Good charities or places to help?
The end of the year is approaching. I believe that in the United States, if the letter is postmarked by December 31st, a charitable donation counts as deductible for that tax year. If you’re not aware of them, GuideStar and Charity Navigator are two good places to start.
I think I know what I’m doing charity-wise this year, but readers might enjoy seeing what other people suggest. Does anyone want to mention specific charities? Or mention other things that might not strictly be charities, but might be “good deeds” that readers would be interested in?
Tony Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:02 pm
Not exactly “charity”, but donating to open source software projects, especially for software that you already use, or will use, is a deed to feel good about.
Garry G Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:04 pm
Kudos Matt in bringing up this subject. Here is my favorite, the NFB = Nation Federation of the Blind! Here is a quote that really sums it up “The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information that exist. If a blind person has proper training and opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a physical nuisance” from the NFB Web Site.
Make a New Years resolution to make your site more usable for people with print disabilities and screen readers! (section 508 attributes).
Here is the link to donate http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Make_a_Gift.asp?SnID=363271559
Aaron Shear also has a super cause going here…. http://www.aaronshear.com/blog/ Buy a pixel for charity!
All the best for 2007!
Joe Duck Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:11 pm
Great post Matt:
Googler Adam L introduced me to KIVA.com which is an online way to manage microloans to neat projects - an awesome effort.
NETAID.org is a great United Nations online giving environment for extreme poverty projects, which arguably get you the best ROI on your charity dollar. Lots of information and 100% goes to the projects.
Note that all major denominations have “service committees” or other charity arms. These are a great way to leverage the affluence we enjoy here in the great USA into huge help for those in other countries. I’m not opposed to giving to US charities but you stretch your dollar a lot further when you give to the third world. ROI matters in biz and in charity.
Trisha Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:13 pm
Here’s one: http://halfthesky.org/ - they help kids in orphanages in China.
Kay Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:15 pm
Wikipedia, third time in a row. What’s greater than gifting the world with free knowledge?
Other than that, a Canadian Children Healthcare center where a friend of mine works.
Eric Enge Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:17 pm
For those in the Boston area, the Pine Street Inn is a great charity. They provide food and shelter for the homeless in the Boston area. And cold as it is here at this time of year, this saves lives. Their web site is: http://www.pinestreetinn.org/
Distinct Barry Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:30 pm
Church. Not sure if they have the same ‘charity status’ as we have in Canada though.
John Ross Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:36 pm
If you’re looking to help people in under developed countries, check out Heifer International. (http://www.heifer.org/)
They do something quite unique. Instead of gust giving a sum of money that will be used however the charity wants to - you can buy an animal, and Heifer will give that animal to someone in need.
That person can decide for themselves if they want to sell it, keep it and sell the offspring, or eat it. They’re involved in creating their own solutions.
You can donate rabbits, chickens, pigs, cows, etc. They also have classes to teach agriculture and farm management.
Anyway, its a neat idea, and where my donations will be going to this year (and where it went last year)
Gary R. Hess Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:36 pm
For anyone who doesn’t know, UNICEF is a great organization and one of my favorite to donate to. They help children across the world with vaccinations and food donations along with helping some unfortunates get the schooling every individual deserves the right to obtain.
Jeff Ruley Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:40 pm
I have to recommend the Ronald McDonald House because I’m a direct beneficiary of the great things they do. My daughter who was 3 weeks old at the time had open heart surgery on December 2nd. We have been living at the Ronald McDonald House ever since as we’ve gone through her recovery. They have done an awesome job giving us a place to stay, meals, food activities and they made Christmas one of the most memorable and pleasant for our 3 year old. If nothing else, save your pop can tabs.
Andy Hagans Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 6:44 pm
The Uganda Conflict Action Network is working to end civil war and child soldiering in Northern Uganda through advocacy, grassroots lobbying and awareness efforts, and direct aid.
http://www.ugandacan.org
Judi Sohn Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 7:02 pm
Colorectal cancer is the #2 cause of cancer death in the United States. C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition is working to make a difference through patient advocacy in research, policy and awareness. I lost my father to colon cancer in 1999, and I helped start (and currently work for) C3 because I want to do everything I can to make sure no one else loses someone dear to them to this horrid disease.
