficient running of elections with current proprietary solutions. This does not imply going full internet but it does help to make sure that when electronics or the internet are used it is completely transparent. Wouldn’t you like to know that your mailed in ballot had actually been counted let alone received. Wouldn’t you like to know that when you register you really are ‘allowed’ to vote in the next election.

    The foundation is supported by Mitch Kapor creator of Lotus 1-2-3 and co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and California Secretary of State Debra Bowen. Many states and cities (like Los Angeles) are very interested in an open source solution. OSDV recently was asked to provide commentary to the FCC on the situation of digital voting. Things are moving fast and they need funds to keep going.

    For more information – and I hope Matt that this has whet your appetite for more information – is best found at TrusttheVote Blog or just drop me a line.

    Happy Holidays.
    Barb (webmama)

  105. I support http://www.blessingsinabackpack.org — Blessings in a Backpack helps feed impoverished school kids in the US, Canada and Colombia on weekends, when these kids would otherwise go hungry. Did you know that over 60% of US school kids qualify for free or reduced lunch meal programs? There are no “middlemen” in this program. Programs are run locally at a grass roots level with support from a skeleton crew of central volunteers.

  106. You can sponsor a child or donate to SOS Children’s Villages – USA. SOS Children’s Villages helps orphaned children in over 100 countries.

    In re: your question about open-source journalism … Media Matters (they fight (conservative) misinformation in the mainstream media so they’re staffed with lovers of journalism … simultaneously, their tech department loves and is quite handy with open-source)

    In the past, I have also volunteered and raised money independently for Vietnam Veterans of America, Mercy Corps, and Hope and Homes for Children.

  107. Grammar foibles aside (Was running to a meeting), we’re opening up a discussion forum this evening to bounce ideas pre-launch.

    Updates at http://waablog.webanalyticsassociation.com/2009/12/web-analytics-without-borders.html

  108. Child’s Play

    It’s a charity that gives games (any kind of age-appropriate videogame) to children’s hospitals, so the kids have something fun to do while they’re recovering from whatever brought them in.

  109. Hi. I support Kiva – a micro lending group (Timon (below) gives a good description). Also Oxfam (esp because they allow you to donate specific things such as mosquito nets, goats (yes, goats), buckets, water pumps etc).

    cheers
    Neil

  110. USO was a big one for me this year. I still need to get something in for the local food and charity shelters in our area. Lots of people need extra help.

  111. This year I donated to the Sun Youth Organization and Wikipedia Foundation.

  112. I’ve been sponsoring a young girl from Zambia for the past couple years through Children International.

  113. Matt, come on bro. You need to crack down on Mahalo and Squidoo! Just spam, spam spam on every topic with 5 ads blocks running and with google Serps to fill in. Crack down matt, it’s becoming a jokeeeeeeeeee

    They have every incentive to spam you and ruin the experience for everybody. Enough!

  114. I am trying to promote http://www.tinyheartsfoundation.org for a year now which is founded by a group of cardiac surgeons in India to fund the heart surgeries of poor kids whose parents cannot afford the high costs of surgery and are left to die or live with the disease. Even though I am trying my level best to promote this organisation on the web, the donations the charity receives from other sources is more than it receives from the online world. I would certainly appreciate any suggestions for marketing and promoting this charity this chirstmas. Anybody interested to make a direct impact on these kids lives can donate through their donation page on the website.

  115. In my country it not very popular to donate, but i really like and care about wikipedia

  116. Why not be the charity yourself? Check out: http://www.givinganon.org – a non profit that facilitates giving to friends.

  117. I like to give to the SPCA.

  118. Dear Matt!

    I am very happy to share that your information on the blog are really helpful to me. I need your suggestion and help. I want to go the PHD in SEO can you suggest me the best university for doing the PHD in SEO. I am looking forward for your reply.

    You can reply me on my mail id or on my linkedin profile.

    I am from India.

    Regards,
    Vaibhav Pandey
    India, New Delhi. [Noida]

  119. I think that we all should donate to keep our planet healthy! The progress of world warming is really bad perspective for everyone.

