Filed under: Holiday Giving, Twitter 4 Good | Tags: change, charity, hope, women
By Sarah Johnston
UniversalGiving have been on Twitter for only a matter of weeks but it has been hugely rewarding so far. The information that people share and the sheer sense of camaraderie almost has been wonderful. In a nutshell, there are some very nice people on Twitter and a lot of folks who want to make a difference. We are thankful for followers like these:
The Women’s Mosaic are ‘motivating women of every background to RISE UP and ROCK THE WORLD!’
Business Fights Poverty is a ‘network of 1000+ professionals passionate about fighting poverty through good business.’
Get Beyond Firewood are doing amazing work trying to help refugee women and girls who risk their lives daily as they search for firewood to cook for their families.
People Helping People offer ‘a hand up for adults with disabilities and extreme income challenges.’
Operation NICE ‘was initiated to remind you that a little NICE goes a long way.’
Proof Positivity are ‘all about positive news, community service, and helping others out.’
And Cars4Causes are “The Charity That Gives to Charities”.
This is just a small selection of great people who deserve a follow. But the one everybody on Twitter should support today is @tweetsgiving. Tweetsgiving is ‘a Twitter celebration of gratitude and giving created by Epic Change, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The project aims to demonstrate the power of the social web by raising $10,000 in 48 hours to build a classroom in Tanzania.’
As of me writing this post, the tally was at $3000 raised so far. Incredible! The power of Twitter at its finest.
Filed under: Holiday Giving, Inexpensive Ways to Give | Tags: random acts of kindness, resources, sharing
By Cheryl Mahoney
As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I thought I’d do a little searching on the internet–using GoodSearch.com, of course!–to find some Thanksgiving-related sites to share.
Need to send a turkey to someone? Or maybe you know someone who’d love a harvest basket of daisies and lilies. GiftBack.com offers a wide selection of Thanksgiving and autumn oriented gifts. Even better, ten percent of your purchase goes to the charity of your choice, letting you give in two ways at once.
This is an interesting website about Thanks-Giving Square in Dallas, Texas, where the Thanks-Giving Foundation has made it their mission since the sixties to celebrate the giving of thanks.
The Christian Science Monitor offers here an article reprinted from their 1908 archives about the challenges of giving effectively on Thanksgiving (some things never change!) and about the value of family (that doesn’t change either).
If you’re feeling challenged about giving, like they were in 1908, this article offers ten great suggestions on how to not just give thanks but also give back on Thanksgiving, from volunteering at a soup kitchen to participating in a “Turkey Trot” for charity.
As we all head off to our loaded up Thanksgiving tables (I’m all about the cranberry sauce myself) I’d like to quote Benjamin Disraeli: “I feel a very unusual sensation–if it is not indigestion, it must be gratitude.”
Here’s wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, without indigestion, but filled with gratitude. 
Filed under: Fun Ways to Give, Give to Children, Poverty | Tags: charity ideas, children
By Sarah Johnston
Every now and again I discover a charity that really tugs at my heart strings and Bears Without Borders had that effect on me recently. It was set up by two graduate students at Harvard and MIT who just wanted to spread a little joy to deprived children around the world. Every penny raised goes towards sending teddy bears to kids here in the US and also Cambodia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Peru, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Imagine the wonder experienced by a child who has never had much when he or she receives something of their very own, and not only that, but something that can be loved. Sadly a lot of these children have been orphaned and suffered terribly but these cuddly friends can really make a difference in their lives.It’s a great charity to have kids support as a way of raising their awareness of others who are not so fortunate, especially at this time of year.
Filed under: Fun Ways to Give, Inexpensive Ways to Give | Tags: beards, change, free ways to give, take action
By Sarah Johnston
‘Help real people in developing countries by sticking a fake beard on your real face.’ 
How fun is that as a charitable proposition?! A small design agency named HelloAtto have come up with the Build a Beard Workshop and decided to donate $1 to Kiva.org for every fake beard that is downloaded and either stuck onto a face and photographed or just photoshopped into an existing picture. The gallery of beards is impressive and HelloAtto have already arranged their first Kiva loan. Good going guys!
More in the way of hirsute giving is a nifty initiative called Movember, as they tongue-in-cheekily put it on the website: ‘Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men’s health.’ Lots of men are actively not shaving to help causes like prostate cancer. And lots of ladies are probably none too pleased!
Still, facial hair can change lives…who knew?!
Filed under: How to Give Daily, Inexpensive Ways to Give, Poverty | Tags: free ways to give, internet games, resources
By Cheryl Mahoney
When you’re on the computer and looking for something to pass a little time (call it procrastination, call it a break, call it what you will!), computer solitaire is an easy answer. When that fails me, I like Tetris. There’s something addictive about all those blocks. There’s another option I like even more though. Recently I wrote about Goodsearch, a more philanthropic alternative to Google. This time, I have an alternative to computer solitaire. Wouldn’t it be great to do some good while just passing computer time? That’s where FreeRice.com comes in.
The home page has a vocabulary game. You’re presented with a definition, and four possible words. Click the one that has the correct meaning, and twenty grains of rice are donated to a hungry person somewhere in the world. FreeRice donates food through the UN World Food Program. The rice is paid for by sponsors, and all the money FreeRice raises goes directly to the Food Program.
This game is at least as entertaining as computer solitaire. There’s even a personal challenge aspect to it, like trying to reach ever higher levels in Tetris. As you continue playing, choosing more correct words will advance you through skill levels; getting a word wrong drops you down again–and nothing is donated for wrong answers. I’m an English major so I like vocabulary, but if that doesn’t appeal, the site has recently introduced other subjects to play similar games with: everything from identifying famous paintings to identifying chemical symbols.
So computer solitaire or Tetris might seem the easy answers for bored computer moments, but FreeRice.com is an even better one–it’s fun to do, it helps you, and it helps others. That beats piling up multi-colored blocks, doesn’t it? : )