http://www.fightcolorectalcancer.org
Grant Jones Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 7:03 pm
I always donate what I can to smaller Animal Shelters as they really do need the money. It doesn’t need to be money either. They love stuff like blankets, cat/dog food, kitty litter, etc. I used to run an animal shelter with my ex, and we ran at a constant loss for years, working 9-5 jobs to support the animals we had rescued. Let’s just say it was hell, but worthwhile! You also learn a lot about people running a charity, as the people with the money to spare (driving up in their imported cars, etc) always try to bargain you down on prices. It was ridiculous as we’d sell every cat and dog at a loss (after we’d have them de-sexed, flea treated, immunised, etc). Worst thing was it always happened, even when we had garage sales to raise funds. We had an old lady who drive up in a $200k+ Bentley argue over the price of a brand new $50 book we had for sale for $1. She wanted it for 50c.
So yeah, if you got a spare few bucks, visit a local animal shelter, and if they look like they need the money, help em out! I imagine most of them go through hell to help out animals in need.
TMS Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 7:16 pm
Legally speaking you are correct about gifts being mailed in 2006, however it is good to remember that hardly any nonprofits record postmarks and that charities will acknowledge gifts using the ‘received date,’ for example “we received your gift of $xxx.xx on January 3, 2007.” Realistically speaking, if the date on your check reads December 31 or earlier and your acknowledgment date is reasonably close an auditor is unlikely to disallow your gift.
New and important for this year, you must be prepared to show fiscal proof of all charitable deductions. http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=164997,00.html
Christopher Penn, Financial Aid Podcast Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 7:31 pm
Scholarships for kids are generally a good, safe, tax deductible choice as well. The Edvisors Foundation is 501(c)(3) accredited and provides educational funding in the Boston area.
http://www.Edvisors.org
Matt Cutts Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 7:31 pm
Good suggestions, and thanks for the clarification, TMS. Tony, I know what you mean about rewarding open-source folks. I was prowling SourceForge earlier today and donating a little bit of money that way.
JLH Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 7:35 pm
One that I am particularly fond if is right in my neighborhood, they provide a great service to families and the sick in need. How the caregivers keep their own spirits up is beyond me when surrounded by such turmoil is beyond me and why I am an engineer, they deserve our respect and any donations of time, money, or aluminum foil you can spare.
If ever there was a circumstance when NOFOLLOW should not be used, this is it: http://www.gift-of-life.org/ or this page http://www.gift-of-life.org/donate.asp
Matt, thanks for this opportunity to present this.
Anne H Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 7:39 pm
Definitely a local twist for people who live or work in San Mateo County, Ca, but the Community Wish List (www.communitywishlist.org) is a website that allows donors to see what various nonprofits need. Each nonprofit can post needed items, both new and old, and folks can search. The site just started several weeks ago. One of the objectives was to make “giving” a year round effort, not just for the holidays.
Craig Ogg Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 7:46 pm
Modest Needs http://www.modestneeds.org/ makes good use of even small donations. The goal is to help people out with that one time crisis that just pushes you over the edge to debt you won’t recover from. Everything is handled transparently, so you can see the stories of the people you are helping. An impressive organization I learned about from Kevin Kelly’s Cool Tools.
Lew Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 8:03 pm
One that I support is the 911 Children’s Fund. The purpose of the Fund is to change the life of children who lost a parent(s) or legal guardian due to the September 11, 2001 terrorist acts, by funding their continued education.
You can read more about it at http://www.911childrensfund.org/
NJ Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 8:21 pm
Have you ever thought about actually paying more tax?
That way, you give elected representatives the ability to spend your money for you, and therefore take away individual decisions and money for useless special interest groups.
IMHO, paying tax is the one of the most charitable things you can do, as it goes toward the well being of your society. Pity you live in the US.
Lani Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 8:24 pm
It’s funny how you posted this tonight. I just got off the phone with a girlfriend and we’ve decided to extend our current Adopt a family or Child for the Holiday Tradition to more extensive volunteering throughout the year. Although I do other volunteer mentor programs for more private organizations, i want to branch out and work with children.
I’m going to look into St Jude’s here in Vegas and the Boys and Girls Club to see how we can do more with children. If anyone has other suggestions for children here in Vegas, please let me know.
SearcH EngineS WeB Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 8:45 pm
A idea was introduced to several Webmasters about
creating a special AdWords accounts and placing the those ads or other official charitable banners on certain pages of their websites or blogs that would not conflict with the product of services they were promoting…then, giving all that income to several charities they were passionate about.