  120. Programmes which provide long term benefits in poor countries will probably benefit the most people. Things like digging wells in Africa.

    Medical research also has the potential to benefit a huge number of people – specifically in this area, Cancer Research UK seem to do some amazing research – a huge number of important cancer related discoveries have had some relationship with them.

  121. I haven’t donated to charity in several months, other than to the Salvation Army a few times, and after reading the comments, I might have to check out the Tiny Hearts Foundation thanks to Abhilash Pillai.

  122. Wow, it’s great to see so many people giving. Matt, you have a fantastic community.

    A couple years ago I was introduced to DonorsChoose.org by Google and since then I have given to at least one project there every month. Teachers need all of the help that they can get and I really enjoy the thank you notes from kids.

    Go there and help a teacher with a reading project or science project. The notes from the kids will make you laugh or cry.

  123. My favorite places to donate money are Kiva.org and Child’s Play.

    I tend to donate my time more often, and prefer organizations like WikiMedia, WikiEducator, and local causes like secular soup kitchens and no-kill animal shelters.

    I completely agree that online journalism courses would be amazing, and I think WikiEducator (linked above) is just the place to have them. WikiEducator is an online open education resource wiki run by the Open Education Resource Foundation.

    The other key aspect of this site is that fueled by “open collaboration”. How this applies to open eLearning for journalism is that there is a community and a “governing” body to support your use of the technology, but you run the project, alone or with others. You organize it, you plan it, you provide the elbow grease. Think Kevin Costner.

  124. As I am an animal lover, and specifically a cat lover, I support the several charities that help animals. Especially those for cats.

    I also support my former employer of years ago, who trained me onsite to operate mainframe computers back in the early 70’s and who I know for a fact does wonderful health care and disease research: City of Hope National Medical Center. I’d probably still be there had it not been for a strong desire to move to Lake Tahoe with an offer I couldn’t refuse back in 1979. They tried to get me back but the lake had a stronger pull on me.

  125. Vaibhav Pandey: you need Everest College. Look how successful the guy in the commercial is!

  126. Cool stuff and tremendous mission! A pioneer in the fair trade movement…for over 60 years, Ten Thousand Villages has been establishing long-term buying relationships in places where skilled artisans lack opportunities for stable income. It’s an amazing story. The company has grown from the trunk of founder Edna Ruth Byler’s car to a network of more than 75 retail outlets throughout the US. Ten Thousand Villages sells beautiful, unique handmade gifts, jewelry, home décor, art & sculpture and personal accessories made by disadvantaged artisans in 38 countries throughout Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Sales help pay for food, education, healthcare and housing for artisans. tenthousandvillages.com or look for local store near you…great socially responsible gift store!

  127. Matt,
    decide how much cash you want to give. Ask your family about who really needs help: ‘he needs a car to go to his new job,’ ‘medical bills,’ ‘just had a baby but…’ or friends from the old days and hand it manually. 100% of it goes to the needy and as long as it’s understood it’ a one time deal you a lot more good–directly.

  128. I generally only donate to friends who do ridiculous things for Charity – if it’s a good enough cause for them to do something silly for, then it’s good enough cause for me to give money to!

  129. It is absiloutely nice to hear asking fellow internet users about charity organisations. This is an excellent way of encouraging everyone to support a charitable instituion, no matter what it is, as long is it’s for a good cause. I support the redcross organisation.

  130. I donate to Bharat Sevasram Sangha. They carry of exemplary work in India. Whenever there is a natural disaster or calamity like Aila Cyclone or the Tsunami you will find there, often much ahead of others. I have deep respect for what they do and can heartily recommend them.
    Here is their website:
    http://pi.vu/)q

    Note: I am not affiliated to them in any way.

