Which charities do you donate to?

Each year I like to ask what charities people are donating to. There’s still a couple days left in 2010, so I wanted to ask readers about their charity or non-profit giving.

I’ll mention the main organizations on my giving list this year:

  • charity: water brings clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
  • The Poynter Institute is a school that trains journalists and would-be journalists, both in person and online.
  • The Committee to Protect Journalists defends press freedom and the rights of journalists to report the news world-wide without fear of harm.
  • MAPLight.org provides tools and data to investigate the influence of money and politics.
  • The Sunlight Foundation focuses on using technology to make government more transparent and accountable.
  • I don’t think I’ve mentioned my Mom’s charity on my blog before, but I did donate money this year to it, so it seems appropriate to mention it. Blessing Hands provides scholarships and other help to students in China. Side-note: in the same way that I don’t accept gifts or free things, if you ever decide to donate any money to Blessing Hands, please don’t tell me; I wouldn’t want a donation to create the appearance of any conflict of interest with my job.
  • The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) defends everyone’s digital and online rights. The EFF has stopped more bad ideas online than I can even count.

Those were the organizations that I ended up giving some money to. Now it’s your turn. What charities would you like to mention, support, or call out?

By the way, I’d still like to find 501(c)(3) organizations with low overhead costs that support open-source software. And I’d still like to find an organization that teaches the basics of journalism online for free. The training could cover the history of journalism, research and fact checking, ethics, legal principles, rights, how to investigate, libel and slander, off the record vs. on background, and so on. Sort of like The Khan Academy, but teaching journalism. If anyone knows of such organizations or non-profits, please leave a comment!

125 Responses to Which charities do you donate to? (Leave a comment)

  1. Share Our Strength is a great organization that is fighting childhood hunger here in the US. Check them out at http://www.Strength.org.

  2. Olive Crest http://www.OliveCrest.org for abused children. KCET/PBS http://www.kcet.org – love them for their children and educational programs! Yellowstone foundation, save our national forests and wolves! Site: http://www.ypf.org

    We also donate to charities that our family is involved in. My cousin works at Project Kindle for children who are affected and effected by HIV. Site: http://www.projectkindle.org/

    My MIL works at National Council on Aging and it’s heartbreaking to hear about how many older people who get no help from family or are alone. Site: http://www.ncoa.org/

  3. River Glen Tiger Shelter Donate every year, since I went down to Arkansas to visit in 1999.

  4. Here’s who I donate to:

    1. Asha for Education – promotes socio-economic change in India through the medium of education. Specifically supports local non-profits who tend to the needs of the underprivileged.

    2. NPR – The last bastion of fair reporting and informative programming. My mornings and workouts won’t be the same without them.

    3. The Humane Society – what can I say, I love animals.

    4. ACLU – as someone wise (Voltaire?) once said, “I may not agree with you, but I will defend to my death your right to say it.” People tend to forget this.

    I am reading Nicholas Kristof’s “Half the Sky” and there are some exemplary organizations listed there that will be included in my next year’s charity donation list.

  5. The best gift I ever received from Google was the ability to donate to Donors Choose. I was able to provide some art supplies to a school. I even added more money from my company.

    The best part was getting a package in the mail a few months later with artwork from the kids.

  6. Matt..I give to the local salvation army here in my city once a month..we collect cloths from the local churches and we try to give back to the community by providing for the people who can’t afford cloths..

  7. Really its a very good thing to donate. if i do then I would like to donate for Poynter Institute. Matt as there are lots of online charity fund organization but how can we believe that they are not frauds. Well you know how many spammers are been working online to makes money in the name of charity. Is their any identity with the originals.

  8. We gave gift cards to charities to our family for Christmas from these places:

    DonorsChoose
    Kiva
    Living Water

    This was inspired from a series we studied in our Sunday School, called Advent Conspiracy. The shocking statistic is that Americans spend about $450 billion on presents, most of which ends up unused. And if we were to forgo just one present, the savings could provide clean drinking water for everyone on Earth.

    I know Living Water is associated w/ that study, but in hindsight, I had a better customer experience with DonorsChoose & Kiva. If water’s your thing (and I agree … hard to do anything else if you don’t have water), then I would suggest either Rob Bell’s water ministry or Matt Damon’s water charity.

  9. I’ve mostly just put my money into Kiva.org but a some of the ones you listed look really interesting. I -really- love The Khan Academy and will see how I can contribute there to start with.

    Thanks for another awesome post. 🙂

  10. Our favorite is the Children’s Hospital in Denver. http://www.thechildrenshospital.org/ We’ve also been really impressed with the work of See Your Impact, http://seeyourimpact.org/

  11. We just set up a donation-matching scheme at Distilled and I chose Cancer Research for my charity this coming year. This year has seen too many friends affected young – I debated between research and care charities, but ended up going with the former.

    Incidentally, I strongly recommend reading this book: http://www.amazon.com/Billionaire-Who-Wasnt-Fortune-Without/dp/1586483919 – I’d send you a copy if you accepted free stuff!