Audrey - The Matt Cutts Makes Me Google Girl Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 8:56 pm
I try to do fund raisers for Newborns In Need whenever I can. Basically, they collect money and donations to be given to new parents who cannot afford the essentials for their newborn. They provide everything from clothes to bottles, bedding, formula and more.
http://www.newbornsinneed.org/
brian thibault Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 8:57 pm
What about the Human Fund?
Abhilash Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 9:02 pm
Without going into too much detail, I once had a totally incredible series of events take place on a day when I received a cross for my charitable contributions to Habitat for Humanity.
They do wonderful work.
giai tri Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 9:34 pm
i agree with Jeff Ruley . the Mc Donal House is good way to donation they all support in right way to right chirdent
Yuri Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 9:54 pm
WWF (an environmental charity fund) seems to be like a good place to donate money. They also have a fund, where you can invest money [they'll invest them in environmental companies] and even expect some return.
Multi-Worded Adam Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 11:12 pm
As out in left field as this sounds (and my suggestions usually are), I’d suggest donating to your local Lions Club.
A lot of the stuff they do is really helpful, and if I recall correctly it’s all volunteer-run so 100% of any donations go directly to the causes and there’s no administration or overhead in terms of staff.
Not sure if it’s tax-deductible, but they do a lot of good stuff.
The other options I would go along with are what Yuri and John Ross suggested, since both have ties to sustainable living; moreso Yuri’s because they’re more directly involved with the environment.
If you really want to be specific, you can donate to The Walden Woods Project, an environmental charity founded by Don Henley.
feedthebot Said,
December 28, 2006 @ 11:30 pm
Hello,
Hurisearch.org got launched this month as was reported on Searchengineland. It is a human rights search engine and I was excited to see how effective it was. I have worked in humanitarian aid for 12 years, I used to be a logistician and one of the fun parts of doing that work was that you could go pretty much anywhere, all over the world for three to six month contracts. It was sorta hard to find all the jobs out there though.
Hurisearch.org has changed that, if any of you are thinking of going around the globe or have a soft spot in your heart, you may enjoy going to that search engine and typing in the query “vacancies” (jobs)
If you do that you will see an astounding list of jobs currently available (like I said three to six month contracts usually) all over the place, some do not require you have prior experience. They fly you to the country you are going to, they feed you, and it is pretty amazing work. Check it out, really. Go for it. http://hurisearch.nidelven-it.no/search/search.jsp?query=vacancies
Harith Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 1:12 am
Matt
Here is a project for 2007. You may wish to install AdSense spot(s) on your blog. Project “AdSense for Charity”. Sometime in December 2007, ask your reader about suggestions for “Good charities or places to help?”.
JohnMu Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 1:19 am
I think Google could be really helpful in getting people to donate even more to good charities. Someone with a dark hat posted http://seoblackhat.com/2006/12/11/spam-o-thon/ — but the idea is not bad at all. Imagine if Google were to collect a list of Adsense-IDs for the larger charities (or any that wanted to sign up and were appropriately registered as a charity).
It would be neat if people could just swap their Adsense-IDs out for a week and automatically have the revenue donated, perhaps even slightly higher than the normal Adsense payout.
Shadow1980 Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 2:27 am
JohnMu - good suggestion.
Though it would be nicer to have an option in Adsense which simply states “please donate x % to charities for period y to z”
Google could swap between a selection of charities to do say 3-10 different charities every month. Such an initiative could really help some struggling charities out there and wouldn’t be restricted to borders.
Michael Weber Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 2:41 am
I will donate to “Give a dog a bone” http://www.gadab.org . They help animals that are held because of legal issues for long time, sometimes over a year.
Paulo Rodrigo Teixeira Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 2:53 am
Excellent idea. Not only for the taxes, but for the opportunity to help others.
Help others is good. Remember that is great!
Maurice Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 5:19 am
try http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com/ oxfam unwraped
Jenny Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 5:21 am
two great ones are
Http://www.heifer.org, which gives animals to people in third world countries, so they can raise and sell them, start a small business, or even just use it for milk and what not.
http://ihugfoundation.org, which, if you didn’t know, kids have to pay for school in Uganda. This organization has a school there where kids go for free.