  131. to prevent today famines with grain donations

    means tomorrow’s wars to promote

    we should donate reason

    and help to the self-help

    but I myself are helpless to show the right people my way to this aim

    After today’s email of Google

    com/intl/de/advertising/holiday2009/

    I believe myself like an ox once more,
    from which a vampire-bat just has tapped richly blood
    and it still for the cooperation thanks
    while flying away
    ignoring my pain

  132. I donate both time and money to my local family shelter/rape crisis center. In addition, I have a monthly auto-deduct to Planned Parenthood USA.

  133. Hi Matt,

    Great question! I’m a little late to the party on this one, so I fear my comment may be forgotten… but anyhow,

    We support Habitat for Humanity – both locally and internationally, and personally and through our blog. We run a Home Improvement site and each Summer we run a series called “Before and After” where we focus on raising awareness for Habitat for Humanity and highlighting other do-it-yourselfer home improvement sites.

    We’re a small, independent site – no employees — just two guys running a hobby, making extra money by providing good information, and working to improve the standard of living in our area and internationally.

    I would encourage everyone to donate to Habitat. Great cause, relatively low administrative costs, and a charity that gets the beneficiaries involved in helping others’ improve their lives too. I love that, and believe they are one of the best organizations on the planet.

    http://www.habitat.org

    Fred

  134. My heart strings are tugged by House Rabbit Society and Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House, two excellent yet overlooked animal rescue groups.

    I also support several women’s rights/issues and environmental groups. 🙂

  135. Trying to find a good one.

  136. I have been donating to Ramakrisha Mission – in India. Still I do reach out some other institutions, also in and around my place I do teach something to needy.

    I feel giving money alone doesn’t help the charity, but also our individual skill contribution too.

  137. I make a donation to AERO (edrev.org) every few months, and that’s the only charity on my list. It’s one of the few educational organizations that is willing to take the risk of exposing when the emperors of educational establishment have no clothes, and it helps people start creative schools all over the world.

  138. Beyond Blue
    The Smith Family

    Both do a great job here in Australia

  139. RE: “I want to go the PHD in SEO”

    You would better off with a PHD in black magic. Both are myths.

  140. I donate to Chabad

  141. charity is so personal, every year a different event, person or act causes us to donate to a new cause. All we can say is how thankful we are that we are able to help others. Matt you write on many important topics in our industry, but to date I like and appreciate this topic best of all. Keep up the good work and thank you for staying focused on what in life is really important, helping those less fortunate… well done!

  142. Nice mentions a topic, Matt.

  143. My wife and I love to give to our church.

  144. Rotary International is a great organization. It offers opportunities to serve worldwide and locally. We also support local groups that feed and care for the poor, elderly, disenfranchised, hungry. CareNet is a group that provides food for families in our community. Whether you give individually, through a service organization, or through your church, there are needs that must be met by individuals. We can’t sit back and wait for someone else to do it.

  145. Instead of donating directly to a charitable organization I help people on a daily basis.Random acts of kindness are to me the best way to help. We are all connected and should help out the weak and the meek whenever we come across them. Your intentions must be right as well. Helping someone with no attachment is the most rewarding experience you can have.

  146. I guess everyone has their own opinions on the most important causes to support. I support the DEC as they help many who suffer from natural disasters.

  147. I’m big on supporting mental health research since it hits me close to home: http://www.nami.org/

    I’m working on a charitable social media site, one day I’ll have the time & money to actually promote it… on hold for the time being though.

  148. I give to the American Red Cross whether or not Bill O’reilly likes them or not. I like the fact they are there when you need them, no matter your race, religion and other BS factors that other organizations have.

  149. This ain’t no sales pitch but I believe a website like http://www.givewell.net/ is a good benchmark to evaluate charities.

    I liked it.

  150. Hey Matt,
    I have become involved more and more with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society since working with a client that had a daughter that suffered with this disease. Luckily she has been in remission for a couple of years now but it definitely opened my eyes to the number of people that are effected every year and the ongoing research that is needed.

