Geek Charities?

Space Rogue writes: "Now that the holiday season is here and tax season is just around the corner, I am looking for worthy charities to donate some money to. I am specifically looking for 'geek' related charities. I know about the EFF but are there other worthy organizations that could put a few dollars to good use? "

Comments

I'm accepting

[kriebz]

I don't think all geeks are rich. Only the gainfuly employed. This rules out students and many hobbiests (fools not to get a job in computing...).
And what an expensive hobby. Sure second-hand stuff is educational, but to get some real computing power takes dough. Hey, atleast my software is free.

Re:United Way

[Hard_Code]

Yeah, but if you are like the poster, and just want to offload some money and feel good about it, United Way is an easy choice. Of course one could probably make a better choice by carefully researching each and every charity out there, or giving to local ones, etc.

Linux Credit Card

[Krimsen]

While this won't get you a tax break, it is a pretty good idea... and it is in the same spirit. Linuxfund.org has a page where you can apply for a credit card. When you make a purchase, a percentage of the total is donated to Linuxfund.org which in turn will donate it to a Free Software project.

So totally disagree

[Tony Shepps]

Increases in technology mean increases in productivity: by definition, doing more with less. Increases in productivity over time is the creation of true wealth, i.e., not more little pieces of paper, but the maximization of human activity.

Were it not for the technological improvements over the last century, there would BE no wealth for us to discuss the charitable redistribution of.

There is absolutely no question that technology has improved and saved millions upon millions of lives directly, and that it has done much more good than harm. The possible increases in productivity from cheap flat LCD screens is unclear today, but by 2050 their applications may be critical.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, it took 50% of the population of "modern" societies to work in agriculture in order to feed people. Today it takes less than 2%. Along with those changes have come massive decreases in poverty and massive increases in lifespan. Technological advances and the accompanying increases in productivity are the reason why.

The only reason why many nations starve is that they haven't enacted a political/economic system that maximizes human activity. The famine that LiveAid was created to help alleviate was preceded by the Ethiopian nationalization of agriculture. Starving nation's politics/infrastructure is often so screwed up that the aid never gets to the people in need. These are the *real* problems that we have to think about and they make charitable options a little less clear-cut.
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Re:So totally disagree

[Hard_Code]

Increases in technology mean increases in productivity: by definition, doing more with less. Increases in productivity over time is the creation of true wealth, i.e., not more little pieces of paper, but the maximization of human activity.

People were plenty happy and productive for eons without making what we'd call technological progress. This idea of technology, of some absolute measure of "progress", seems peculiarly western to me. Native American empires, Asian empires, Middle-Eastern empires, all got along just fine without the feverish quest for technological innovation that we see today.

Were it not for the technological improvements over the last century, there would BE no wealth for us to discuss the charitable redistribution of.

There is absolutely no question that technology has improved and saved millions upon millions of lives directly, and that it has done much more good than harm.

*yawn* Our environment is slowly turning to shit. We've commoditized our bodies and minds to the point that psychological and physical ailments due to lifestyle are at all-time highs. The top percentile of the world live in a virtually gold encrusted paradise compared to the vast millions and billions of people who live in utter destitution, poverty, and disease (the same people who were doing just fine a few centuries or millenia ago, without all this wonderful technology). Technological improvements have created just as many problems as they have solved, they have just shifted those problems to those who don't yet possess the technology...out of sight, out of mind.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, it took 50% of the population of "modern" societies to work in agriculture in order to feed people. Today it takes less than 2%.

Or perhaps the global economy is such that only mega-corporations farming on a large scale with high-tech equipment and fertilizers and pesticides can even make farming an affordable practice.

Along with those changes have come massive decreases in poverty and massive increases in lifespan. Technological advances and the companying increases in productivity are the reason why.

Sounds like you're talking about the agricultural revolution that occurred between 10 and 12 thousand years ago. Strange how the savage Iroquois had built an agricultural economy the magnitude of which dwarfed anything from Europe, based on mound farming, without even the technology of the plow that all intelligent Europeans knew was absolutely necessary for farming.

The only reason why many nations starve is that they haven't enacted a political/economic system that maximizes human activity.

Translation: The only reason why many nations starve is that they haven't bought into the Western capitalist notion of raping their own natural resources for quick profit, and to hell with the next generation. The global economy has been clubbing third world countries to just hurry the hell up and exploit their resources and pollute their environment so they can be on economic par. And then, the largest of the polluters look back and say "Hey! Shame on you third world nations! Look at all the pollution and environmental destruction you are causing by desparately trying to scrabble up the global economic wall!"

Starving nation's politics/infrastructure is often so screwed up that the aid never gets to the people in need.

At least that's true. Perhaps we should stop f*ck ing around with other people's political, social and cultural systems to try to remake them in our own image. Perhaps we should help by not climbing on top of the mountain and then chastising everybody else for doing the same. Perhaps we should play fair, by the very same rules, regulations, treaties and accords we ourselves spearheaded. Nobody needs moral imperialists coming in and telling them they're starving because they just don't know how to eat right.

--
I apologize, that was sort of a mega-rant...do I sound bitter?

Re:So totally disagree

[Tony Shepps]

So, to sum up, your opinion is that since the western approach has brought about wealth by raping and pillaging, that westerners should not try to tell starving countries that they're wrong for adopting dictatorial communism and systematically starving their own citizenry, but that we SHOULD, like, give them stuff they don't have, because that's charitable, dammit.

The original rape is wrong, but since we're doing it anyway, let the Africans have sloppy seconds!

Oh, and ancient cultures were "happy". For their average expected lifespan of 35 years, threatened with serfdom, barbariansm, random pestilence and death due to diseases they didn't understand... but I suppose nobody can say they weren't content, since history doesn't really record that sort of thing.

And look man, I dunno if you've noticed, but using Slashdot for anti-technology rants is about as dumb as banging your head with a rock. If you don't believe in the promise -- and the past -- of technology, the first thing you should do is fuck off this particular web site (if not all other web sites as well). And I'm not saying that to be rude... honest... it's just kinda obvious!
--

Re:So totally disagree

[Hard_Code]

Look at the state of American farming. A few decades ago, most farming was done on family farms. It was more or less sustainable. But recently big corporations have evolve to do mega-farming on a mass scale. These corporate farms treat animals miserably, to get the most price/performance ration. They pollute their soil with harsh chemicals, pesticides, and now genetically engineered food, and keep on having to raise the stakes because land becomes less sustainable, insects become pesticide resistent, etc. etc. They are borrowing from peter to pay Paul. Now these mega farms produce so much by practicing non-sustainable agriculture with expensive technology, that they drive down the cost insanely, and they have run all the family farms out of business. Look at the dairy industry. In a decade or two there will be practically NO small dairy farms, just big corporate farms turning over cows like they were batteries.

And the third world is rushing to catch up with the rest of the post-industrial west. So they build up great polluting industries to catch up quick. Of course this screws the environment, and often native farmers, who then have to go and cut down rainforest, or import food into their country. It is totally destroying the sustainable way of life people had for a long time.

That is NOT progress. I would rather my food cost TWICE as much if it were sustainable, if people weren't indentured or put out of business to supply it, and if animals and the land were treated in a respectful and sustainable manner. Everything is not about how much shit you can acquire on the cheap.

Re:So totally disagree

[Hard_Code]

that westerners should not try to tell starving countries that they're wrong for adopting dictatorial communism and systematically starving their own citizenry

Never said that. If there are human rights abuses, then as an equal (and not MORE than equal) entity in global politics, we can make a decision for ourselves to employ our own personal sanctions against that nation, and help its citizenry. However, we shouldn't try to dogmatically search out and destroy other people's forms of government or culture just because we don't think they are the Right way. We decided that the Native American's form of government and culture wasn't any good. We benevolently reformed them into an American-like democracy. We chopped up their land into individually owned pieces. We educated them in the ways of capitalism. Makes sense right? We ruined these people, who have only dregs and tatters of their culture and political system left. It's shameful. We've had a stinking blockade against that little tiny island Cuba for what, three DECADES now? Just because they harmed our pride with a little missile scare? Just because they didn't give in to big bully USA?