  12. Well, charity: water did get my Google Chrome money this year…I chose them precisely because you highlighted them when you did your mountain climb this year.

    This year, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation got my donations…though I tend to change who I donate do about as often as Google changes its search algorithm :.)

  13. Among others I support BuyThisSatellite. It’s looking for funds to buy a communication satellite of a bankrupt company and provide internet access in countries like Papua New Guinea.

  14. Here are a few of my favorite charities:

    TransForm works to create world-class public transportation and walkable communities in the Bay Area and beyond

    Save the Bay (San Francisco) is the largest regional organization working to protect, restore and celebrate San Francisco Bay. As its leading champion since 1961, Save The Bay protects the Bay from pollution and inappropriate shoreline development, making it cleaner and healthier for people and wildlife.

    World Bicycle Relief is dedicated to providing access to independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles.

    The Hunger Project, featured in the really interesting book The Power of Half. In Africa, Asia and Latin America, The Hunger Project seeks to end hunger and poverty by empowering people to lead lives of self-reliance, meet their own basic needs and build better futures for their children. It carries out its mission through three essential activities: mobilizing village clusters at the grassroots level to build self-reliance, empowering women as key change agents, and forging effective partnerships with local government.

  15. Matt, check out Worldreader (http://www.worldreader.org) — a recently launched non-profit that aims to promote literacy in developing nations using Kindles. Awesome charity, awesome team.

  16. I’ve got three charities I donate to throughout the year:

    Breast Cancer: (We lost Mom in 2000)
    Autism Awareness & Research: My eldest son has autism.
    Cystic Fibrosis: A good friend has had both her children diagnosed. One has passed away.

    I can’t seem to give (or do) enough for these causes. Of course, I make sure to donate to our local food banks and places like the Salvation Army, or Toys For Tots whenever I get around to cleaning out a closet….which, in my humble opinion, isn’t often enough.

    There are times when I’ll think that I can’t afford to give. Then I remind myself that it’s the law of attraction…you give and somehow you’ll always have enough to cover your own needs.

  17. Matt – its not specifically a direct-to non-profit, but GiveForward provides a ridonkulously simple way for anyone to raise money for family, friends and loved ones via their online fundraising platform. Heck you can even raise money for that online tractor you need for your conservation (http://www.giveforward.com/closethetractorgap)

    ** disclaimer – I am fortunate enough to have recently gotten an amazing opportunity working with the team behind GiveForward.com

  18. St. Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth, England who are a cancer hospice charity that operate palliative care for cancer patients.

    Devon Air Ambulance Countywide emergency helicopter service

    RNLI Plymouth – Royal National Lifeboat Institution

    Chestnut Appeal – Cancer centre

    I also help a few charities with website and seo work + many years ago I was a professional DJ in the UK, Norway and San Francisco Bay Area so do give my services free at times. I did this quite often in the Bay Area – hey that’s how I got into SEO – 🙂

    It’s nice to do good things

    Happy New Year everyone

    David

  19. Cancer charities via the London Moonwalk fundraising event.

    Wouldn’t it be great if there were a simple mechanism on Facebook to enable users to easily donate a nominal amount such as 10 pence to worthy causes at the click of a mouse?

    This would enable charities to leverage the vast fan bases of celebrities and organisations.

  20. Welldone, thanks these charities ventures but if your blog can be opened without direct link will be much more super. http://goo.gl/fb/Dbthl short link is non. Also louisegray blog doesn’t open too is chaos on web air. Say hello bay area for me. Much more working please.Thanks bai.

  21. I donate to the public radio stations I listen to: KQED, KPFA and KALW.

    I always participate in my local Christmas adopt-a-family program.

    And then I support anyone I know doing a walk, run, climb or whatever for a good cause. This year, that means I gave to AIDS Lifecycle, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, the American Lung Association, and the Fannie Mae Help the Homeless Walkathon. And I gave to a Doctors Without Borders fund-raising event that local artists were participating in.

    When a friend’s cat died, I donated to the humane society where they had adopted him, in his honor.

    And I gave to Hospice of the Valley in San Jose, because they were very helpful with my mom, a few years ago.

  22. I always donate locally, unless of course there is a major disaster that needs special attention. Happy new years 🙂

  23. Hey Matt,

    In fact you have mentioned your Mom’s charity site on your blog before . She has been doing a great humanitarian work. Power to hear.

  24. Open-source software: I’ve heard that there is this organization called the Free Software Foundation that supports software freedom, although looking at there web site, I don’t see a lot of mentions of “open source.” Might be something to look into. 🙂

  25. Matt i think there are enough ways to get trained in journalism, maybe a charity or non proffit that encourages training in the engineering disciplines would be better or hears a thought there out to be training levies so that and industry actually contributes to training its staff

  26. Hey Matt,

    I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I think it’s great that you are spreading the concept of giving to charities through example, people follow the example of influential people!