    Gary 🙂

  151. This year I donated to two groups:

    1) I donated to Andean Health & Development What the heck is that? AHD builds self sustaining hospitals in Latin America. They are the startup version of Paul Farmer’s group, Partners in Health (read Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder), and the founder of AHD is actually friends with Paul Farmer. I run an internet startup and am close friends with the Director of Business Development for AHD and what they do is very similar from a business perspective, they just raise their funding as a charity. A few years after building a hospital, it becomes fully self sustaining and actually gives back by providing doctor and nurse medical training facilities. I find the group fascinating because while the US is mulling over one of the biggest healthcare debacles in history, it’s often forgotten that there are still so many people in relatively developed countries that die from common injuries incurred in their own back yard because hospitals are a day away and inaccessible.

    2) I have also donated to Wikipedia for the past three years because I believe it’s one of the most important endeavors in human history (perhaps not in it’s current form), but it’s headed in the right direction and has consistently maintained values in accordance with it’s mission. I also use it a dozen times every day.

  152. I have given a donation to Reptile Clan Rescue of Florida, a non-profit organization that rescues various types of reptiles, such as pythons, boas, monitor lizards, iguanas and other reptiles, and adopts them out via PetFinder.com. Their site is at ReptileClan.org.

  153. We give to the Doe Fund and ABC locally. Also Care and the World Wildlife Foundation (Fund? WWF at any rate). I’m going to look into some of the micro-loan options this year as well. Plus, of course, lots to our kid’s school (Public) and organizations that we use like the Met, etc.

  154. Linda – I like your style 🙂

    Animals Asia
    Wildlife Direct

    Plus several other animal, wildlife and conservation related causes.

  155. I have always considered open source as something that we should focus our attention and therefore I believe we should support through financial contributions

  156. St Jude is a great one to sponsor!

  157. We have 2 charities that we support and they are World Bicycle Relief which provides bikes to people in underdeveloped regions so that they can get to work, school and health care. Also, Operation Smile is another wonderful charity where donations provides cleft lip or cleft palate surgery to a child which will change that child’s life forever.

  158. What about something like helping ubuntu out of the box and able to play mp3 files with out having to install the coeds on the default music player ?

    Charlie in Wisconsin

  159. I prefer cancer research and specifically childhood cancers and facilities that help cure children or aid in their treatment and care. After seeing the tragedy of my 7 year old nephew pass away and suffer during experimental treatments I can’t donate anywhere, but towards cancer. It is something both my wife and I strongly support.

  160. Canadian Cancer Society – they helped me so much.

    Battered Women’s Center

  161. We do two types of donations:
    1. Personal
    2. On-behalf of Clients

    Personally we donate to organizations close to our hearts: Compassion International, American Diabetes, Heritage Foundation, XXXChurch

    We then allow our clients to select a percentage of their invoice (up to 5%) and we will MATCH the donation to the charity of their choice, or make the donation on their behalf and invoice them. I am proud of our clients, and our company commitment to give back to the local community and so we encourage our clients to use the matching funds for local food banks, shelters etc but we are open to all bonafide charities.

    I encourage other companies and freelancers to step out on faith and do the same. See how much your clients are willing to give back, and match them step for step and watch the giving grow even more.

  162. http://www.imcharityparty.com – for the giving social events before search conferences

  163. Access to clean water continues to be one of the most significant daily issues affecting large parts of the world, something that everyone reading this blog will simply have ‘on tap’. I love the work of Excellent Development which works closely with villages in Kenya, Africa to develop sustainable solutions to water provision, releasing adults and children from the barely comprehendable task of walking 15 miles each day for water, enabling them to become self-reliant through income generating activities and releasing children to receive education. Water provision is however only part of their holistic approach and you can find out more at http://www.excellentdevelopment.com

  164. I donate to various projects through Adarshmay Mostly health and educational projects including computer training are supported.

  165. It costs $1.00 per month for one child’s education in Pakistan or Afghanistan, a penny to buy a pencil, and a teacher’s salary averages $1.50 per day. And with someone like Greg Mortenson (Three Cups of Tea) at the helm, you know your money is being wisely spent. I just finished his new book, Stones Into Schools. Couldn’t put it down. What could be better, really, than building schools for girls? And all the insights into the Taliban/politics/military presence situation. I kind of ‘get it’ now! Please read it, and support Greg’s non-profit The Central Asia Institute.