There is a fine line between helping people help themselves, and just forcing them to do something we want.

For their average expected lifespan of 35 years, threatened with serfdom, barbariansm, random pestilence and death due to diseases they didn't understand

Yeah, but is it a fair trade to increase my lifespan by a third and halve my quality of life? And by the way, unless you are talking about dirty middle-age Europeaners who had to have contact with the Arabs before they learned how to clean and heal themselves, people were living plenty longer than 35. And if you are talking about serfdom and barbarism those were nowhere more pronounced than in the (technology mongering) civilizations of Europe. Sure, other cultures had serfs and slaves, but in many cases they were treated with respect and had a specific role in the culture. You keep coming at this from an absolutist Eurocentric value system.

We still live with random pestilence and death. Or at least the majority of those in the third world, who got the shit end of our wonderful technological progress.

And look man, I dunno if you've noticed, but using Slashdot for anti-technology rants is about as dumb as banging your head with a rock.f you don't believe in the promise -- and the past -- of technology, the first thing you should do is fuck off this particular web site (if not all other web sites as well). And I'm not saying that to be rude... honest... it's just kinda obvious!

Yeah, I guess I shouldn't bring up anything the herd might not agree with. Conform, conform, conform. I would like to think of Slashdot as a place for intelligent discussion. And by the way, this is not an anti-technology rant. I am just *asking* you to *consider* the rationale for your basic assumption that technology is a good end in and of itself. Apparently questioning such a deep-seated belief has made you very uneasy and you have to strike out.

I'm sure Bill Joy will be expecting your response to his Wired article. Because, you know, he's just another one of those anti-technology nuts.

Re:So totally disagree

[cduffy]

First off, to get it clear, I don't care how the animals are treated. Don't bother arguing it, 'twill make no impact. Now, down to the real meat of your objections...

Harsh chemicals? Pesticides? Non-sustainable farming? Here's the rub. Those engaging in non-sustainable practices will eventually see their costs of production rise dramatically as a result of their actions, no? Basically, if they can't make "borrowing from Peter to pay Paul" profitable, then sooner or later they'll be economically motivated to make it stop happening. Furthermore, the small number of groups which did engage in sustainable practices will at this time become more economically viable as their competitors' costs (and thus prices) rise. My point? Don't get your nose out of joint; 'twill all come out in the wash. Frankly, it's rather presumptive to think you know more about farming than the people owning and running large farms.

If you think it's better to pay twice as much and buy food produced via sustainable practices, then do that -- I don't care. Pay twice as much and buy food produced via sustainable practices. As soon as you start insisting that I do the same, however, I'm going to start taking offense.

As for genetically engineered food, I don't see what the problem is. Remember, if selling genetically engineered food is more profitable, that means that more of it can be produced for less money. Having cheaper and more plentiful food is a Good Thing, no? Once you find conclusive evidence that genetically engineered food products cause actual people actual harm, come back and we can rediscuss. In the mean time, I don't care. Strikes me as similar to the argument against milk from cows given hormone shots. One product I buy asserts that "no test can now distinguish milk products from [treated] cows. As a result, while we verify that the milk in this product does not come from [treated] cows, we cannot make this assertion for other ingredients which may contain milk". If no test can tell the difference, then they're similar enough that I don't care.

The thing is, everything is about how much shit you can acquire on the cheap. Don't get me wrong -- I'm living in a small town and making half the money I would in the bay because I care about quality of life. However, I nonetheless believe that greed is the best way to motivate people to act in a way that benefits society as a whole, much better than fear* (which, in addition to being morally wrong, encourages rebellion) or altruism (which works for very few people). In the case of farming, where (as in other competitive markets) profit is maximized by producing the largest amount of product which can be sold at market price (presuming that this unit price covers your variable costs) while consuming the smallest amount of resources (minimizing your costs overall), this is indeed the socially beneficial route. I suppose it may be a difficult conclusion for a green to grasp that those money-grubbing corporate folks really are acting in your best interests, but it's the one I've come to. If you're convinced they aren't, though, don't buy their product. Don't get me involved, though, directly or by having my tax dollars go into intervention.

* - when I say fear in this context, consider that to mean "fear of jail", which is a sorry way for a government to stay afloat. If someone is paying for services, they should do so because they want those services, not because someone will lock them up in a cage if they don't.

Re:So totally disagree

[cduffy]

Or perhaps the global economy is such that only mega-corporations farming on a large scale with high-tech equipment and fertilizers and pesticides can even make farming an affordable practice.

Sorry, but I just can't believe you thought about that and wrote it down -- either that or I'm grossly misinterpreting your statement. Did I read that farming is no more efficient now than it once was, but rather that the reason that there are less farmers is because individuals can no longer afford to farm? The reason people farm is because the food they create is needed -- because otherwise there would be a shortage, raising the price of what they create. If less people can afford to farm, that's because less people are needed to farm to fill the demand. I think that's a good thing.

Consider: if under corporate management (with their high-tech equipment and fertilizers and pesticides) each individual farmer can create 25 times more food than he or she could alone, I think that's a Good Thing. Personally, I don't want food to be expensive. If 50% of the world's people have to work to create food, that food is damn expensive -- not necessarily in terms of money, but in terms of the number of people who could otherwise be following different pursuits.

The less people who are farming, the more people we have who can be artists or inventors or doctors -- and trust me, if 50% of the population were still tied up in producing food, we'd have a lot less of all of those. We have real, genuine progress -- now be happy!

Re:Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (US-based)

[katster]

f you want to do something for an organization that is not a policy-based group (like EFF), may I suggest Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic? RFBD is a group in the United States which - using volunteer labor - records books and other written material so that blind and dyslexic people can have access to the same information.

I have to concur. My dad is dyslexic, and gets his college textbooks on tape from RFBD. My father is an intelligent man; he self taught himself enough to become a sysadmin at a place in town, but it can take months for him to get through one book. With the recording, he can hear what may be confusing him in his textbook, and they sent it to him free of charge. Without this, my dad would be hopelessly lost in his classes. With it, he's actually learning in a semester's worth of time. The folks at RFBD do good work, and they've made it so my dad can take classes without falling hideously hopelessly behind.

kat

Re:Good choices. Also Habitat for Humanity

[dancomfort]

Those are good choices. Myself, I've joined the EFF, and will probably be giving something extra to Habitat For Humanity this year.

NetDay or TechCorps

[brainy]

Not sure if either one accepts $$ donations, but I'm sure they would accept your time. NetDay does the wiring in schools, and a few other "digital divide" projects now. TechCorps focuses more on putting computer-savvy people in volunteer positions in schools.

Lets start a new charity. International Geeks! :)

[Cable]

International Geeks, helping poor Geeks in third world countries get computer and Internet access. Many Geeks go without computers and Internet access and are forced to use them in libraries or schools if they exist. Some geeks don't have computer access at all, and have to, *gasp*, use calculators or slide-rules!

Help out Geeks in Europe, Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world. Remember the less fortunate Geeks who never have played Doom, or surfed the Internet, or even got the chance to use a mouse.

Remember, they'd help you if the roles were reversed! :)

How does that sound? Too funny? ;)

Re:And you can often use payroll deduction.

[dancomfort]

Many companies that support umbrella charities like the United Way will let you make payments via payroll deduction. I find I miss the money less if it never hits my pocket in the first place! And even a small amount from each of 24 or 26 paychecks can add up to a nice amount for the charities of your choice. As a bonus, your last paycheck has a nice record of all that giving for your taxes.