    The charities that I support are;

    The RSPCA – Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

    Shelter – A housing and homelessness charity, it’s aim is to assist those who are homeless and also those who are stuck in bad housing conditions.

    Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research – I use my love of running and give my time to raise funds for this charity. Because I have slayed blood cancer myself this charity is very close to my heart! Please check out my High 5 Campaign to raise funds for my next race with the Banana Army.

    Thanks for reminding us of the importance of sharing and for being an example to others.

    Wishing everyone a blessed 2011!

  27. I currently support:

    – Compassion International and World Vision are two great organizations that help alleviate child poverty (both of which I support).

    – Tapestry International – A new LA non-profit that works on a number of issues including human trafficking (http://tapestryinternationalministry.org/)

    – My local church

  28. Boston Food Bank, public TV and radio, my college newspaper!

  29. With the economy being the way that it is, millions of pets are being abandoned or left out in the cold because people cannot afford to feed or house them. The numbers on homeless pets are skyrocketing. There’s a lot of organizations that help. Locally, our Meals on Wheels program is now accepting pet food donations for seniors and the handicapped. We also give unused office supplies to our local humane society and try to volunteer our time when we can.

  30. Our son Jake (10months) has been sick the last couple of days. It was simple tummy bug/flu but left us thinking how parents with seriously I’ll children cope so I think that any organisation which helps children with illnesses gets my vote.

  31. How can you omit Kiva.org? It is a great charity organization, it influences plenty of lives worldwide.

  32. I donate most of my time and energy & $$ to the Pixel Project. Working to end Domestic Violence, all Violence Against Women.

    I also donate my time and energy & $$ to YEA! Inc. We help youth achieve success, raise awareness of suicide and teach youth about how to get a job, be a responsible member of society and give them a sense of self esteem. Youth is the most endangered group of people in the USA right now in my opinion.

    Both are close to my heart and worthy of my $$ and time and energy…

    Many other charities are deserving of attention too, however, these already have cures, working to get them to be used so we can focus on stuff that needs to be cured…

    Here is to giving from the heart and thank you for asking Matt. I love your discussions….

  33. I’m a bay area transplant that is now working in downtown Las Vegas (live in Henderson, NV) and there are many, many unemployed and homeless people here in downtown (only a couple blocks from the seemingly affluent strip).

    I’ve bought a dozen sandwiches, a dozen cups of coffee and paid for quite a few bus rides (I believe in taking care of the locals 🙂 I’m also a great tipper (whether I take a cab or buy something to eat at the local eatery I ALWAYS tip way more than I should, but it’s always appreciated) My daughter works at the new Cosmopolitan hotel and casino on the strip and I know that she counts on those tips to make ends meet as do all the moms and dads who are having to serve or wait tables just to put food on the table.

    I’m going to donate to EFF this year. I was working a PloneCMS booth next to them at Open Source World a couple years ago and was highly impressed, I keep meaning to donate.

  34. Kiva is my favorite. I also like Partners In Health, which does a lot of work to help Haiti.

  35. I try to give to organizations that help children regardless where they live. Specifically these two World Vision
    Samaritan’s Purse

  36. Matt,

    I appreciate your asking everyone. I usually give money each year to a list of local non-profits and a few others. A favorite is http://www.byteback.org that who teaches the unemployed and underemployed computer skills; Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena http://www.fdia.org teaches youth to ice skate; also http://www.PathwaysToHousing.org to help get people off the streets; http://www.MiriamsKitchen.org provides homemade meals and comprehensive case management to homeless men and women in Washington, DC; and Care to Help caretohelp.org, an amazingly well run program to provide wells, water, and education the minority hill tribe people of Central Vietnam.

    -Frank

  37. Hi Matt –

    Have you heard of the Friendship Circle? Amazing programs for Special-Needs Children… staffed by teenage volunteers. Enriches lives for both sets of families.

    85 locations, worldwide.

  38. I am a huge fan of helping the mentally disabled so I like the work that NACSPED is doing… website looks like its still under some construction..

  39. My favorite charity has always been Meals on Wheels in New York: http://www.citymeals.org/ Their TV commercials always used to get me right in the sympathy bone. Elderly people, usually living alone, barely getting by on social security, some with not enough to eat. The Meals folks come by with fresh food for them and spend a little time making them feel important and cared for. A great cause.

  40. I have a soft spot for kids and animals. I donate to the following organizations.

    Best Friends Animal Sancuary http://www.bestfriends.org they took in 22 of the worst behaved Michael Vick dogs.
    The ASPCA

    I recently sponsored a child through World Vision, they make it very easy with a monthly deduction and nice website to logon and get records etc.

    I also like to buy ton of pet food at the local pet food store and bring it to a local food shelf. Many of the families there have pets also in need of quality food.

    Great idea for a post. Nice to see what others are doing as well.

  41. Not really any of above, however I’d donate for wikileaks, I think that was leak somewhere between Visa and Master card 🙂 :D, Will see your recommendation also in day to come.

