GET PLUGGED INTO PHILANTHROPY
I encourage you to be just as creative as Hilary Lister in finding ways to give and support others. The latest trends in philanthropy include micro-volunteering and micro-action， which are spin-offs from successful micro-lending programs that have provided millions and millions of dollars in small loans. If you have a cell phone and a few extra minutes， you can reach out as a micro-volunteer to take micro-action to help a worthy cause or a person in need.
A social entrepreneurial enterprise called the Extraordinaries operates a for-profit service for those who are willing to do good using their smartphones or their Web browsers. The idea is that while many people can‘t give up an entire day to do good deeds， they can do a little here and there， while commuting by rail or bus， waiting in line， or during breaks at work. The Extraordinaries Web site 4（http：//www.beextra.org） and smartphone application hooks those people up so they can do benevolent work in small bites.
Some of the good deeds that the Extraordinaries can help you perform， according to their Web site， include recording an audio version of a book just a few pages at a time for a group that distributes audiobooks to the disabled； translating a nonprofit’s Web site into a foreign language； recording pothole locations for your town； identifying birds for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology； tagging images for the Smithsonian； identifying and mapping good and safe places for kids to play； or reviewing congressional bills for hidden pork.
The company plans to make money by charging organizations a fee for each task performed by its micro-volunteers， a movement that uses technology and crowd sourcing to do little things that add up to a lot of good. It‘s cutting-edge philanthropy that uses the Internet and social networking to make the planet a better place. Here are just a few Web sites where you can plug into the “Giving Grid” from your laptop or smart phone.
CAUSECAST. COM
Multimillionaire tech entrepreneur Ryan Scott founded Causecast to help nonprofit and charitable organizations reduce high-cost donation transaction fees that cut into their ability to do good. Cause-cast accomplishes that mission with innovative methods that include helping donors make contributions via their cell phones by using a “text-to-pay payment system.” Causecast has branched out to serve as a link between worthy nonprofits and companies interested in developing cause-marketing campaigns. This $1.5 billion industry involves major companies who want to partner their brands with good causes and support them through donations or shared proceeds.
DONORSCHOOSE. ORG
This education advocacy site encourages “citizen philanthropy” by taking requests for assistance from public schoolteachers across North America looking for everything from pencils for economically disadvantaged students to chemistry lab equipment， musical instruments， and books. You can go to their Web site， choose which request you want to help with， and donate any amount you want. DonorsChoose.org then delivers the materials to the school. They also provide photos of your gift in use at the schools， a thank-you letter from the teacher， and a cost report showing how your money was spent. Larger donors get personal thank-you letters from the students.
AMAZEE. COM
This social-networking site promotes advocacy projects， sort of a Facebook for philanthropists in action. It encourages people who want to be charitable to promote their ideas， recruit fellow believers， and raise money on its global action network. Its members’ projects have included building an IT learning center for the poor in Sri Lanka and helping to supply running water to a village in South Africa.
GLOBALGIVING. COM
GlobalGiving‘s goal is to help donors become doers by connecting them to more than seven hundred prescreened grassroots charity projects， according to its Web site. “From running orphanages and schools， to helping survivors of natural disasters， these people are do-gooders to the core. We connect these ‘good idea people’ with the ‘generous giver people’ and help projects of all sizes receive donations of all sizes，” the site says.