X-Ride Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 5:31 am
I’m in the process of setting up x-ride.com and it’s basically a friend of mine and I doing a charity bicycle ride (summer 2007), mountain-biking across the Alps (mountains in Europe) - charity yet to be decided (please email any good ideas to info at x-ride dot com).
If anyone knows how to go about getting funding for charity & doing promotion etc., your help is very welcome.
Happy Holidays
joe Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 5:33 am
Money is great but it can’t replace a natural wig for a young child or adult with a long term hair loss issue. Grow your hair and donate it to http://www.locksoflove.org/
Not easy doing this as I am and I can tell you it is tough to grow your hair out long enough to donate. Being a man in business I get lot of “what the” stares but I really dont care as I know a child will be blessed one day but this.
Not taxable gets in the way hard to control takes about 2 years to grow out easy to just quit and get a hair cut but that makes it all the more worthy.
bob rains Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 5:43 am
Last year I had read that Transfatty, Patrick O’Brien, had developed ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and now the Patrick O’Brien Foundation has been started. There are plenty of causes to help, all worthy of support. However, if you’ve been around the design community for long, you know how much Patrick has contributed and how brilliant his work is.
Seeing him slowly drawn into the grip of ALS has humbled me greatly over the past year.
http://www.patrickobrienfoundation.org/
http://www.transfatty.com
Nick Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 6:54 am
Donate $40 for $30:
http://googlecheckout.blogspot.com/2006/12/indulge-in-some-holiday-giving.html
Jhet Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 6:54 am
I donate to locks of love about every year and a half
The company I work for runs an annual golf event in the Chicago area to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The event is usually around August: http://www.ipachipforecharity.com/
P Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 6:57 am
Hey, If you volunteer you donate time instead of money. No overhead and no tax over your donation :-). So if donating money is a good thing to do before the end of the year, volunteering is a good idea for the next year
:-)
On NABUUR.COM you’ll find about 150 projects that are run by online volunteers.
R. Franklin Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 8:01 am
Whatever you donate to, try to focus your efforts on a single or small handful of causes or organizations. Charities spend a disproportionate amount of their resources trying to retain small donors than they do retaining large ones, and that means less money goes to the actual work of the charity.
Giving $20 to a dozen charities instead of $250 to a single one prevents your donation from being well-used, since each charity will likely spend $10 maintaining you as a donor.
Food for thought.
Lyndsay Walker Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 8:34 am
My two favourite charities are my local animal shelter and the CNIB - Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
Thanks for bringing this up Matt.
Charles Stankovich Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 9:02 am
We proudly support the San Diego Center for the Blind and Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Muscular Dystrophy Association http://www.mda.org/
San Diego Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired http://www.sdcb.org/
Kristen Owen Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 9:21 am
I’m doing a few things, but my favorite was buying a [RED] charity shirt from the GAP as my “secret santa” gift for a last minute party. I got the gift, donated to charity, and brought the charity and its work to the attention of the 40+ people at the party. Not bad for a last minute deal!
[RED] aids women and children with HIV/AIDS in Africa. There are a few places selling products and, of course, you can donate online. I asked for a shirt for myself for Christmas, so I guess it was a double donation. Plus it’s a good conversion piece so I’ll get to spread the world each time I wear it.
I also donate to our local animal shelter and Goodwill/Salvation Army stores throughout the year.
Ricardo Sardenberg Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 9:40 am
Hi Matt and all,
World Vision ( http://www.worldvision.org ) does an amazing job with kids in poor countries.
You can help support a child and exchange letters with the kid.
For people that come from other countries, like myself, it allows you to make a direct contribution that will impact a child with a name.
It gives great joy and it does not require the same commitment of a full adoption process.
It makes it much more personal, which is great
Regards,
Ricardo
Andy Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 11:48 am
Compassion International (www.compassion.com) does a great job of providing for physical, medical, and spiritual needs, and through sponsorship you can also get to see tangible, personal results for your giving.
My wife and I sponsor a child, and it’s worth every penny.
Adnan Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 12:20 pm
Here’s one I found.
http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/donate.html
It’s a good forum.
Michael Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 12:32 pm
I love Harith’s AdSense for Charity on your blog, Matt!
My friend and coach Vicky Trabosh was one of the founders of Itafari.org which supports education and rebuilding in Rwanda (including microloans…thx to Joe Duck for mentioning this one, microbanking is changing a lot of lives around the world!).