    I have a personal question will ask you through twitter, that will be better right??

    thank you

  42. I sponsor the design and hosting for the Northland Land Search And Rescue website. When someone gets lost in the bush or falls down a cliff, these guys go out there any time day or night and bring them home. They’re all volunteers and rely on the support of the local community to fund their training and equipment.

  43. I donate time to Heroes Night Out.

    I don’t donate money seeing as my bills barely get paid. Sure, I do XHTML/CSS/PHP/XML data feeds for Webmaster Tools and Merchant Center. Sure, I can do everything in that business except run the accounting office. A guy learns a lot in years on the job. Last time I looked, the burger joint down the street is starting their new hires for a dollar more an hour.

    Maybe when I start getting paid what I’m worth….

  44. 1. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Two of a friend’s four children have JD. Raising my two kids is hard enough, I don’t know how she can raise four, and then when you add in the JD… You should also know that she can only leave her kids with adults who have been trained in how to monitor their blood sugars and give insulin injections. That just eliminated 99.9% of babysitters. I give to JDRF hoping that they will find a cure, or at least find ways to make her life easier.

    2. The Water Project I think they are probably like Charity: Water. Life requires clean, safe water.

    3. Mission Creek Alliance Church I know it’s old fashioned to give to churches but this church is pretty active in my local community and a significant portion of what I give them is in turn used to finance local ministries as well as missions around the world.

  45. My favorite charity is the Fistula Foundation, which provides medical services for women in developing countries who have been injured during labor. Fistulas are virtually unknown in countries with adequate medical facilities, but they’re absolutely devastating to huge numbers of young women around the world. Nicholas Kristof wrote a heart-rending column about fistulas in 2007, which introduced the Fistula Foundation to a wider audience. They’ve since expanded their work, but it’s still a drop in the bucket compared to the need. You can cover the cost of one woman’s surgery and know you’ve profoundly impacted the rest of her life. It’s a great way to honor anyone you’ve ever known who’s had a difficult labor.

  46. Great ideas from your readers, Matt!

    Some of the charities we have supported in the last few years:

    The Global Women’s Leadership Network’s Women Leaders for the World program (http://www.scu.edu/business/gwln/programs/women-leaders-world.cfm) – based in Silicon Valley, a leadership development program for women from around the world that teaches women how to scale up their visions and the impact of their organizations (many of them non-profits).

    Global Fund for Women (www.globalfundforwomen.org) – funding grassroots movements around the world aimed at ending gender-based violence, educating girls, and increasing economic security of women.

    Room to Read (www.roomtoread.org) – creating libraries for kids in communities that don’t have them, creating children’s books in native languages, and educating girls.

    Free the Children (www.freethechildren.org) – kids making a difference for other kids

    The National Brain Tumor Foundation (www.nbtf.org) – my husband is a 13-year brain tumor survivor.

  47. I donate to a number of animal and environmental charities, the main one being the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust which rescues and rehabilitates orphaned baby elephants in Kenya. They are a wonderful group doing amazing work for elephants which are suffering at the hands of poachers for their tusks.

  48. I only donate to secular charities and Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières is probably my favourite charity. Others I donate to are United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Amnesty International, Kiva.org, and Oxfam.

  49. This year I donated to kickstart.org, which provides know-how to found businesses delivering hand-powered water pumps to farmers in Africa. Higher rural incomes lift many out of poverty, and create the web of businesses needed for real development progress.

  50. Grameen foundation is the best charity.
    Passive House DC

  51. I am a member of Rotary International and most of my donations goes to the Rotary Foundation but also I donate when ever I feel real need… like last time I donated cash to kids that were selling me newspaper subscription trying to earn money for collage.

  52. I donate to Intact America (www.IntactAmerica.org). “Intact America works to protect babies and children from circumcision and all other forms of medically unnecessary genital alteration.” The IA board is matching all donations one-for-one through midnight on Dec 31. Definitely worth checking out.

  53. Personally, I find that doing charity directly is much more rewarding and refreshing. I mean I could understand all the benefits of organized charity: organization, coordinated efforts, long term planning, focused and goal oriented, etc.

    Direct charity makes me feel more human.

  54. Here is a list of organizations that is i either contributed this year or
    which are in my giving list for 2011
    An organization with extremely low low overhead costs and a great cause (i.e
    provide interest free microfinance services to poor families)i personally
    believe its effects could be far reaching then Grameen Bank
    Akhuwat

    The Largest Cancer Hospital in Pakistan treating over 70% of its patients
    absolutly free.

    Shaukat
    Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital

    A number of Local and international charities supporting the 7 million people
    affected by floods in Pakistan
    Oxfam

    UNHCR

    Eidhi Foundation

    Sahara Life Trust

  55. This year I’ve made several contributions to the Joe Foss organization. They dedicated their time in promoting & teaching patriotism to students all throughout the nation. They bring veterans into classrooms and have them discuss about their experiences. It’s captivating to see the look of the student’s faces after a class.