Re:None

[rattdot]

This is why no one likes to read slutdot. Gotta love the angst. Teenage (if not physically, by maturity) idiots who post now, think later. Yes, Mr. b0z, you are in that vaunted 99.9% of which you write. Congratulations. Now onto our show. Re: the homeless. Do you know any homeless people? Do you ever talk to them? Find out what their lives have been like, where they come from, how they got where they are? Did you know that most of the homeless are mentally ill? Re: welfare. Your comments are sort of funny; sounds like you have a Limbaugh-level IQ. Have you ever looked at the welfare recipient statistics in your state? Do you know exactly how many women who are receiving aid are "popping out more babies"? Do you know what the yearly budget for AFDC is? Do you know what AFDC is? Re: why we give. I give to charity, smart guy. I grew up pretty easy: suburbs, parents, good schools. I was lucky. Most kids aren't so lucky, so if I can help make this a better place for them, I will. I don't do it out of guilt, ignorance, or for the tax breaks (which you don't even get in my state). I do it because in my opinion it's the right thing to do. Most people who talk down about the poor have never been poor. Most people with money grew up with money? What have you done?

enlightened self-interest

[Jim Madison]

i agree with everything that you've said, except that there are some who think about "rational" donations. People and corporations often give when it is in their 'enlightened self-interest'. For example, macintosh giving away computers in classrooms to get a greater installed base. good for kids, probably. good for macintosh, absolutely.

btw, please consider giving to the non-profit that I have founded Quorum.org. You may remember reading about it in an interview here on slashdot with my partner, Scott Reents. Happy Holidays all!

Re:None

[b0z]

What motivates people to donate to charity?

Well, let me preface this by saying that I hate most humans. I would be pleased if a meteor came and wiped out the human race.

Now, with that being said, there are some people out there that there is hope for, that are not like the 99.9% of idiots out there. Let me give you some of my views.

I really don't care about helping the homeless in the U.S., because most of these jokers are too lazy to go get a job. There are jobs that will accept them everywhere, but they don't want to work at McDonalds or Burger King. That tells me they must not be very poor. Then, there are the women on welfare popping out more babies so they can get more money from welfare, which increases my taxes, etc. These people are already getting the protection money that Uncle Sam has extorted from me, what else do they want? So, I don't give anything to the poor other than a hard time.

Also, I don't really care about most of the foreign countries and their poor kids. I do care about very specific ones, because I know someone from that country, or have relatives there myself. Yes, it may be a cold hearted thing but I'd prefer to help out the Irish and Mexicans rather than someone in Thailand. It doesn't mean that Thai people are not deserving of money, but that I have higher priorities. I want to help those that I have ties to more than anyone else. It's just an extension of wanting to feed your relatives before you feed a stranger. Both may be starving but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Also, I don't like to give to big organizations like the United Way. It's unfortunately that a company with the power to do so much good, wastes so much money on advertising and buying their executives a new beamer or jet. If I am going to make a donation, I want a really large majority of it to go to the cause I want.

I don't like to donate to pushy organizations. If you come to my door when I am eating supper, invite yourself in my apartment, then tell me I have to donate so you can win a prize of getting the most donations, I will refuse to give a single red cent.

Ok, that was some of the reasons not to give to charity but to put this back on the topic of your question, I would say mostly people donate out of stupidity, ignorance, tax cuts, and guilt. That is fine in my opinion, they can donate because the voices in their head told them to for as much as I care. I just think that it can be a good thing if you actually put some work into researching where your time and money goes. Charity doesn't have to just be working with an organization, even helping an old hag cross the street is a form of charity. If you want to give "out of the kindness of your heart" *barf* you should do more than give money and a little bit of time. I would think charity would be more of a lifestyle than something you do once a month.

Donate to critical thinking

[osgeek]

The James Randi Educational Foundation is a first class group dedicated to teaching the public (particularly children) about how to think critically.

James Randi was a street and stage magician who over the years focused his talents on debunking shucksters. He has written a number of books about individuals have attempted to scam the public, like "psychic" Uri Geller, that "faith healer" Reverend Popoff, and many others.

For those of you who have any degree of credulity regarding John Edwards, that "psychic" guy on SciFi, please go to Mr. Randi's site to learn more about the art of Cold Reading.

From the JREF web site:

The James Randi Educational Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1996. Its aim is to promote critical thinking by reaching out to the public and media with reliable information about paranormal and supernatural ideas so widespread in our society today.

The Foundation's goals include:

• Creating a new generation of critical thinkers through lively classroom demonstrations and by reaching out to the next generation in the form of scholarships and awards.

  Demonstrating to the public and the media, through educational seminars, the consequences of accepting paranormal and supernatural claims without questioning.

  Supporting and conducting research into paranormal claims through well-designed experiments utilizing "the scientific method" and by publishing the findings in the JREF official newsletter, Swift, and other periodicals. Also providing reliable information on paranormal and pseudoscientific claims by maintaining a comprehensive library of books, videos, journals, and archival resources open to the public.

  Assisting those who are being attacked as a result of their investigations and criticism of people who make paranormal claims, by maintaining a legal defense fund available to assist these individuals.

To raise public awareness of these issues, the Foundation offers a $1,000,000 prize to any person or persons who can demonstrate any psychic, supernatural or paranormal ability of any kind under mutually agreed upon scientific conditions.

Re:Donate to critical thinking

[brainy]

I heard this Randi guy speak a few years back. Came to my university, addressed some communication classes and others, if I remember correctly. Interesting stuff, his foundation would be an interesting place to give to.

Re:Against Libertarianism! (Objectivism)

[phurley]

Actually, charity need not be against Objectivism either. To be ethical, charity in an Objectivist sense, must be motivated through self-interest (rationally selfish) and not alturistic, but it can exist.

You can define gifts to a local library as very rational, as they improve the quality of life in your neighborhood (increasing your property values and quality of life). Donations to medical causes that effect your life, and many others.

Objectivists are not really all that nutty, just misunderstood :-)

My name is not spam, it's patrick

Geek charity - Byte Back in Washington, DC

[crazedmink]

Here's a geek charity in the Washington DC area, and I know they're hurting for money: http://www.byteback.org/ "We are a 501(c)3 non-profit computer training organization which partners with other social service organizations to provide computer training to under-employed and unemployed adults, and at-risk youth. In the next three years we are working to make this pilot program available for transfer to many other localities. "

Re:Helping.org = AOL

[Shotnicam]

alas, good point...

i had to work when i was posting that... was going to put that and the link which you so helpfully provided. :)

course, since i'm part of the conspiracy...

Re:consider giving your time, too.

[johnnick]

A similar group in Washington, DC, is called Byte Back. You can check it out at http://www.byteback.org. They can always use teachers (of all levels) as well as contributions of $ and/or equipment.

education related

[peter303]

Schols, libraries, colleges.
In areas with lesser resources.

Re:Helping.org = AOL

[Elvis Maximus]

Except in this case, he's right: helping.org is an arm of the AOL Foundation.

-

From the other side of the equation....

[Xanthippe]

I work for a nonprofit, charity dependent group, so I know a bit about what it takes to get money to the people who can best use it. My recommendation is to look for smaller organizations (not the bloated bureaucratic machines that dominate the infomertial world) and those which are known for having strict accountability. Even though I'm not religious, I would recomend giving to church-based charities simply because they are less likely to fall prey to moral impropriety and squander the funds. Also, organizations which do not have endowments also tend to be more responsible and responsive to donor preferences -- they live very hand-to-mouth and thus tend to work a lot more efficiently. And lastly, any organization that has been privately organized by an individual or set of individuals with their own funds tends to be a good investment. When someone decides to put their money into starting up a non-profit (assuming its not just some lame tax-shelter) and perhaps even dropping their career in order to devote their attention to it full-time, there's a good chance that they're serious about helping people.
Anyhow, I'm happy to offer specific suggestions if anyone's interested. And if your giving interests are in the realm of education, I can definitely point you to some people who are doing good work and can always use some help (and, no, I'm not just plugging my own group -- I don't work in dev. so I can be a bit more honest about it). Email me.

There's a lot of them

[gruntvald]

You can donate to many worthy projects:

• Free Software Foundation
• OpenBSD
• Apache
• NetBSD
• PostgreSQL
• SAMBA
• FreeBSD
• LinuxFund.org
• KPFK radio

reasonable science-type orgs as charities

[call -151]

A few things to consider are some science-type organizations, for example the International Dark Sky Association (ISDA site) working to promote sensible policies about lighting to keep stars reasonably visible in urban and suburban areas by fighting light pollution, and there are other astronomical-type orgs that work to promote awareness, get kids interested, and so on.