Michael
Alec McCormack Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 12:51 pm
Hi Matt,
I use my Gmail account for all my business email and I just realised that I would need to update my footers to comply with the new regulations that are coming in regarding business emails in the UK. At the moment you can only have 1000 characters in footers in Gmail - I think lots of people are going to need more - and very, very soon (see link to story below). Is this in the pipeline? I love using Gmail for work and I really, really don’t want to have to switch.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/21/new_web_email_regulation/
Thanks
Alec
star3night Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 12:57 pm
I enjoy supporting organizations geared towards helping local children.
http://www.thebabyfold.org/
http://www.crisis-nursery.org/
Dan Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 1:11 pm
Matt,
I’m wondering whether you can explain the seeming discrepancy between Google Trends and Google Zeitgeist.
Google Trends suggests that myspace was searched for about six times as often as bebo in 2006:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=bebo%2C+myspace&ctab=0&geo=all&date=2006)
While this year’s zeitgeist indicates that bebo tops the list.
http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist2006.html
Thoughts?
Dan.
Chris Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 1:41 pm
I volunteer for a number of worthwhile causes, such as the Junior Achievement Program (http://www.jaeo.org) which aims to foster entrepreneurship and higher education in general among High School Students. My favourite program there is the ‘Company Program’ in which high school students start and run a business for a period of 15 weeks with the help of business mentors (I’m one of them).
The other charity that I find very worthwhile is the Ontario March of Dimes (volunteering & donating): http://www.dimes.on.ca
And because I love skiing, I’m also involved in CADS, the Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing, where I volunteer time to accompany & assist disabled skiers on the hill. It’s truly amazing what they can accomplish… Their Ottawa chapter is at http://www.cads-ncd.ca/, while the umbrella organization is at http://www.disabledskiing.ca/national/eng_home.htm
Happy New Year everyone…
antonio romero Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 1:48 pm
Hi,
I’ll second the recommendation for Kiva– but it’s http://www.kiva.ORG/, not http://www.kiva.com.
Kiva works with non-governmental organizations across the developing world to find small entrepreneurs and arrange micro-loans for them. Loans are listed on kiva.org, individuals in the wealthier world can step up and lend money in $25 increments until a loan need is met… repayment is over the course of 12 months. You don’t get interest but you get your principal back… So far 100% of borrowers have kept their loans current, according to the organization.
Kiva was the subject of a segment on PBS FrontLine World, if you want to know more, see:
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/uganda601/
(Disclosure: I was featured in the episode, briefly, as a lender, though my sweetie got most of the screen time.)
George Favvas Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 2:10 pm
I made a donation to Seeds of Peace (www.seedsofpeace.org), a non-profit which runs leadership and conflict resolution training campts for teenagers from conflict areas.
Your readers may also want to check out Gifter.org, home of the million dollar blog post which is trying to raise $1 million for charity. More info: http://www.favvas.com/2006/12/22/blogging-for-a-good-cause/
Russell Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 2:51 pm
The Humane Society always needs some financial help: http://www.hsus.org/
The Commons is close to reaching thier 2006 goal: http://creativecommons.org/support/
All the best to everyone in 2007
alek Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 2:55 pm
Tons of good charities out there, but I’ll toss in my faovirte one which is the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research. My kids have this, so it’s personal for me.
Over $15,000 raised via various zany fund-raisers with the most notable one being Controllable Christmas Lights for Celiac Disease - where else can you not only view 15,000 Christmas Lights (plus Elmo, Frosty, Santa, and Homer Simpson), but also turn ‘em on and off via the web - D’OH!
You can donate directly to them via links at either URL … and since it is online, you can still make the December 31st deadline.
Matt Cutts Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 3:33 pm
Thanks for the good suggestions, everyone. Trisha, my Mom emailed me to say she likes halfthesky.org too.
Brian M Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 5:50 pm
It isn’t tax deductible (as far as I know) but I’m sure their medical bills are growing and they could use some help…
Remember Marcela? a.k.a. 2_Much…
http://www.greeneyewire.com/help-marcela-aka-2_much/
G-Man Said,
December 29, 2006 @ 10:40 pm
I donate to Operation Blessing as they support local stuff in the US as well as abroad and they have very low operating costs unlike some of the larger charity organizations
G-Man
Gomer Said,
December 30, 2006 @ 8:46 am
http://www.kiva.org/
Ana Said,
December 30, 2006 @ 1:46 pm
Hey Matt,
My favorite charity is the Stephen Lewis Foundation which works with AIDS orphans in Africa. http://stephenlewisfoundation.org/
He was the UN’s special envoy for HIV AIDS in Africa.