  56. My local church, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, The Salvation Army, the USO, and the Nashville Rescue Mission.

  57. You might be interested to learn that https://sites.google.com/a/blessing-hands.org/blessing-hands/ is blocked from China when I try (because sites.google.com is blocked).

  58. This year at Kyero we’ve decided to let each member of staff nominate their preferred charity which we donate to each quarter – http://blog.kyero.com/2010/10/06/kyero-supports-disability-action/

    These worthwhile causes have either been donated to already or will be in the coming months:

    Cancer Research
    Disability Action
    MacMillan Cancer Support
    NSPCC
    Oxfam
    Red Cross
    RSPCA
    The Stroke Association
    Walk the Walk
    Womens Aid
    Médecins Sans Frontièrs
    Disability Action

  59. Philipp Lenssen

    You may wish to try this other URL of Blessing Hands http://www.blessing-hands.org/

    I hope this helps.

  60. Among other causes, I’ve been happy to give to the Alexander Devine Children’s hospice, after a couple of my friends completed an epic Mario-themed charity campaign. [Shameless plug, linked!]

  61. Matt:

    Thanks for giving a shout out to charity:water. Jason Thompson, a colleague of mine, is running a charity:water challenge for his birthday:

    http://bit.ly/JasonInATutu

    Yes, that link leads to charity:water and yes, it is safe for work. Although there is a humorous picture of Jason on the splash page . . .

    Another worthwhile cause, though run through the UN, is the Nothing buy Nets campaign:

    Nothing But Nets

    Donating to fight malaria doesn’t have the cache of fighting other communicable diseases, but it is a huge killer in Africa still and a small donation can really help people out.

    Regards,

    Michael D. Healy

  62. Donate to http://www.citizen.org/litigation They help protect your rights including Internet free speech.

    Happy Holidays!

  63. Our family gives more than 10% of our gross pay to our local church every time we get paid. This then gets distributed to the needy in our community, the foster families we support, feeding the homeless, reaching people in prison with a message of hope for tomorrow, and so much more. Think, if we all donated at least 10% of our income what a great place this world would be. We also give to http://www.worldvision.org/ and http://www.compassion.com/.

  64. Way back when I was in college, I started a local chapter of a club called SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise).
    In a nutshell we do community service projects with a focus on entrepreneurial development.

    From teaching euntreprenuers SEO and social media marketing in the Bronx, teaching abandoned wives in Bangladesh how to start businesses and fend for themselves to teach low income families the basics of budgeting and saving and investing.

    Monroe College SIFE
    The SIFE Organization

    I graduated years ago but I still stay involved and help mentor the students.

  65. http://www.worldvision.org in Costa Rica… But usually we rather do direct donations to people in need cause most charities (not all of course) spend too much donated money in advertising…

  66. Sorry here is the link to sife ww.sife.org

  67. I really love the work that bicycle collectives do around the country…. http://www.slcbikecollective.org/ is on the top of my time and money list.

    Our ability to get kids and adults alike on bicycles, regardless of whether or not you have money is a huge deal and I feel that cycles are going to really be important as this oxygenated planted needs just that, oxygen.

    Great comments, everyone – N

    (Full disclosure: I am on the Board of directors, but… it’s 501(c)(3), so I make no “gains” on seeing it get more money. I/we simply get ability to get more bicycles on the roads!)

  68. Every year, my daughter and I donate to foundations helping children. This year our fund went to a local Frankfurt/Germany organization that eases the life of children with cancer.
    http://www.hilfe-fuer-krebskranke-kinder.de/
    Regards, Thomas

  69. A really worthy cause is Gallant Few, a non-profit organization that helps veterans make a successful transition back to civilian life http://www.gallantfew.org/

  70. Every year end, I give to a local chapter of Bread for the Journey, in Kalamazoo — it’s extremely local, very open to progressive concepts, and has virtually zero overhead. Here are some examples of Bread for the Journey projects in Michigan. There are at least ten Bread for the Journey chapters there in California, and many others nationwide.

    I also contribute annually to the Endowment Fund of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (I was a Founder and Board President years ago). Since we established the fund within the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, up to $200 per person per year is eligible for a Michigan state tax credit. After Federal and State deductions, a $200 gift costs me less than $70! Crazy!

    I also tend to fire off a check any time of year when I see news about animal rescue groups providing rehab or legal support for animals. Over the years, I’ve donated both money and land rights to The Nature Conservancy, which does awesome work all over the world. Happy New Year 😉

  71. I donate to Greenpeace and to Fundacion Sales (Cancer)

  72. Vanessa’s Big Heart Foundation which raises money for childhood heart disease.

  73. At the risk of sounding very unpopular, I don’t donate to charities at all anymore. Having built several sites for not-for-profits (at a deep discount each time that was always expected but never appreciated), I have seen several examples of administrative waste, vested interests, and just an overall level of financial mismanagement that should be illegal if it isn’t. It’s not that I’m not compassionate; I just don’t see the need to line the pockets of third parties when I help someone. I’d rather give directly to someone and not get a tax receipt than contribute to corruption.