Another good organization to consider might be the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP page) They have their work cut out trying to debunk lots of fraudulent claims.

There are also science advocacy organizations, for example those listed at this page, who often have their work cut out for them promoting sensible research against the uncompromising efforts of PETA and so on.

There are also organizations like Zero Population Growth, ZPG site who try to do what they can to address what is clearly behind many current and impending problems, the lack of thought that goes into reproductive decisions worldwide.

Libraries of course are historically important for science literacy and depend on contributions. There hasn't been a local library that I know of that hasn't been very happy to get a subscription to Sky and Telescope, for example.

These aren't charities in the traditional sense, but they are underfunded groups working for causes that may be important to geeks.

How about the ACLU?

[Vulpine]

I don't notice anyone mention the the ACLU. They were instrumental in stopping the Communications Decency Act, and they continue to work to protect our freedom of speech rights both online and in the 'real world.'

Re:How about the ACLU?

[the dweeb]

On the other hand, they (along with Microsoft and direct-marketing groups) opposed anti-spam legislation in Washington State not too long ago.

Re:How about the ACLU?

[Vulpine]

I am aware that they oppose anti-spam legislation, and I disagree with their position on this. However, I would rather send them money when I agree with 99 out of 100 of their views. I do agree they lose some major geek points for that though. :(

http://www.gnacademy.org/

[chenyu]

We are a non-profit which produces free GPL'ed databases of distance learning courses and programs. We could use a donation. We could use some coding help even more. Email me at president@gnacademy.org if you are interested.

Is donation to slashdot posible.. ??

[heytal]

with tax rebates ofcourse...

fp..

Re:Is donation to slashdot posible.. ??

[worldom]

Conmsider netaid. at netaid.com.

Re:United Way

[Zigurd]

I would think United Way is exactly what most readers of this forum would want to avoid. If you are in business, then the United Way is bad because it tends to give a lot of money to organizations that have anti-business agendas.

If you are a social progressive, United Way is probably too unfocused on your goals. It tends to be a clubby, inbred organization with a lot of inertia.

I don't know exectly who would be happy with the United Way. Give to what you believe in.

Re:What about the BSA

[Dannon]

I was a boy scout when I was younger, and found it to be a very rewarding experience.

Glad to hear it. I'm an Eagle Scout myself. And still proud of it.

That said: Around the time of the Supreme Court Ruling (which I support), I heard a rather interesting point made. Not all exclusion is by definition the result of bigotry. The American Red Cross will not accept blood donations from any male who has had intercourse with another male since the 70's. And this discrimination is not frowned upon by any Gay Activist Organization, for one simple reason: It is a precautionary discrimination. The same discrimination is made against people who have visited certain countries, or who have eaten British Beef. It's to prevent the spread of disease by donation.

Now, from the Boy Scouting perspective: Most of these kids are young and confused. I fully feel that there should be at least one place in any teenager's life where the topic of sexuality is -not- thrown in one's face. And for kids at the Cub Scout level, sexuality shouldn't even be an issue at all. Scout leaders are supposed to be helping these kids feel more confident in themselves and less confused... It's easier if the door is simply closed on this type of question. Let them consider sexuality when they go off to college. I strongly feel High School is Too Young. Call me old-fashioned.

And there is also a 'safety' issue to deal with. Let me be clear: I do have friends who consider themselves homosexual, and they are good people. But there are also bad apples, both homosexual and heterosexual. There are dangerous people in the world who have a taste for Young Children. Not every gay guy would spread AIDS by giving blood, and not every gay Scout Leader would be so inhuman as to prey on Young Boys... but it's the Boy Scout preference to Be Prepared earlier, rather than deal with the mess after it happens. Better to be too exclusive, when young children are involved, than not exclusive enough. And it's difficult to be exclusive to just the right degree in an organization staffed by volunteers. You can't exactly ask, on the application form, 'Would you molest a young kid'. The BSA does not want to hear 'you knew this Leader was gay, you could have prevented my son's molestation'.

If I be modded down for my un-PC views on this, so be it. I've posted honestly. I congratulate you on sticking to your guns on an issue you feel about.

---

Re:What about the BSA

[EduardoLeonidas]

I was a boy scout when I was younger, and found it to be a very rewarding experience. I made a lot of friends, and learned a great deal. Not to mention the white-water rafting :) I used to be very proud of being a boy scout.

That was before their policy regarding gay members and scout masters. I understand that as a private organization they have every right to discriminate against members for whatever reason they like. It still made me lose all respect for the BSA. If anti-gay policies do not bother you, by all means give generously to the organization. Personally, I'll not have anything to do with them until they revise their policies.

Eduardo Ramirez

Helping.org charity search

[Mwongozi]

Try the helping.org charity search, you can search by interest area and location.

The poor college student fund... : )

[Racher]

I know of one charity known as the "Poor college student in this dorm room, also known as me" Fund.

Large donations are welcome...


...and I'm not sure we should trust this Kyle Sagan either.

I've got one...

[SupahVee]

Damned if I can remember the link much less where to find it, but the "Save the Dot-Coms" that was on here a while back seems appropriate, eh?

VIM

[gtada]

The VIM (VI clone) author has a charity that needs donations. Click here if you're interested.

Technological Opportunities programs

[edgarde]

Along those lines, here's a few regional charities for people disadvantaged in compu-education or access to computers and the Internet:

• CitySkills.org (Boston)
• Reboot Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
• Byte Back (Washington D.C.) [more info here]

I don't know of comparable national efforts.
__________

Re:How very tragic

[w3woody]

Firstly, charity is something you should do because you want to, not because it allows you to save some money from the taxman. The idea of charity is not to provide affluent geeks with a ready-made tax break, it's to raise money for good causes.

Giving to charity is something that will be more often done by affluent people than people who aren't quite as well off. Why? Because affludent people by definition have more money to throw around. The tax break is to remind affluent people to give rather than hoard their money, and to encourage them to give back to a community and a world that gave them so much.

I think it's tragic that charity is only considered to be useful as a tax dodge, and that even then it's more "geek chic" to promote the EFF than the hundreds of charities genuinely improving people's lives.

If thinking of donating part of their considerable wealth as a "tax dodge" gets people to give back to a world and a civilization that has given them so much, then why not? I strongly believe if you have a lot, you need to give back some to those around you--there is no higher purpose of great wealth than to use it to make the world a better place. And frankly I couldn't give a damn if we encourage those who do have to give back by making them think it will make them sexier and live longer lives to boot!

Re:freegeek http://www.freegeek.org

[hesby]

Yeah, Free Geek has their act together. They've already got their 501c3, so your donations of money, *and* hardware are tax-deductible. In addition to building computers, they also dispose of broken equipment in ecologically friendly ways. If you live in Portland or are planning on visiting, you can also donate your time. I'm not going to parrot their web site, but there is some cool stuff not mentioned there. The prime goal is to build lots of functioning Linux computers from donated and salvaged parts and give them back to the community. Not just locally to non-profits and at-risk groups, but world-wide as well. Apparently, there are very cheap ways to ship computers to remote places like Africa, and Free Geek is helping to distribute their recycled technology around the world.

Re:Rational charity

[plunge]

Again though, some research will be in order. Many people question the real efficacy of, for instance, the Heifer project. They've been involved in several debacles in which they gave animals to villages and ended up causing major problems instead of good things.

Re:How very tragic

[Geekboy(Wizard)]

I've met many more alcoholic homeless people than sober. Maybe cause I live in San Francsico, and that's the standard here(rich bastards, some of them make $100k+ year, all tax free) but I have no compassion for them. "Gimme 5 bucks" 5 DOLLARS!?! WTF are you doing begging for 5 DOLLARS!!!! and why do you get mad when I give you a one!?!

dyndns.org

[Lord Kestrel]

dyndns.org is a place that could use some help. They provide free dns to anyone who wants it. I've been using them for close to two years, and have never had any problems with them.