Ben Said,
December 30, 2006 @ 7:43 pm
I like Mercy Corps - they’re quite big but they manage to keep fundraising/overhead low and get over 90% of donations to relief and development work.
http://www.mercycorps.org/
Also, +1 on R. Franklin’s advice to try to give more to fewer charities, rather than less to more. This makes a lot of sense to me, and I’m hoping to keep junk mail in check this way as well.
Finally, if you’re looking for some prodding to give and give big, philosopher Peter Singer’s recent article in the NYT Magazine is worth a read. Fun numbers to be had there - e.g., if the top 10% of American taxpayers gave on a sliding scale ranging from 10% at the lowest up to 33% for the top 0.01% of earners, $404 billion could be raised annually.
Danny Said,
December 30, 2006 @ 8:28 pm
I wouldn’t consider this a “charity” per say, but the donation is tax deductable. I give as much as I can to an organization called “Downsize DC” whose purpose is to attempt to stop the growth of government spending here in the US. Our government growth and spending is just out of control, and although it seems like an uphill battle I think these guys have the right idea.
http://www.downsizedc.org/
Andy Benkert Said,
December 30, 2006 @ 11:49 pm
Matt,
Great subject for a post, and lots of great suggestions. Someone already mentioned Habitat for humanity, but I wanted to give em another plug, because I think they do great work, and I would encourage people to get out and do a day or two of work building a house - it is really fun and rewarding work: http://www.habitat.org/.
If you live in the south San Francisco Bay Area, another great group is EHC LifeBuilders. They provide a variety of programs to help homeless people with shelter, clothing, food, and a variety of other services. Here is a link: http://www.ehclifebuilders.org/index.php.
Happy New Year everybody!
Ian Said,
January 3, 2007 @ 5:06 am
If you’re looking to donate to an open-source project that might be detrimental to, um, a certain competitor, you could always to WINE: http://www.winehq.com/
Get DirectX 10 working on WINE and gamers will no longer have to upgrade to Windows Vista!
Throw Pillows Said,
March 16, 2007 @ 9:27 am
Blessings to all good people on this blog.
Henry Said,
April 3, 2007 @ 12:06 pm
There is a saying that if you give $1 to the poor. God will give you $100! I certainly give what I can afford to charity each month because my family went through some hard times and don’t want anyone to go through that.
Randy Tyler Said,
June 1, 2007 @ 3:59 am
Firstly, thank you for your thoughtful post in encouraging people to think about ways of giving.
Since 1998, our charitable organization, Macdonald Youth Services, has been at the forefront involving online volunteers from around the world to assist us in fulfilling our organizational mission. What do these highly-skilled online volunteers do? They perform a range of diverse tasks, such as professional voice overs (eg, for podcasts, PSAs), video editing/production, copywriting, Flash design, software development (Perl and PHP), database development and graphic design (eg, annual reports, posters, brochures) to name just a few tasks.
To learn further information about our leading-edge program, we invite you to visit any of the following:
The New York Times
A November 2006 article in the New York Times included our organization’s work in this area:
http://tinyurl.com/y3ds5u
MYS Online Media Centre
Our online Media Centre includes extensive information about our online volunteer program, such as TV interviews, a list of news sources that have profiled our program, samples of highly-skilled online volunteers’ contributions and a list of international software vendors that have donated their fine software:
http://www.mys.ca/media
“About Online Volunteering” Blog
An additional source of information is our resource for sharing our successes with other non-profits and charities entitled “About Online Volunteering: Information Non-Profits Can Use (which includes an associated podcast). As a way of promoting our organization and concurrently recognize our online volunteers, we have a South Dakota-based (USA) Online Volunteer Audio Producer interviewing our online volunteers which we post as podcacts.
http://www.mys.ca/aov
Podcast Interview with Multimedia Designer
In fact you may be interested in listening to an interview with one of our online volunteers that I issued a news release about this week (which was an interview with Dan Tombs, a self-employed multimedia designer from Saskatchewan). A short excerpt from Dan’s audio interview:
“This is too easy.” said Tombs “… anybody can do this, anybody that’s got … any talent in the graphic arts or video or audio can be a contributor …”, added Tombs.