  74. The Development and Engagement Initiative in Asia (DEI in Asia) has been working to develop specialized counseling programs for university students in China and other badly needed student services programs to offer hope, support and a new perspective on life for thousands of Chinese young adults who are lost and breaking down under the extreme pressures of society.

    We’ve been also working to raise awareness about and develop support programs for sexual assault, harassment, stalking and relationship violence at China’s top college campuses. If you’ve ever known a Chinese student or seen the pressure that China’s young people go through, you know how bad the situation is and how little is being done to raise awareness and provide help to those in need. And if you know anyone who’s ever been a victim of relationship violence, sexual assault, etc., imagine a society that denies such problems even exist. We’re working hard to change this. Your support is greatly appreciated!

    DEI in Asia’s annual progress letter

    Thanks and God bless!

  75. Food For The Poor is the third-largest international relief and development charity in the United States, feeding 2 million people every day. Our programs and projects are helping children and the poorest of the poor by providing food, housing, health care, education and emergency relief assistance in the Caribbean and Latin America.

  76. Hey MWA

    Long time no comments from your good friend Dave (Original). How come? 🙂

  77. My family supports Compassion International. http://www.compassion.com/ We give monthly and help children who are hungry and need clothing and food.

  78. At this point I donate to Kiva.org when it comes to global work and 2 small local charities. Oh and I donate blood on regular basis :)))

  79. Have to donate to vision2016.org.in Your smile is still a donation.

  80. I support WorldVision and have via WorldVision a foster-child in Senegal

  81. I support Stepping Stones For Women (http://www.ssfw.org) both financially and with my time by providing computer support. Their mission statement is:

    Stepping Stones for Women is a residential and supportive services program for single mothers and their children so that they can become physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually healthy . . . one step at a time!

  82. 1. Wikipedia
    2. WNYC (NPR affiliate in New York)
    3. Humane Society of New York City
    4. American Classical Orchestra (based in New York)

  83. We support a few worthy charities, but the primary one is Autism Speaks (http://www.autismspeaks.org). They do an excellent job providing support to families with special-needs children, lobbying for insurance reform, and funding research.

  84. Between my husband and I, we donate to the following
    charities every year.

    Our Local Food Pantry
    Local Fundraisers (Medical, Housing, etc.)
    Local Police & Fire Department
    Church Missions (Nothing but Nets – 2010)
    Lions Club
    Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts
    Disabled American Veterans
    Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
    Humane Society
    Salvation Army
    American Red Cross

  85. Marshall Simmonds

    Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
    http://www.ocrf.org/
    Great strides in combating a disease that just barely beat my mother last year.

    St Jude Children’s Research Hospital
    http://www.stjude.org
    If you have kids, this makes all the sense in the world.

    Happy 2011!
    -Marshall

  86. Children’s Book Project in San Francisco, http://www.childrensbookproject.org/, helps build literacy by providing free, new and gently used books to children who need them. Especially helpful to elementary schools and ESL programs in this time of severe budget cutbacks.

  87. -Kiva.org is an amazing movement. Salesforce Foundation
    -salesforcefoundation.org (501c3 Org’s with few restrictions can apply for free Salesforce services.)
    -Special Olympics

    The fact is there are lots of great organizations, projects, and charities people can help with. Give. Give your energy & other resources , and better yet it is great to give quietly. Give to make those around you better, your community, your country, and your world a better place.

  88. http://BigCatHabitat.org – we made the site for them for free, update and maintain it for free and try to support them in anyway we can. Look for the tiger Tony. He is my favorite!

  89. I donate to http://www.thea21campaign.org against human trafficking.

  90. Matt,

    Thanks for thinking of inviting everyone to post their favorite charities.

    I’ve always supported The Surfrider Foundation which acts to protect our oceans, waves & beaches for the enjoyment of all. Their efforts include Conservation, Activism, Research and Education.

    Happy New Year to All!

  91. We recently started supporting Kiva.org because we feel that as new entrepreneurs any organization that helps other entrepreneurs is good for everyone. If people are busy building a business then crime, war, hate, making bad movies and all that junk should be dramatically reduced (there have been a lot of bad movies coming out recently…something needs to be done). Happy New Year to all.

  92. Here are three that I recommend, one is global so almost everyone can participate, one is half the U.S. so many can, the other is local, but there is plenty of similar need everywhere. I like to focus on helping others get on their feet and be in a position to help others later on. People were there when I needed it, I want to keep it going.

    1. Kiva I really believe in the “teach a man to fish” idea. You can definitely see the value of a gift that keeps giving.
    2. Children’s Learning Centers- With 55 active Learning Centers in 15 states, the Children’s Learning Centers tackle the challenge of dyslexia head-on, both by providing free tutoring for children with dyslexia and by training a growing cadre of highly skilled and dedicated tutors.
    3. Libertae- Residential treatment program helping recovering women reclaim their lives and their families through therapy, community living and development of a support network.