BTW, I don't work for them, I'm just very satisfied with their service.

---GEEK CODE---
Ver: 3.12
GCS/S d- s++: a-- C++++ UBCL+++ P+ L++
W+++ PS+ Y+ R+ b+++ h+(++) r++ y+

Re:Rational charity

[Squirrel Killer]

How to save lives is not the main question here. The question is what charity to donate to. That question can best be answered after you consider what is the donator's goal. Space Rogue's goal is to get a tax write-off while promoting tech issues. While sending food to Africa meets one of the goals, it is, to use our vernacular, sub-optimal.

Space Rogue just wants to give some money to a cause that he's concerned about, in this case, a tech charity. We do a disservice not only to him, but also his potential charities, when we say that unless saving starving kids in Africa, he's an egotisical, selfish bastard.

Not everyone has to save the world.

-sk

Re:Against Libertarianism! (Objectivism)

[Frizzle Fry]

Giving to a library (for eample) for selfish reasons is not charity. Charity, by definition, is done for altruistic reasons and "love of humanity". Giving a money out of self-interest is not charity, it is just giving someone money. Any true charity would be against objectivism.

Care about freedom?

Re:EFF is a political lobbying group, not a charit

[KahunaBurger]

Why shouldn't be food-aid seen as political, i.e. what isn't political? If Amnesty is regarded as political in places like China and Singapore, does this make it less of a charity in other countries?

Er, I'm not following your train of thought. Food aid isn't political because it isn't promoting government or social change. Charity is when you give something that is needed, to the people that need it. medical care, housing, food, education, mentorship, etc. Political is when you act at a grassroots or "inside" level to change government policies, use judicial change, or effect the popular opinion on an issue. Many groups are both charitable and political. Project bread, for instance is primarily a charitable organization that raises money to fund food pantries across massachusetts. However, they have also used their volunteer activities to generate an astroturf push for MA to cover the food stamp gap for legal immigrants that was opened by the US welfare "reform". The salvation army is pretty much pure charity, though it could be argues that they want to change people's overall attitudes on giving. Something like planned parenthood is mostly political, but does offer low cost women's health care and HIV screening. Amnesty International is in fact a political organization. So far as I know, they are only lightly involved in providing actual comfort to people now imprisoned, and instead want to change the rules under which they were imprioned in the first place.

Now, under US tax law you get a "charitable donation" for any organization that is a 501c3. That could be a purely charitable donation, it could be a donation to a political group that works on public opinion rather than goverment level change, it could be the fund for a new organ for your church. I suspect that the EFF is a 501c4, which is more explicitly political in that it can have significant direct lobbying expenses, and therefore isn't even charitable by IRS standards, much less by a reasonable examination of what they are trying to accomplish.

OK, this has gone way off track, but let me end by saying that its no insult to the EFF to recognize that it isn't a charity. I probably donate more money and time ever year to changing the world than to meeting needs. I'm more political than charitable. Some people (mother tereasa, cough cough) focus entirely on meeting very specific needs and activly ignore or even oppose the political/social changes that could reduce those needs in the long run. Just recognize what you're doing and what you're not. If you want to make a political donation, give money to the EFF. if you want to make a charitable donation in the same vein, buy up old computers at garage sales and refurbish them for your local school or something.

-Kahuna Burger

I don't understand the geek angle

[Junks Jerzey]

Do geeks just not want to donate to traditional charities that help the homeless, the hungry, and so on?

Re:I don't understand the geek angle

[Luminous]

As a geek that makes contributions to standard charities, I at time want to give to charities that also represent *my* ideals. If the digital divide is something I'm twitchin' to get resolved (it isn't) then I want to locate charities that sponsor net-mobiles in inner cities. If population control is a big issue for me (it is) then I want to locate the charities that work on education and other preventative measures.

These may not be 'geek charities' per-se but they are charites that geeks are interested in.

Re:consider giving your time, too.

[jbp4444]

as usual: IANAL... and I'm not trying to suggest that a tax break is the only reason to donate to a charity, but...

From what I recall, donations of time are also tax deductible just like cash donations. I don't know how one figures out the hourly rate, but it's certainly possible to do. Then you give the organization the benefit of your time/work/elbow grease and you still get a small tax break.

Anonymous Coward Rehabilitation

[segmond]

Anonymous Cowards all around the world need your help, give them a chance, to stop trolling, and flaming. Have a merry Xmas

Re:OPENBSD!!! I thinke he knows about this

[Anonymous Coward]

Not making fun of your suggestion, it's a great idea. But! The guy who posted the original question is Space Rogue, formerly of L0pht, and the former maintainer of Hacker News Network, which runs on OpenBSD. In addition, I believe he sat on a panel with the L0pht people (BEFORE they sold him out) and Theo de Raadt at HOPE a few years back. Nevertheless, OpenBSD is an excellent choice for a charity.

Re:Rational charity

[Squirrel Killer]

I've got two issues with what you're saying...

1. Not everyone requires that their charity saves a life. What's really ethical? To condem someone for donating money, time, support simply because their cause doesn't save a life? That's a pretty high hurdle to meet. Dontations to a local school wouldn't directly save a life, so by your argument, the donation is unethical, irrational, and simply ego-serving. Personally, I give to some political organizations that try to advance issues I feel are important. I don't expect them to save a life. It sounds like Space Rogue isn't expecting his charity to save any lives, but rather, he expects it to promote issues that he agrees with. Is it wrong for him to want to promote technology (which may improve society and thus save lives indirectly) rather than save a life?
2. He is researching the issue by asking about it here. Evaluating charities based on their own material is hard, they all say that they're saving the world. He is asking for a peer-reviewed recommendation for a good one. In essence, he's asking his knowledgeable friends who he trusts. Would you blast a friend who asked you about a decent movie with "Do your own research, lazy ass!"

Let me re-phrase Space Rouge's question: "Who do you contribute to and why?"

-sk

Unless you're Catholic...

[Squirrel Killer]

...remember indulgences? The Catholic/Protestent split was caused in part due to the good works vs. faith paradigm achieve salvation.

Re:Unless you're Catholic...

[turbodog42]

This is no longer true. The Catholic and Lutheran Churches recently reached an accord after 30 years of discussion that accepted that salvation (justification) comes through faith alone, saying more or less that Luther was basically right. See link below.

Brief Commentary and the Full Text

NORML

[Schmecky]

http://www.norml.org

Did you read my post?

[Dan Hayes]

This leads to the disgusting mindset demonstrated by Dan Hayes, where he call it *tragic* that some people do the right thing (charity) for the wrong reasons (tax-deductions).

As much as you may enjoy misrepresenting what I said, it generally helps to read what someone writes when replying. I do not think that some using charity to gain tax deductions is tragic, I said that it's tragic that people only give to charities because of this fact, rather than from a wish to help others.

I think the idea of allowing charities to benefit from taxes is a good one, but I think it's a pity that it takes something like that for charities to raise a lot of money.

not JUST geek charities

[margot]

Hey all...I work for DonateTo.com. We are an online donation site that you can use to search for, learn and give to any charity in the US.

Visit us at http://www.donateto.com to read articles about crises in the news, learn about organizations in your community, or find the causes and organization that are important to you.

Don't forget that you can claim a tax deduction when you give to charity before the end of the year.

Hackers vs Pedos

[dataflow]

http://www.antichildporn.org would love your help. They fight child porn and the abuse of children.

Non-profit geek organization?

[the dweeb]

amazon.com

Re:EFF is a political lobbying group, not a charit

[btempleton]

I'm from the EFF, and let me clarify a couple of things:

1) The terms you use "lobbying group" and "charity" have legal meanings. True lobbying groups can't take tax deductable donations. EFF is a 501(c)3 like any other charitable foundation.

(2) That said, it's true that EFF doesn't focus on helping the financially "needy." There are many charities which do, and many of them deserve your support. One hopes that life has been good enought for you that you can donate to both the financially needy and to change the world.

