That’s about the only kind of junk mail I don’t resent, BSHOCK! I don’t mind it at all.

With so many things to repair and replace in post Katrina New Orleans schools, spending on school music programs is at an all time low, despite the fact that there aren’t enough instruments to go around.

The charity is working with several New Orleans charities to coordinate their efforts. They have also just released a fund-raising CD of pirate music, “Lafitte’s Return”.

More information can be found at PPNOM.org

But is there any way to donate to them anonymously?

Last time I donated to the ACLU, these unwise individuals apparently spent all the funds I gave them on soliciting me for more money.

Website: http://www.cumbriacerebralpalsy.net

Paypal: info@cumbriacerebralpalsy.net

Website: http://www.cumbriacerebralpalsy.net

Paypal: info@cumbriacerebralpalsy.net

They provide games to children’s hospitals to enrich the lives of the kids stuck there. If you’ve even spent any time there as a kid, you’ll understand why this is such a good cause.

It’s run by Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade with **zero administrative costs**. They personally absorb any admin costs so all of your donation goes directly to the kids. In addition to money, they also accept donations of new video games and systems (handheld and consoles).

To Nekura20x6:
I would tend to frown on the Amazon collection plate that is Child’s Play. I love Gabe and Tycho and the spirit of their actions, but I have serious qualms over actual execution of their activities. I have read many of the testimonials from parents and staff at the recipient hospitals who are overjoyed for their contributions, so I congratulate them on their successes all around, but i think my limited resources are better spent elsewhere.

That said, I listen to Democracy Now! everyday, perhaps the best news source of any medium. All listener funded, always free to download audio, video, transcript for personal use or distribution. I see you have archive.org up there, Democracy Now! uses archive.org extensively as their online hosting service, so giving to them would also be an indirect way of helping DN! and the many other great services archive.org offers.

Again, top quality daily news broadcasts from Democracy Now! that is free as in speech and free as in beer that needs listener support – and their partners archive.org.

They seem to ignore any other company that uses DRM schemes (like Apple). I don’t see this as a charity so much as a hate group.

Please, give your money to someone who does something other than whine about obnoxious technology, like the Red Cross. Let the market deal with DRM.

I’d recommend Population Services International – see http://www.givewell.net/cause1/

Actually a lot of Defective by Design’s protests have been against Apple, both actual protests at store openings and calls for action. They’ve got some great iTunes add-like pictures where the white ipod headphone cord is shown tying people to the device.

The rally against Microsoft recently has mostly revolved around the BBC iplayer and the Netflix movie download systems both requiring Microsoft DRM, so it’s more of a current event issue than an exclusive focus.

Heifer International isn’t necessarily unique in 3rd-world development, but it’s gotten a number of awards for efficiency and accountability.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heifer_International#Awards

I donate to them every year. If there’s a better organization in the same category, I’d love to hear about it.

For the first year, The Tor Project is our very own registered US charity, so please give us a little seasonal love!

We are a nonprofit research and development open source project, working with privacy software to support freedom of information, freedom of expression, and human rights — worldwide.

Your donation at our donation page helps us research, develop, maintain and distribute software that protects the privacy (and sometimes life and livelihood) of journalists, bloggers, democracy and human rights activists, labor proponents, and various folks very much like you.

The Tor software protects your privacy as though you had “caller ID block” for your internet address. While we don’t encrypt end-to-end (which we highly recommend), we do conceal the *origin* of your communications.

We also allow Internet users in countries with national firewalls (for example, China) to access all the information on the web by circumventing the firewall.

For those who’ve known us for a while, yes, this is the same project as tor.eff.org — we went independent this year, and are still closely allied with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Thanks!
Shava Nerad
former Executive Director, The Tor Project
happy PR and fundraising volunteer

Loans default (and I guess therefore become a donation) at a rate fewer than 0.23% so you change someone’s life (the borrower, their family, employees, local community) and then get your money back. Keep it, or give it as another loan. Over $16m distributed in loans so far.

Almost as clever as the concept itself is the idea of Kiva Gift Certificates: give your loved ones cash for Christmas…only they have to lend it to somoene else before they get it.

Check it out: http://www.kiva.org

How ’bout real organizations, like OXFAM or the March of Dimes?

They’re also hardcore about privacy and security, so if you donate anonymously, they make sure you stay anonymous.

http://www.givewell.net/people

More on MetaFilter which, full disclosure, I am employed by

http://metatalk.metafilter.com/15547/GiveWell-or-Give-em-Hell

I’ll be giving my money to Books to Prisoners and Food Not Bombs.

On the subject of developing world charities, anyone know how well the Oxfam Unwrapped scheme is administered? I’ve given gifts from their range before.

Anyone know of other good sites for comparing different charities (not necessarily just according to financial criteria)?