  166. International Wolf Center (www.wolf.org), Oregon Public Broadcasting (www.opb.org) & various software authors who provide free, quality software utilities on the web.

  167. There are obviously great national or worldwide charities. It is also very fulfilling to donate to small charity organizations where you get updates on directly who your money is aiding, one for me is Angel Baby Foundation which is run by some good friends of mine.

  168. Kiva – for all the reasons stated above by other Kiva microloaners.

  169. ActionAid(http://www.actionaid.org/) anti-poverty, sponsor a child.

  170. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund has programs that help conserve gorillas and provide assistance to local African communities. I also support Best Friends Animal Society.

    I would never give to one of those Livestock Gifting programs like Heifer International — horrible for the animals and doesn’t do anything meaningful for the local communities. See Don’t follow the herd and give a cow for christmas for some good reason’s why (I have no affiliation with this org or website).

  171. I donated to Save the Children US in Vietnam as they have done a great job here. Thanks

  172. Christian charity: SAM Chernobyl Relief
    Encourage one another and build each other up!

  173. Matt, even though we could not really afford it. There was no other choice after reading the story/website of jaylens challenge.org . The website/blog was created by a 9 year old boy with tourette’s/autism/the works who got picked on a lot in school. He created a non-profit organization that goes around to schools and teaches kids about bullying. They were all over the news here in Tampa. Now Catie Couric, Oprah, and many more influential people have got involved.

  174. Hello, I’m looking for help to spread the word, I need a helping hand, in raising money for a surgery I need. Every amount is accepted no matter how small.
    For more information visitt one of the links below.

    http://myjawsurgery.chipin.com
    http://www.myjawsurgery.webs.com

    Thank you!

  175. Matt,

    January 1, 2009 I made a New Years resolution to give up buying coffee from Tim Horton’s – a large coffee franchise here in Canada – and give the money I would normally spend to the local food bank. I’ve always supported them, but wanted to do something a little more in 2009.

    On December 31, 2009 I added up the entire amount I donated, an amazing $1,284!

    Hope you have a great New Year and good luck with the digital cleanse!

  176. $1300 at Timmy’s = 2 cups of tea and about half a dozen requests to explain to the cashier the difference between tea and coffee per day (you’d think they’d know by now.)

    I don’t even care what charity you gave it to. You spent your money much more wisely than increasing the Tim Hortons bottom line.

    (Yeah, I’m from Toronto. Glad to see there’s someone else in this place who has the sense to boycott those idiots, although your motives are more honourable than mine are…I just hate the place.)

    By the way, have you ever seen them in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania? I always find it funny how the Americans avoid them like the black plague. Smart Americans.

  177. I have always considered o-source as something that we should focus our attention and therefore I believe we should support through financial contributions.

  178. Dear Matt,
    I am an experienced Programme Officer with more than five years working experience with two national charity organizations in Kenya.I have a background of management and fund-raising for community projects which includes;- environment education program,school curriculum/infrastructure development,HIV/Aids awareness,water and sanitation, women empowerment and children protection

    I am in the process of setting up an organization in one of the slums of Nairobi which will be focused on implementing on all of the above mentioned topics at the grassroots level.Therefore,I would like to request for further information on the different international charity organizations that are willing to partner with me in order to improve the lives of the poor and disadvantaged urban population in Nairobi.

    Kindly get back to me with your suggestions or comments through this blog

    Thank you

  179. Haiti’s earthquake is new and have killed thousands; so this is currently on the top of my list. Other than that I would rather give my money to an African or Asian who have nothing to eat than give it to organizations involved in open source software (by the way I have been involved in open source software myself).

  180. I agree with you Alex. There are bombings in Pakistan everyday, for no reason people are dying. People dying in africa of such diseases like malaria coz they don’t have the means to buy tablets for it (they really are that poor). We just go to our doctor and eat 3 tablets and we are OK in 2-3 days and they die of it. I cannot imagine what people are going thru right now in the unfortunate parts of the world. I definitely would first of all give out money to those that cannot survive without our help then think about those that give us free software.

