Donations
Once again, I've failed to do my donations 'til the very end of the year. Sigh.
Luckily, most of the places I donate to provide a way to donate online. Some of them via the Give for Change site; others directly on their own sites. Here are some of the organizations I'm donating to:
- Swarthmore College
- It's my alma mater, and I still think it does good work.
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Sort of the online equivalent of the ACLU, "working to protect our fundamental rights regardless of technology; to educate the press, policymakers and the general public about civil liberties issues related to technology; and to act as a defender of those liberties...."
- Habitat for Humanity
- They build houses for people, and require those people to help build other houses for other people. Some friends of mine don't like the fact that Habitat is a Christian organization, but that doesn't bother me in the slightest. "We welcome all people to join us as we build simple, decent, affordable, houses in partnership with those in need of adequate shelter." As far as I can tell, they don't proselytize.
- Resource Center for Nonviolence
- A Santa Cruz-based "twenty-five year old peace and social justice organization dedicated to promoting the principles of nonviolent social change."
- Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic
- It's been providing absolutely free healthcare—"comprehensive, nonjudgmental, demystified, and humane"—in San Francisco for 35 years now.
- The Women's Community Clinic
- Another San Francisco organization providing high-quality free healthcare: "free, respectful, quality care for women, by women." Came to my attention via a Jon Carroll column a couple years ago.
- Project Vote Smart
- Provides a huge amount of extremely useful information about ballot measures and candidates.
- Second Harvest Food Bank
- They give food to people who need it. There are affiliated organizations all over the US.
- American Jewish World Service
- Their mission: "helping to alleviate poverty, hunger, and disease among the people of the world regardless of race, religion, or nationality." They came to my attention when they were helping fund underground schools for Afghan girls.
- Pax World Service
- You don't hear much about Afghanistan these days, or at least I don't. Pax is still there, helping to modernize, improve, and expand the Afghan educational system. Unfortunately, they don't appear to provide a way to donate online; I'll have to send 'em a check tomorrow.
If I were really dedicated, I'd be out there volunteering my time for these organizations. I could help Habitat build houses; I could help RCNV organize and educate; I could help feed people at Second Harvest. Hell, I could quit my job and go help out in Afghanistan. But instead, for now at least, I take the easy road and just send them money.