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General Information
Charity Ratings
Charity and Social Action Sites
- FTC: Charity Fraud
Information on smart giving, avoiding fraud, and knowing where your donation is spent.
- The Nonprofit FAQ
"A compilation of frequently asked questions, and their answers, based on on-line communications about nonprofits (mostly in the United States of America) beginning in the early 1990s."
- Philanthropy Statistics
"The latest research and statistics on charitable giving" from the Philanthropic Trust.
- 20 Ways for Teenagers to Help Other People by Volunteering
Suggestions and links to various types of volunteers opportunities. Great ideas, easy-to-naviagate site.
- USAID.gov
"USAID is the U.S. government agency responsible for economic and humanitarian assistance around the world." Includes information on disasters and on-going needs around the world and what work is being done about them by various organizations.
- American Institute of Philanthropy
Website of "a nationally prominent charity watchdog service whose purpose is to help donors make informed giving decisions." Includes the Charity Watch: Top-Rated list.
- Better Business Bureau: For Charities and Donors
From here you can check out a business or charity, see charity reports and standards, make inquiries or complaints, use the resource library, and more. Includes all the reports and information from the former Give.org site.
- Charity Navigator
"Charity Navigator, America's premiere independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities." Publishes annual Holiday Guide.
- GiveSpot
GiveSpot has extensive links to charity-related sites, including sites that evaluate charities, lists of charities, resources for activists, helpful information, and more.
- GuideStar: The National Database of Nonprofit Organizations
GuideStar provides "information about the operations and finances of nonprofit organizations" and has a special section with advice and guides for prospective donors.
- Accion
"A private, nonprofit organization with the mission of giving people the financial tools they need to work their way out of poverty. ...providing 'micro' loans, business training and other financial services to poor men and women who start their own businesses..."
- Alex's Lemonade Stand
"Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation evolved from a young cancer patient's front yard lemonade stand to a nationwide fundraising movement to find a cure for childhood cancer."
- American Red Cross
In addition to its well-known blood drives, the Red Cross provides world-wide humanitarian and disaster relief services.
- Amnesty International USA
Amnesty International works for social justice around the world.
- Avaaz
"By signing up to receive our alerts, you are rapidly alerted to urgent global issues and opportunities to achieve change. Avaaz members respond by rapidly combining the small amounts of time or money they can give into a powerful collective force."
- Bring Light
"Bring Light is a place for you to find causes you care about, dialogue with charities and the community, and collaborate to fund a specific project."
- Care2
A social networking for social action community where individuals may choose from a large range of different charitable and social action means and organizations.
- The Carter Center
"The Carter Center is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. Join us in creating a world in which every man, woman, and child has the opportunity to enjoy good health and live in peace."
- Catholic Charities USA
Catholic Charities is "the largest private network of social service organizations in the United States works to support families, reduce poverty, and build communities."
- Change.org
A "central platform that connects likeminded people, whatever their interests, and enables them to exchange information, share ideas, and collectively act to address the issues they care about."
- Children's Defense Fund
"The mission of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is to ... ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities."
- Digital Wish
"Digital Wish helps you put technology in the hands of teachers to inspire students in every classroom. Prepare today's students for tomorrow." Works on the Kiva-style model of donating to specific teachers/schools for specific projects.
- Distributed Computing
Users contribute spare computing cycles to a larger project by letting programs run in the background on their home computers. Distributed computing projects include
- Do 1 Nice Thing
Suggestions of one nice thing you can do each week to make the work, or your part of it, a better place.
- Doctors Without Borders
"Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe."
- DonorsChoose.org
"Teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals ... choose projects to fund."
- EDAR: Everyone Deserves a Roof
"Provides unique mobile shelters to those living on the streets all around us."
- Feeding America
"The nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. ... Our network of more than 200 food banks serves all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The Feeding America network secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually." (Formerly "America’s Second Harvest")
- GiveMeaning
"GiveMeaning.com is an online fundraising site emphasizing creative fundraising ideas and other unique forms of charity donation." (Similiar to DonorsChoose but not limited to education-related causes.)
- Grameen Foundation
"Grameen Foundation provides micro-lenders in poor communities access to the capital they need to make micro-loans to women who are working to develop or expand a small business."
- Habitat for Humanity
"Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action."
- Idealist.org
Listings of nonprofit and community organizations, volunteer opportunities, a Nonprofit Career Center, and more. Includes a special section for Kids and Teens.
- Kiva
"Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty." Kiva supports microfinance foundations throughout the world.
- Microplace
"MicroPlace’s mission is to help alleviate global poverty by enabling everyday people to make investments in the world’s working poor. ... MicroPlace simply connects investors with microfinance institutions looking for funds."
- Modest Needs
"An award-winning public charity with a simple but critical mission: we work to stop the cycle of poverty BEFORE it starts .... by empowering compassionate members of the general public to safely and securely help hard-working, low-income households to afford ... short-term emergency expenses ..."
- NABURR
"NABUUR links you directly with people around the world who need your assistance now. All you need is a computer, a little free time, and the desire to make a difference."
- Network for Good
Website designed to make it "easier, more convenient and more compelling than ever to donate money, volunteer time and speak out on issues."
- National Youth Leadership Council
"The National Youth Leadership Council's mission is to build vital, just communities with young people through service-learning."
- National Council of Catholic Bishops: Social Development & World Peace
Information on social justice issues, including action needs and opportunities.
- Nazareth Farm
"A Catholic community of volunteers inspired by the Gospels and Social Teachings of the Church and focused on prayer, community, simplicity, and service. We are devoted to developing relationships and eliminating sub-standard housing through home repair in rural West Virginia. We provide a communal experience of Church as a center of action and prayer."
- Nothing But Nets
Help fight malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa, by supplying mosquito nets to those too poor to afford them.
- School Fundraising ... Adopt a Classroom
"By adopting a classroom, donors form partnerships with specific classrooms providing financial and moral support."
- School of the Americas Watch
"SOA Watch is an independent organization that seeks to close the US Army School of the Americas through vigils and fasts, demonstrations and nonviolent protest, as well as media and legislative work."
- Serve.gov
"Serve.gov is your online resource for not only finding volunteer opportunities in your community, but also creating your own."
- SERVEnet
"servenet.org has enabled millions of youth volunteers to connect with local nonprofits to make a difference in communities throughout America" and the world.
- Slavery and Abolition<
See Human Rights page.
- Toys For Tots
Toy for Tots is a national program which collects and distributes toys to needy children at Christmas. Site includes guide to local programs.
- VolunteerMatch
Connects volunteers with organizations.
- WHY - World Hunger Year
"WHY is a leading advocate for innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty. WHY challenges society to confront these problems by advancing models that create self-reliance, economic justice, and equal access to nutritious and affordable food."
- Youth Service America
"YOUTH SERVICE AMERICA (YSA) is a resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people."
Social Studies Index Page