(3) The EFF's mission is to fight for a free cyberspace. If you think that giving people freedom today results in their being more prosperous tomorrow, then donations along this line do help the needy, just more indirectly, but perhaps even more in the grand scheme of things.

(4) This past year has been one of the most active for EFF. The DVD/DeCSS case was one of the most expensive cases we have undertaken in many years and it's not over, and we are far from our funding goal on it right now.

So please give to some of the other worthy charities listed here, but also to the EFF.

give to the ACLU

[mapmaker]

it's the EFF of the offline world!

Re:Do not contribute to Jewish charities!

[lonesome phreak]

You have proof if this? This is internationally illegal, and if it was true it could be brought up to the UN Human Rights Committee rather easily.

This is really a lovely peice of anti-semitic work, thinly disguised. I read the article, but couldn't find it on the Jerusalem Post at all. The link you gave was actually off another site. I can't actually find this original article on the Jewish Post, but after reading it I have a feeling that the poster took a small bit of information from it and put in alot of unverifiable information of his own.

Where he posted is an unmoderated free-formum posting area, and I think you and he both have no idea about what Jews do, what they donate to, or anything about them. This type of attitude is what lead to the Holocust, because of ignorate people spreading dissinformation about the jews.

Why not complain about Islamic charities, and point out the massive human rights abuses by them? Or any other group that does such? Why not say we shouldn't buy any German goods because they started two world wars?

It is obvious you lived up to your name, Anonymous Coward by not even putting your name on your neonazi comments.

Foresight Institute

[mlinksva]

"Foresight Institute's goal is to guide emerging technologies to improve the human condition. Foresight focuses its efforts upon nanotechnology, the coming ability to build materials and products with atomic precision, and upon systems that will enhance knowledge exchange and critical discussion, thus improving public and private policy decisions.

One of the things they're doing is pushing for open source nanotech designs and tools.

Also check out their slash-based news site.

Re:None

[b0z]

Normally I don't respond to people trying to piss me off but I am going to respond because you are greatly mistaken about who I am.

Gotta love the angst.

If that is what you want to call it that is your choice. I wasn't posting angry comments, just what my opinion is.

Teenage (if not physically, by maturity) idiots who post now, think later. Yes, Mr. b0z, you are in that vaunted 99.9% of which you write.

Insults and name calling are not signs of maturity either.

Re: the homeless. Do you know any homeless people? Do you ever talk to them? Find out what their lives have been like, where they come from, how they got where they are?

Actually yes to all of the above questions. I have had family members who are in that position. It can be unfortunate, but for the most part is very preventable. Working somewhere like McDonalds will not provide you with the best life but it should be able to help you afford a place to stay, clothing, and food. Not a good life, but living in a trailer is better than a box. My uncle was living in a trailer (like the kind you camp in) in the woods for a while. He managed to improve his life and now lives somewhere better but is still not middle class. I do think that he is trying to improve his life, and is able to do so because he is willing to work.

Did you know that most of the homeless are mentally ill?

I do agree that there are a lot of mentally ill homeless people. Whether that is the cause or a result of homeless ness I don't know, but I would not say that the majority is mentally ill.

Re: welfare. Your comments are sort of funny; sounds like you have a Limbaugh-level IQ.

Again, insults are a sign of immaturity. Grow up.

Have you ever looked at the welfare recipient statistics in your state? Do you know exactly how many women who are receiving aid are "popping out more babies"? Do you know what the yearly budget for AFDC is? Do you know what AFDC is?

Well, I just moved to this state a few months ago, so no. I had not looked at the statistics in the state I had lived in before either. Why? Because I knew people on welfare very closely. You can not tell me that the majority of people recieving welfare are not cheating the system. I have seen it with my own eyes for years. Not everyone cheats, but there are too many people doing it. I went to a high school in a poor area of town. I made friends there, and got to meet a lot of people that recieve welfare. Part of the problem is that they get used to free handouts, and it comes to be expected. They don't want to work, they think the world owes them something. As far as AFDC, I don't know what it is. So what?

Re: why we give. I give to charity, smart guy. I grew up pretty easy: suburbs, parents, good schools. I was lucky. Most kids aren't so lucky, so if I can help make this a better place for them, I will. I don't do it out of guilt, ignorance, or for the tax breaks (which you don't even get in my state). I do it because in my opinion it's the right thing to do.

Good for you. I'm sure Jesus would be proud of you to throw your pocket change to someone on the street so they can go buy that rock they have been wanting to smoke. Just giving money doesn't solve anything, and you may give of your time or something else, but even then it is usually done for superficial reasons from what I see. Yes, I am cynical. So what? I see things the way I do for a reason. I have no problem with giving to a charity if it does any good, but I don't think a lot of good is done by some of the popular charities.

Most people who talk down about the poor have never been poor. Most people with money grew up with money? What have you done?

Well for an extremely brief autobiography in a paragraph, yes, I have been poor. When I was a baby, my dad was into drugs, both doing and selling. He made money from weed and was living a crazy lifestyle. After I was maybe 3, he abandoned my mother and I. She had to go on welfare temporarily, but hated it and felt it was degrading. She worked at a job, and made as much money as she could while my dad threatened to kidnap me and other bad things. Eventually, my mom met my stepdad, later they got married, ditched welfare, struggled to have a decent life, and would probably be considered lower middle class. Growing up, they provided me with food, clothing, shelter, and on my birthday and christmas, toys. I had to do work at a somewhat young age and started out mowing grass and doing other work like that. I then got a job at a supermarket to buy my own car, because my parents couldn't buy one for me like your parents probably did. As a young teenager I wanted to have the same toys as my friends, so to get them I often skipped out on lunch to save the money. My first computer was a Commodore 64, which was given to me for free around 1992 or so. In high school I was taking programming classes because I wanted to learn about computers but didn't have one of my own other than the C=64 with it's BASIC and Assembler built in. After that, when I was graduating high school in 1995, I managed to save up enough money to buy a $1000 computer, which was a piece of crap but it worked well enough to get me started. I started to go to technical school/community college (partially from scholarships but the rest came from my pocket) and after a while I got a real job working with computers and quit school. I now have a decent job, and am working on improving that even more.

The point is, I came from a bad background originally, things improved, and now I am making more money than my parents because I work in the tech industry. I have worked somewhat hard to get where I am, but other people can do it so much easier. My problem is with the poor who get so used to being poor that they don't care to try to improve their life, and instead rely on free handouts. It disgusts me to be forced to support these people. If you want to, I think it should definitely be your right, and maybe by some odd chance you will help someone that is looking for more than a handout. Also, the poor in the U.S. are not all that poor. If you go to some 3rd world countries and developing nations you can see what it is really like to be poor. They really do have their lives in danger, unlike the lazy slobs in the U.S. that are poor by choice. And don't think that when I make a statement like that, that I am saying everyone that is poor is lazy. That is not the case, but I do think it is the majority.

So...I hope you see that I do have an idea of what I am talking about, and am not some misguided rich guy trying to buy his way to Jesus or some crap. It doesn't work that way.

Re:What about the BSA

[PD]

You've also got to believe in a god before you can be a Boy Scout. This is wrong. I was a Boy Scout when I was a kid, and I think that the organization should allow atheist kids to be members. They should replace the word 'reverent' with the word 'tolerant.'

Re:How very tragic

[SubtleNuance]

corrupt bigoted governments...and the giant corporate dollars that fund them...

I recently asked a fellow who works in my department who is from Africa (Ethiopia in fact), I flatly dont trust major media (except maybe cbc & bbc), I asked frankly "Why is it that the continent of Africa is starving or involved in conflict? What is the problem?"