To listen to John Small’s (as mentioned, John Small, an audio producer from South Dakota, is one of MYS’s highly-skilled online volunteers) Skype to land line interview with Dan Tombs, please download the mp3 file (4.8 MB) from the following URL (or the podcast is available through Apple’s iTunes as well):
http://www.mys.ca/aov/media/MYS_DanTombs.mp3
We are passionate about online volunteerism as we proven that it works.
Regards,
Randy Tyler, Volunteer Co-ordinator/Webmaster
Macdonald Youth Services
http://www.mys.ca/volunter
Winnipeg, Canada
Ph: 1-204-949-4292
E: http://www.mys.ca/cgi-bin/randy_email.cgi
vladimir Said,
June 18, 2007 @ 9:03 am
Hello,
If any body needs web design, i will be happy to assist you.
Thank you
Major Said,
September 19, 2007 @ 7:00 pm
I Like That All People Contribute For A Greater Cause…..
I Think Thats Great….
Denis Canuel Said,
December 20, 2007 @ 11:43 am
Donating your money is something, but you can also donate your time. Mentoring is always very valuable and you have a feeling that you’re getting things done. As the old proverb goes: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
So help in any way you can: help people start their business, help people learn, etc.
DaveN Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 1:28 am
http://www.meningitis-trust.org/
My young son nearly died from this 2 weeks before he was 3rd birthday. It was a life changing experience for me.
DaveN
mr Lhasa Apso Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 5:37 am
Hi Matt
First of all we wish you and yours happy holidays and all the best for 2008 in good health !
I think your veterans needs more attention and financial help in case they are hurt / handicaps during the wars, I was thinking of a charity foundation for these guys would be value
WMR Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 9:24 am
On November 19, 2007 Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh .4 Million people affected. Has left more than 3,000 dead. Check this http://plancanada.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=755&srcid=19 and also Google Cyclone Sidr, they affected people are in great demand of help and support
Susan Hallam Said,
December 22, 2007 @ 1:54 am
For your readers in the UK, Vitalise is a charity providing short break holidays for disabled people and their carers.
Vitalise need donations, but they also need Volunteers to help with folk during the holidays-
http://www.vitalise.org.uk/
Keiron Said,
December 22, 2007 @ 3:34 am
Macmillan Cancer Support - every single time… They really do help!
Keiron
Anuzis Said,
December 23, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
http://www.smiletrain.org - 100% of your donation goes towards programs that help children, 0% will go to overhead. Specifically, donations go to fund free cleft surgery, a true, modern-day medical miracle: it costs as little as $250 and takes as little as 45 minutes.
Linda Harmon Said,
December 24, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
Heifer International (no jokes now) is a great idea. You can give the gift of bees, chickens, livestock along with the training for caring and raising them to people all over the world, for food. Then the cool part of is that they pass it on, once the livestock are established they pass on animals to others in the community. I have four friends and we are saving to give an ‘Ark’ next year. Check it out at http://www.heifer.org. Sorry if this is dup or somebody already mentioned this charity. Happy Holidays. ps. first time poster, long time fan, the i can haz cheeseburger cat thing still makes me laugh.
Anne H Said,
December 27, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
Matt,
here’s a local one for you I didn’t see listed - Charitopia
http://charitopia.org/
It’s more about recycling items than making a financial contribution. It’s affiliated with Stanford.
Apart from that, I’ll second John’s mention of Heifer.
KimG Said,
December 28, 2007 @ 11:27 am
I’ve started with Kiva this year. Pretty cool concept.
I also support the Jimmy Fund and Make-A-Wish Foundation every year.
Another idea at Christmas-time is for people to contact their local Dept of Youth Services. They have a list a mile-long of needy kids who would love to get a new toy and warm winter coat.
Great blog post. I’m getting good ideas here!
Chris Pearson Said,
January 8, 2008 @ 3:46 am
Hi
Happy new year everyone.
My shopping site home and garden gift .co.uk donates some of its profits to
the Warwickshire Air Ambulance http://www.wnaa.co.uk
This year we want to also help
Myton Hospice - http://www.mytonhospice.org/rugby.php
Deezer Said,
January 19, 2008 @ 10:23 am
International Aid is a charity that is highly rated by independent charity rating organizations. http://www.internationalaid.org/