  93. Food is a basic need: Feeding America and
    Oxfam

    We also donate to social services safety net organizations like Headquarters in Kansas or in Washington. There are agencies like these around the world.

  94. Food is a basic need: Feeding America and Oxfam

    We also donate to social services safety net organizations like Headquarters in Kansas or Assistance League in Washington. There are agencies like these around the world.

  95. I wholeheartedly recommend the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

    MS is such a debilitating disease. It’s great that there is such a strong advocacy arm for the affected patients.

  96. AICR (cancer research), WWF and Red Cross.

  97. My choice is UNICEF plus a local organization helping people with special needs.

  98. Kiva.org is the one for me

  99. This year I donated to .
    Real Change is a non-profit that empowers homeless and low income men and women. They have a speakers panel, a newspaper about social issues that is written and printed by employees and volunteers, plus compassionate advocacy.

    http://www.realchangenews.org/

    They offer low income and homeless people the opportunity to buy newspapers for .35 and sell them for $1. This does more than provide people with the opportunity to put money in their pockets; it enables them to interact on a human level with other people. Not only that, but the newspaper is good. You can read it online. That’s what I do. An org like Real Change is great because they’re providing solutions. A solution based company is where it’s at.

    Also, I gave to the ACLU. They had a matching fund. My $5 turned into $10. It’s not much, but it’s something. The great thing about them is that they protect us all. Rather than giving to “my favorite charity” I think that the ACLU has the all of our civil liberties in mind.

  100. CaringBridge.org provides free websites to help keep loved ones informed during a significant health challenge, like cancer, serious injuries or birth complications. More than 50,000 families shared their health journey on CaringBridge in 2010. My family has benefited from the connection a CaringBridge website provides during difficult times – it’s a one-of-a-kind service!

  101. do not actually donate but lend money using kiva.org

  102. @Ajay – I really like this idea, Kiva is great.

    For me it would have to be the NSPCC (http://www.nspcc.org.uk/)

  103. I love wildlife, and feel with all the hardship we place on indigenous animals by encroaching on their space, and injuries we cause to them with cars and other means is unfortunate.

    I donate time and money to Critter Care Wildlife Society

    They rescue injured and orphaned mammals in British Columbia Canada

  104. Some charities/non-profits I like:

    Heifer: Besides gifting livestock, they also teach animal husbandry, and encourage the recipients to donate offspring to others in the community.

    ACCION International: One of the better microfinance charities out there.

    EARN: Encourages savings and financial literacy, and it does a lot of good work in San Francisco.

    San Francisco Food Bank: I also volunteered there, they’re a very well run organization and they do a lot of good in the community.

    Wikimedia: I use Wikipedia every day.

    KQED: My favorite radio station.

    Friends of the Urban Forest: Greening San Francisco one tree at a time.

    The Nature Conservancy: Protect land around the world.

  105. Great post Matt !

    I’m a big fan of Room to Read and Grameen Bank. Room to Read funds literacy projects in poor countries – http://www.RoomtoRead.org Grameen is the group that basically invented the concept of Microloans, which help fund small businesses in the neediest parts of the world.

    The great things about charities like these and some others mentioned here is the huge ROI on the charity spend. If you donate, say, $100 to a University or Hospital in the USA the benefit is hardly measurable, yet that same $100 will *save lives* in the developing world.

  106. I actually dedicated a wordpress blog to keep active with giving back to the community and share great resources to help. charity: water is one of the newest ones that I found out about but the ASPCA and many local charities are that are here in Arizona.

  107. For their youth intervention: http://cafegraffiti.net/
    For their prevention text: http://www.journaldelarue.com/

  108. One more vote for KIVA.org. A great organization. Recently, I also discovered Vittana, which gives educational loans to the poor. I think that’s another great way to really enable the communities to help themselves. Thanks for asking this.

  109. One Laptop Per Child is worth a mention!

    OLPC’s mission is to create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children, by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop. To this end, we have designed hardware, content and software for collaborative, joyful, and self-empowered learning. With access to this type of tool, children are engaged in their own education, and learn, share, and create together. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future.

  110. I am very taken by the Haitian Relief Organization J/P HRO founded by actor Sean Penn. They instantly took action when the earthquake hit. They work tirelessly on improving the situation.

    When the Cholera hit they again took massive action and saved thousands of lives. I particularly like how flexible they are and that the money devoted to them does get spend for what it was intended to be. It is an organization that carries trust.

  111. Hi Matt

    I dont donate money to any charity but am inspired by a spiritual organization Dera Sacha Sauda. This organization is based in India.

    They dont take any donations (in any form), directly or indirectly.
    But they work a lot for the welfare of human beings.
    As per them, they do 60 Human-Welfare Activities such as providing study to poor,Leprosy Ashram,donating eyes to blind,free education etc.