His reply: "Although the on the 'surface' the conflicts have to do with religion or the 'overthrow of a corrupt' or 'undemocratic' government - what is really taking place is that Large multinationals from China, Japan, Canada (!), and the States, mostly mining companies and the like are involved in the overthrow of governments and funding major conflicts everywhere. What will happen is a party of peoples, say XYZ Liberation Army or somesuch, which may have 'valid ideals', will seek to take place of the present government in a particular country. They will appeal to certain, 'shady figures' who will offer funding-arms-equipment etc in exchange for favour with regards to that regions natural resources when the XYZ Liberation Army takes power."

Basically, "we will help put you in power if you give us the land rights (lease) for that mine". During this process, the leaders of the XYZ who are most 'corrupt' will have gravitated to the front of the organization, because they would be the ones who appeared to be able to deliver what the XYZ Liberation Army's members want: To transplant themselves (for possibly valid ideological reasons) with the present government.

This then leads to a situation where the next group -knowing how the present gov came to power (really in the above afore mentioned scenario)- seeks a new 'moneyed interest' to back them.

I dont have to bother describing what a cyclical problem this is. As a result 95% of the rent collected from leasing the natural resources to these companies goes into the military, to defend their position, and the people starve.

For the cynics who dont believe me? Next time you meet someone who is from Africa - ask them yourself... Can anyone who lived in Africa as adult comment please. I would also like some perspective & corroboration.

Solution: Abolish the WTO, IMF, WorldBank - these organizations are 'fronts' for multinational corporations who are trying to enslave Africa. Again. The 'rest of us' are next.

charity

[Anonymous Coward]

I know you've probably all seen this before, but now and then I get reminded start clicking again.

Check out the hunger site to donate food for the hungry at no cost to you (except for 3 seconds of your time and a few hundred bytes of bandwidth).

peace out...

How about EcoAccess....

[zumptia]

How about donating to ecoaccess.org, they are educational, helpful to the environment, they have a project on sourceforge, and they are reusing older computers by putting linux on them....

Re:What about the BSA

[PD]

You were lucky. A quick little search shows that not every atheist fares as well as you did.

Re:Rational charity

[Joe Decker]

The sad thing is, people are pretty stupid. They give donations to charities which advertise on TV or which seem hip or trendy (thereby paying for the salaries of marketing execs who make a living off starving kids).

Without arguing the 'stupid' comment, I do strongly believe in 'efficient' charities. When 90% of the donations to an organization go towards advertising and administrative costs, I have to ask if I can do more good with my money.

On the other hand, precise quantification can be hard. AIDSride is often decried as inefficient, but often by folks who miss the benefit of the awareness raising that group has done. We could debate how important that is today, but it's certainly a factor in any discussion of efficiency.

Moreover, if you pushed for absolute highest efficiency, you'd probably end up only dontating to very small grass-roots organizations. While I don't think there's anything wrong with that, certain types of chartitable organizations, such as medical research organizations, aren't very effective unless they reach a critical mass. That doesn't a priori make them a bad choice.

That having been said, the vast majority of my charitable giving currently goes to BAMM: Bay Area Model Mugging, which is an excellent example of an efficient and effective small organization. Ignoring the inevitable jokes about mugging models, I've seen BAMM make a significant, positive difference in the lives of several folks around me, and believe that the difference it's made on those people have had a positive effect on my own life as well.

Which brings us back to why I do it, why I give. I give becaue it makes me feel good. I'm not religous, I don't expect repayment, I simply do it because, in the end, it feels good.

--Joe

Re:Many organizations

[abischof]

You could also consider making a donation to Project Gutenberg, a non-profit organization that scans & OCRs out-of-copyright books/essays into free ASCII text.

PS For some reason, my links links aren't showing up in the comment-preview. In case the links still don't appear when the comment is posted, here's the main url for Project Gutenberg: http://www.promo.net/pg/

Alex Bischoff
---

Giving to Charity

[mjbou]

A UK based Charity, The Travellers' School Charitable Trust is looking for funding to take their 3 laptops, with Solar Charger setup, out onto the sites where travellers live, and to provide technical support for this see in USofA: http://www.travellers-school.vitrualave.net/ UK: http://www.travellers-school.org.uk/ Any donations gratefully accepted. We need better comunication equipment, and moblie phone and PCMCIA laptop phone cable from mailto:webmaster@travellers-school.co.uk aka mailto:webmaster@mikebouckley.net

Just Let Me Vent Here for a Minute

[Zeus72]

I asked this same question a month ago and it was declined. I suppose I should feel vindicated but I don't. I already blew the inheritance on stuff I don't care about as much. Ugh.

comic book legal defesne fund

[foodmike]

A great organization would be the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Besides protecting free speech for comic books they also delve into the video game violence vs. real violence debate, as well as censorship on the internet. Very strong advocates of the First Amendment in general.

-FM

supporting development of free operating systems

[bfields]

There was a good article last year from "Daemon News" about how to contribute to the development projects that you benefit from.--jbf

Re:Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (US-based)

[sconeu]

My parents do this. Good group.

Re:EFF is a political lobbying group, not a charit

[belroth]

This isn't a flame, but are Gates, Ellison, McNealy etc the sort of people whose interests are represented by the EFF? They are among the most affluent, esp. BG.
I was under the, possibly mistaken impression, that the EFF was against the sort of stupidity that will likely make the above even richer - DMCA,RIAA, MPAA etc

Asked in a spirit of curiosity, I'm not a (financial) supporter of the EFF as it is a US institution - not that I'm anti-US, but I don't live their either.
It seems the EFF is anti-censorship, pro-privacy, anti-spam etc. If this is political, what isn't?
Why shouldn't be food-aid seen as political, i.e. what isn't political? If Amnesty is regarded as political in places like China and Singapore, does this make it less of a charity in other countries?
----

EFF is a political lobbying group, not a charity

[Ars-Fartsica]

If you want to give to the EFF, please do so, but I humbly request that you do not preempt donations to the poor and needy to feed what is essentially a political lobbying organization, one that in fact represents the interests of the most affluent members of society.

you can donate food without sending money

[Technodummy]

http://www.thehungersite.com

You can click on the site to donate food, or spend some money and help a whole lot more

Re:What about the BSA

[CokeBear]

Don't forget that they are also anti-atheist. They went to court several years ago for the right to discriminate against atheists. The case involved a ten year old boy who refused to swear the part of the Scout oath which included God, since he didn't believe in God.

Personally, I think that any organization could benefit from the membership of a ten year old with enough strenth of character to refuse to swear falsely.

Re:EFF is a political lobbying group, not a charit

[Ars-Fartsica]

This isn't a flame, but are Gates, Ellison, McNealy etc the sort of people whose interests are represented by the EFF?

The EFF represents the technical class - who, by and large, are a youthful demographic with incomes far higher than the national average, and who tend to be more libertarian than other segments of society.

They represent a political agenda. If you support this agenda, support the EFF.

www.geekcorps.org

[theLunchLady]

Check out geekcorps.org. It's basically the peace corps but instead of agriculture they focus on starting 3rd world computer industries. The great part about the company is that it's still small and any contribution is bound to make a big impact.

www.geekcorps.org

I'm volunteering to work in Ghana for 3 months for them.

-j

Oxfam

[cameldrv]

I would highly recommend Oxfam which can be reached at www.oxfam.org or www.oxfamamerica.org for donations to the U.S. branch if that's where you live. Forget "geek" charities. If you want to give money and have it make a difference, how about spending it on people who REALLY need it. People are starving and in poverty all around the world, and small amounts of help can make a big difference in someone's life.

Charitable Causes

[Chanc_Gorkon]

This is something to think about. Yeah, there are some geek things that we can donate to, but not get a tax break (I doubt they'd give ya a tax break when donating to say Debian (yeah you can do that)).

Personally, I give to give and not for the tax break. My main charity is tax deductible (my church provides a nice little statement when you tithe, of course we have fallen off recently). I rarely give enough to make a difference on my taxes. Like I said, I give to give.

I am very careful on the organizations I give to. One example is the United Way. I no longer give to them because of a recent local snafu where one of the United Way execs embezzled a bunch of money. Same goes with one other organization in the area here ( I can't remmeber the name, nbut it was again several employees of the local chapter sponging off of the top.).