  181. I’d donate to open-source within a blink of an eye. I’ve previously donated to websites supplying free stuff not legally 😉 But donating to open-source I think is like offering prayers.

  182. I’d donate to open-source within a blink of an eye. I’ve previously donated to websites supplying free stuff not legally But donating to open-source I think is like offering prayers.

  183. I have come across many many charitable organizations all doing great things for humanity. Only there are very few that are helping families who have lost a loved one. I think we seem to forget that when someone passes away we don’t necessarily need to help anymore. What happens when a child is lost unexpectedly and there are no funds available to give this child a proper burial? Not only are the families in turmoil over the loss, they now have to deal with money issues. Buried With Dignity is a charity that was founded on this very need. They particularly help families who have lost a child and cannot afford a headstone. This is a new foundation, but definitely one that deserves our attention. If you would like to check them out, visit http://www.buriedwithdignity.org. It would be wonderful if we never needed them but thankfully they are there for those who had a loss in their family.

  184. I support a couple of organizations, but most of it support go to Autism Speaks and Autism Society of America.

  185. There are numerous Charities doing a terrific job around the world.

    I always support Humanity Healing Foundation, a Charity that educates orphans, resettles and empowers the former Internally Displaced Persons of northern Uganda, advocates for the liberty of tortured victims in Africa when their rights are violated, donates grants to the women groups and promotes agrovet in Africa.

  186. I support several charities most of which center around Mentoring for disadvantaged youth.

  187. “I give ~ 50% to state and federal government. I’ll give to charity when that changes.” – it will not change…

  188. I like to support the arts of all sorts. Groups like the Sacramento Symphony and Sacramento Ballet are having a hard time these days. But I also support the Musical Theater, Second Saturday and other visual arts.

  189. We give to make-a-wish

  190. ***Victoria ***

    I am only 12 and i donate to Ronald Mc Donald house, child cancer and Make a Wish.
    Ronald mc Donald house is a big house with families with children with cancer and other sicknesses , they need a lot of help because they support 2500 families a year. it costs $120 a night per family.

  191. I donate to the Ronald Mcdonald House also. It goes to a great cause imo

  192. For the people that are a bit more sophisticated and/or have more they want to give, one may consider a Charitable Gift Annuity. Most people do not realize how they work relative to just donating, but they can be good for you as well as your charity. I personally set one up for the make a wish foundation. Here is a good article on the subject: http://www.ultratrust.com/charitable-gift-annuity.html

  193. I support the boy scouts movement so I make it a point to donate almost every year.

  194. I donate to Shelter, an English charity who provide help for homeless people.

  195. Just to add to this long list Matt :

    http://www.cars4causes.net

    On the website there is an option where you can choose which organization or a particular cause you would like to donate to. I highly recommend this.

  196. Anything to help a good cause deserves the admiration and support from around the world, for in this article I have met many people who I give my most sincere admiration. Sorry for my poor English.

    A greeting and thank you very much

    Manolo

  197. Battered women’s centers – true.

  198. Each year at Christmas time I encourage my in-laws to kindly not purchase us any Christmas gifts for my husband and myself. I prefer that if they choose to spend money that they join us in our charity gift giving ideals. I love World Vision’s give a gift of everything from chickens to cows! We encourage our family to purchase this type of giving gift in our name, and we like to do the same in return as our gift to them.

    It’s important that my young nieces and nephews see and absorb this generosity, and watch our family help families who have much much less, and live in very impoverished areas of the world. As opposed to simply focusing on how many presents they have with their name under the Christmas tree. It’s refreshing, it’s wholesome, and it will bloom them into givers as they grow and have families of their own.

    Elizabeth Urlacher

  199. The Fred Hollows Foundation. Restores the eyesight of people in third world countries for $15 per operation. Priceless!

  200. I donate to various projects but our number one thing we support is autism awareness through Autism Speaks.

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