    Their followers have even started marrying prostitutes when their Spiritual Master Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan asked his followers to do so. As per him, prostitution should be eradicated from society and girls trapped in this profession should be freed.

    You can visit more about this organization at http://derasachasauda.org

  112. I personally believe that if a person is going to contribute to a charity it is important to know who is receiving the money and how those funds are used. Once you submit a payment it is too late. Do your due diligence and familiarize yourself with the history of a particular charity. Who wants to be scammed and allow someone to profit off a person’s hard earned cash and find out later it has accomplished no good results. Life is too short, make it count.

  113. Like @Ajay, I lend money through Kiva.org. I also donate to (team of) developers who made my life easier with their innovation and hours of hardwork such as Colemak keyboard layout, WinSplit Revolution for Win XP, etc.

  114. My favourite charity is the Hollows Foundaton. They restore sight to those blinded by preventable disease. Not give a man a fish or teach a man to fish, but let him see the fish! Hollows Foundation

  115. I have been volunteering for the last 8 years for Camp Footprints which is an amazing charity that provides the opportunity for kids of physical, mental and socio-economical disadvantages to enjoy an incredible summer camp experience.

    I wouldn’t expect everyone to donate but please visit the website and give Camp the opportunity to share the story of camp and some of the kids who attend.

    Thank you,
    Tom

  116. Operation Smile http://www.operationsmile.org/
    My daughter was born with a form of cleft palate….very minor things on her end. Her lip was attached to her gum. But also her front palate never formed bone properly for her permanent front teeth, so it’s been implants and bridges….she’s 21 and we’re still not completely done. It’s been all this time….and thousands of thousand of dollars. So this organization helps children around the world with the basic surgery….and a new outlook.

  117. Hi Matt.
    My name is Cristi Hegranes. I am the founder of The Global Press Institute — an international organization that provides journalism training and employment for women throughout the developing world. GPI has created a host of unique training curricula that focus both on the principles and the practice of journalism as well as specialty reporting seminars to improve coverage on issues like HIV/AIDS, climate change, gender justice, community development, entrepreneurship, arts & literature etc.

    GPI offers our training materials for free to organizations throughout the world. The core of our program lies in providng economic empowerment for the women we train and employ, increasing access to information and provoking social change in the communities where we work, and increasing global awareness on important international issues for a worldwide audience. The basis of our mission is that news from mainstream/foreign correspondents often lacks context and accuracy. By training local women we are utilizing their unique source access and strong social, political, historical and cultural context to create exceptional journalism.

    You can read the news we produce here: http://www.globalpressinstitute.org

    Thanks for all you are doing!
    Cristi

  118. Hi Matt

    I dont donate money to any charity but am inspired by a spiritual organization Dera Sacha Sauda. This organization is based in India.

    They dont take any donations (in any form), directly or indirectly.
    But they work a lot for the welfare of human beings.
    As per them, they do 60 Human-Welfare Activities such as providing study to poor,Leprosy Ashram,donating eyes to blind,free education etc.

    Their followers have even started marrying prostitutes when their Spiritual Master Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan asked his followers to do so. As per him, prostitution should be eradicated from society and girls trapped in this profession should be freed.

    You can visit more about this organization at http://derasachasauda.org

    ATUL

  119. There’s two charities that I support that mean a lot to me. The first is the Polaris Project which is one of the leading organisations in the US working to combat all forms of human trafficking. They estimate that 12.3 million men, women and children around the World are trafficked for commercial sex or forced labour. Having three children of my own, I’m horrified by the thought that someone could take a child like mine and treat them in such a disgusting way, and that’s why I donate to this organisation.

    The other organisation is KIVA – not actually donations as such, you just loan the money – they are an amazing non profit organisation that connects people who are willing to loan money from just $25 to give other people around the world the opportunity to better themselves, start their own business, get an education and so on.

    Finally .. (sorry one more!) Good gifts really deserve a mention – okay, again not strictly donating but they let people buy presents that really help other people around the world. For example, for £25, 10 babies can be born safely because you´ve supplied access to a midwife. The gifts start at around £5. I’ve bought lots of these and encourage people to buy them for me rather than getting me presents which is a nice way of giving to charity even when you don’t have any money!

  120. Hi Matt,

    Thanks for the blog post. I’ve recently started working with a start-up nonprofit called Jolkona Foundation. They’re based in Seattle but support projects all over the world. They focus on high-impact, low cost donations to show that you don’t have to be a gazzilionaire to start giving back (awesome idea). Example, put a woman in Afghanistan through a year of school for $40.

    They’re even implementing widgets and tools that people can incorporate into their personal sites and blogs for individual projects – seems to be the wave of future donations/charities!

  121. It is exactly what i am searching for through the internet. sO A BUNDLE of thanks for sharing it here, as it is quite sufficient for my research work. Keep sharing more.

  122. Wounded Warrior and me and my wife sponsor a child overseas.

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