Contributed by Donna Marie

The news is so rife with accounts of “need” it can be overwhelming, not so much about “who to contribute to” but more “will it make any difference at all?” It was around this time I learned about Dr. Wangari Maathai. Kenya was faced with the problem of deforestation. She was not deterred by the magnitude of this situation. She came up with a simple solution: encourage every person in her community to plant “one” tree. In a short while, Dr. Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the significant impact of her social and environmental work.  Here’s how Dr. Maathai speaks about it in the trailer for Dirt! The Movie:

 

Whether it’s the environment, housing, food, organ donation, there are any number of ways we can make a contribution–the act of giving especially to a charity or a voluntary gift of money, service or ideas to some worthwhile cause.

What causes are you passionate about?

Member Tip:  If you want to know whether or not your cause is all it’s cracked up to be, check out Charity Choices.


  Charity Choices
Feeling generous, but not sure which organization will put your contribution to good use? Visit Charity Choices and let them put your charity-of-choice through the paces to find out: How much of your $$ goes towards administrative costs vs how much will actually reach the people or cause in need.  More: Charity Navigator is another great source; Guidestar has the skinny on non-profits; Kiva specializes in loans to developing countries. It feels good to give; it feels better to know your gift will be where it’s needed.