Give ’Til It Feels Good

Charitable giving is more critical than ever. Here are simple, inexpensive ways to help

by Debra Goldyn

The proverb says it’s better to give than receive. Certainly the need for aid is greater than ever, as the price of energy soars, salaries drop, and the economy circles the drain. You’d like to help, but your wallet is perilously thin these days. What’s a cash-strapped concerned citizen to do?
Power up the computer and play a game.

FreeRice.com, a vocabulary Web site designed by computer programmer John Breen, feeds your I.Q. and the world’s hungry simultaneously. Identify the correct definition of a word, and the site’s sponsors donate 20 grains of rice to the U.N. World Food Program. It’s simple, it’s addictive, and since October of 2007 more than 20 billion grains of rice have been donated to countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Nepal. Above all it’s free, so what more could one ask for?

Perhaps something a little closer to home.
Cue GoodSearch.com, a search engine sponsored by Yahoo that donates 50 percent of its profits — approximately one penny per search — to the nonprofit of your choice. Without spending a dime, and barely lifting a finger, you can support your favorite cause while surfing the Net. Curious about the average rainfall in Kuala Lumpur? The dangers posed by the Candiru fish? Need a recipe for homemade toothpaste? Let GoodSearch provide the answers, along with an effortless windfall for a worthy organization.
There are hundreds of Colorado charities in the database, everything from the Academy Charter School to the Women’s Wilderness Institute. If a nonprofit isn’t listed, simply click a button and request that it be added.

A penny may not seem significant, but the results can be impressive. If one thousand people conducted two Internet searches daily, they’d raise in excess of $7,000 per year. Advertisers foot the bill, fulfilling the vision of the site’s creators, Ken and J.J. Ramberg, who wanted to

harness some of the more than six billion dollars generated each year by search engines.

There is another, more recent, proverb to consider: When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.

Shop, play games, and save the world. Seriously.

go out of style. Payroll-deduction programs are a great way to contribute without feeling the pinch, and contributions go farther when organizations don’t have to expend resources on soliciting funds. Aside from cash, many charitable organizations are in need of volunteers. To find opportunities, visit Volunteer Match, which connects nonprofits with people willing to donate their time and expertise.

My favorite charitable donation? Thin Mints. It’s that time of year, and the Girl Scouts are out in force hawking the sweet treats. Fork over a few dollars, and you can actually feel good about the ensuing sugar rush.

RESOURCES

Free Rice
www.freerice.com

Girl Scouts
www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/

GoodSearch
www.goodsearch.com

GoodShop
www.goodshop.com

i’m Initiative
www.im.live.com

Ten Thousand Villages
http://denver.tenthousandvillages.com

Volunteer Match
www.volunteermatch.org

Even in a struggling economy, we still require basic necessities and the occasional bout of retail therapy. With that in mind the Rambergs have added GoodShop, a network of 40-plus online merchants who donate a percentage of purchases made via the site. Vendors include iTunes, Dell and Fandango, and the percentages donated vary by merchant. Two of the more generous firms are PetSmart (6.5 to 10 percent) and eBay (25 to 37.5 percent), meaning you can indulge your yen for kibble and kitsch while building some positive karma.

There are times, though, when nothing but the traditional brick-and-mortar experience will do. You can find unique gifts and handcrafted items at Ten Thousand Villages in Denver, a shop that supports fair trade and local organizations such as the Women’s Bean Project and the Gathering Place.

You may be so excited about all your good deeds that you want to spread the news. Microsoft has launched the i’m Initiative, with ad-supported text messaging through Windows Live Messenger that benefits one of nine different partners, including the Red Cross, the Sierra Club, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Since 2007, the project has raised close to two million dollars.

Of course, actual financial donations will never