Season of Giving

In high school, I used to volunteer a lot. Some of my best memories are of working at an after-school program for elementary kids from “tougher” family situations. However, since high school, volunteering has become an after-thought. Part of the reason is time. In an attempt to offset that (and assuage my guilt), I’ve tried to give more to charities. While its not the same, it still helps.

Here’s a list of some cool online charity/donation opportunities that I currently like. If you have some favorites, please put them in the comments. Thanks!

www.goodsearch.com

I wrote about this a couple days ago. This is probably one of the easiest ways to help out a charity given that your probably do a couple web searches a day. Almost no effort or direct donations required.

www.kiva.org

This is a really cool microfinance program to help entrepreneurs in impoverished countries start their business. What I like about this is the idea of providing funds that not only empowers the person you are giving to but also works towards creating something that is sustainable.

www.donorschoose.org

This is a great site because it allows you to your direct your donation to a specific project. I think that we often give money to a charity, assuming that they will distribute it in the best possible way. While that is fine, I think it is also a lazy way of giving. This, at least, forces you to read and think more directly about the project you are funding.

www.one.org (www.joinred.com)

I like this one because it focuses on AIDs and poverty. It’s not really a charity in the sense that you give a direct donation. One.org asks more for your time (either through direct volunteering, e-mailing, petition signing) and joinred.com is more geared towards buying products that donate a portion of their sales to charity.