Giving for Good

For the holiday gift-giving season and New Year’s resolutions consider what these sites have to offer people looking to get involved and give something back.

Network for Good offers in one place the opportunity for you to donate to the over 1 million US charities that are online. You can also search for volunteer opportunities that match your interests and geographic location, or by selected organizations.

Changing the Present is a site where you can do more than select a nonprofit to support; you can choose exactly what you want to accomplish. For just a few dollars, you can protect an acre of the rainforest or fund an hour of a cancer researcher's time. You can provide a child with a first book, an AIDS patient with life-saving drugs or a hungry family with a nourishing meal.

The idea goes beyond a ‘share of your wallet’ fund-raising site and takes the position that your family and friends don't really want another fruitcake, picture frame, or pen & pencil set. After all, there comes a point where most of us prefer more meaning in our lives, rather than more stuff. What better way to honor the people we care for than doing something to make the world a better place, in their names. Our wish lists and registries ensure you'll get just what they want. We'll even send a personalized greeting card to let them know how thoughtful you are.

For a more personal giving experience, Nabuur is a platform where communities in developing countries that need assistance can engage committed people who live elsewhere and wish to help. It all starts when a local community applies for assistance from the site. Visitors to the site are recruited to become an online volunteer ('Neighbour') for these projects.

Passion and the desire to help are the requisites for Neighbours, not necessarily expertise (though I think most you qualify in that category as well). Some of the projects that are looking for help include a music and dance campaign to raise awareness around physical disabilities and build a vocational training center in Ghana, a health awareness campaign in India, setting up computer literacy and training programs in Uganda and Tanzania, setting up internet cafes in Tanzania and Senegal, and creating a women’s trauma and care center for victims of domestic violence in DR of the Congo.

Start here to find out how your interests and expertise match up with their current projects. Or simply go to the site and look through the opportunities that are posted.

Start your 2007 with a smile. Give one to someone else.

Comments

[Katya]

Thanks for calling attention to Network for Good this holiday! We appreciate it!