My church, on the other hand, uses the money as they see fit. Paying the pastors, money for drilling a well in India, Money for supporting our sister church in Saratov, Russia and money for a local ministry called A Better Way. A Better Way preaches the gospel to drug addicts, alcoholics and homeless people in the area. They do this in several ways...giving blankets to the homeless, bringing in presents to parents who have no money to provide gifts to their kids....the list goes on and on. Some people just take the gifts, others take them and change their ways and start attending church and learning the Bible. I don't want to sound too preachy here, but this makes me feel good whether I would get a tax break or not.

To me, if I were to pick a specific geek cause the EFF would be it because it has wider implications then the ones we all think about(specifically, how would it benefit the open source movement). Personally, I give to as many as I can. I am a sucker for kids selling stuff door to door because I had to do it too. I buy if I have money that is. I would much rather see people get fed or a kid go on a school trip then see an advancement in Linux, or Open Source (as much as I like and want to see Open Source succeed!). Linux and Open Source causes are good, but there are MANY more important charities out there. Sure, I would donate to Open Source, but it would not be the ONLY thing I donate to.

OT: RE: ...or to save your soul?

[Samrobb]

The only reason the motivation should matter, is the selfish Christian idea that the main purpose of charity is to save the soul of the giver, not to help the receiver.

Where to start?

First off, this is not a Christian idea... a Catholic idea, perhaps, and even then, an old one.

Now, charity is a very fundamental Christian principle. Not because it will "save your soul" - a Christian believes that there is only one way to "save your soul", and that is to accept Jesus Christ as your savior. Once a person has made that choice, the desire to live a Christian life is a reflection of a desire to live a life that embodies the ideals - love, forgiveness, charity - demonstrated by Jesus. No soul-saving involved.

For a Christian, charity is something you do, not because you have to, but because it is one small way in which you show your love and respect for your savior.

From the tone of your post, I strongly suspect you're not a religious individual - that's your right, and your choice. I am not trying to convince you (here, at least :-) that your beliefs are wrong. I just want to give you an idea of what a practicing Christian (not Catholic - Christian) believes his faith says about the subject of charity and salvation.

Re:OT: RE: ...or to save your soul?

[hawkfish]

As an Anglican (as opposed to Roman) Catholic, I have to say with you, "Where to start?"

Despite your apparent attempt to villify catholics for some reason (are you an American fundamentalist of some stripe?) your summary of the theology is pretty universal. I don't know where the original poster got this idea of charity being a way of buying your way into heaven, but the notion of grace being unearned is pretty fundamental. There have been various distortions of it over the years (Roman indulgances, and Calvinist work ethic to name two) but to say that Christians are charitable because they are saving their own soul is heretical (i.e. against accepted denominational teaching) in just about any sect I am aware of, including the Roman church.

Now there is a good argument to be made that one should try to discern where one's gifts are best used before doing anything, but this is just general good advice and I have heard the same argument from a Zen monk. On the other side of that coin is the argument that giving as a form of self-discipline will make you more charitable, but the motivation here is to bring your inner emotional life into line with your reason, not to earn anything. Grace motivates you to be more charitable.

And please don't claim that Roman Catholics are not Christians. I have no trouble accepting both them and you as fellow Christians. Despite the fact that the three of us would have some very spirited arguments on all sorts of topics (starting with biblical authority), the fact that we all accept the basic truth of what you describe gives us an awful lot in common.

Re:OT: RE: ...or to save your soul?

[belroth]

Nicely put, fellow Anglican!
I strongly suspect that Christans are a subset of Catholics, like they are a subset of Anglicans, Baptists etc.
Every denomination probably has it's habitual attenders as well as believers, and not all Christians are members of a 'recognised' denomination.

I agree with you about the 'spirited arguments' - my, we could have fun!
----

Re:OT: RE: ...or to save your soul?

[Samrobb]

Despite your apparent attempt to villify catholics for some reason (are you an American fundamentalist of some stripe?)

I meant no offense, nor had any intent to villify Catholics of any stripe (Roman, Anglican, or otherwise). I did indicate that the Catholic idea of salvation through "charity" (indulgences) was an old idea. Looking back, I realize that using "an old one (idea)" to indicate that the concept was no longer practiced realy wasn't clear. My apologies. And yes, I am an American fundamentalist (Baptist), though comparatively, a rather subdued one :-)

And please don't claim that Roman Catholics are not Christians.

Wouldn't dream of it. The converse is not neccesarily true, though, and non-Christians tend to think that Christian == Catholic for some reason, which can be more than a little annoying.

Again, my apologies for any perceived mischaracterizations of Catholicism. I'm glad to hear that I was clearer on the issues of faith and charity than I was on the other points.

Software in the Public Interest

[Baloo Ursidae]

I'm amazed nobody has considered giving to Software in the Public Interest. Support open hardware and Debian at the same time!

Helping youths become geeks

[Lesson1]

i.c. stars
From their site:
Providing IT opportunities for inner-city youth i.c.stars provides opportunities for inner-city young adults to harness the strength of the Internet economy for social and economic empowerment. By integrating technology training and leadership development, i.c.stars is shaping the next generation of Internet professionals.

Re:... to feed the hungry or to save your soul?

[Grond]

"> charity is something you should do because you
> want to

I find this line of reasoning disgusting. "

Oh come off it man. How can you think that the idea that charity should be voluntary is 'disgusting?'

"This Christian mindset causes an unknown amount of tradegy (sic) every year, when followers of it fight the use of alternative efficient motivations for giving charity. Only charity given "for (sic) the goodness of the heart" is valuable in saving the givers soul."

Check it: nearly all Christian charity organizations (even missionaries) give to all people, irregardless of whether or not they are or become a Christian. Any that would not need to read the Bible a little more.
As far as motivation 'mattering' goes, well, in a sense it does. After all, which is better: giving to a poor child because he is poor or giving to a poor child because then his attractive sister will be more likely to date you? Obviously one is charitable and the other is sickly manipulative.
However, that has nothing to do with anybody's soul (at least not directly). As a Christian, I don't condemn those who give for essentially selfish reasons (like corps who give to enter a lower tax bracket), but I do consider it a plus if the giving is 'from the heart,' as would most people, I should think.

And as for your 'saving the givers' soul reasoning...it's pure bull. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible about charity or giving being necessary for (or even contributing towards) getting to Heaven.

So, anyway, check your facts and maybe consult some actual Christians before spouting off about the 'Christian mindset.'

Re:How 'bout SUHDCB

[_xeno_]

Finally! An excuse to buy a 25" monitor! I'm not just being greedy, I'm helping some poor, helpless burnt-out dotcommer!

Re:So you rate money higher than altruism?

[nojomofo]

Exactly. It undoubtedly makes this person feel good to help someone else, and that's why he/she does it. Much like the "Friends" episode where Phoebe tries to do something nice just because it's nice - not because it makes her feel good. She can't.

Amnesty International ; Doctors Without Borders

[billstewart]

There are a number of groups working against government terrorism and torture and trying to stop the damage from wars.
Medecins sans Frontieres, aka Doctors Without Borders" is an international medical relief group. The Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines is a related organization.

Heifer Project International

[Biederdude]

http://www.heifer.org/ Not very geeky, until you consider the viral nature of the concept. Give underpriveleged people a self-replicating source of both food and income (everything from rabbits to chickens to llamas), training in the care of the animals, and a promise to pass along the offspring to others in the community (just how do you enclose a water buffalo as an Outlook attachment?...) Cool concept, even if I don't usually give to religious charities, this one just made so much sense...

How about Debian

[bschramm]

Debian works from the GNU spirit and does not sell anything to make any money from. They have needs for more machines, and anything else they can get their hands on. I feal that is the best one out there.

No one else will support geek causes.

[Squirrel Killer]

Could it be that geeks know that charities which support geek causes go underfunded? Or maybe they realize that many of the reasons for recent famines in Africa are not monetary or agricultral but political? Maybe they feel that the large portion of their paycheck which goes to the government has been supposedly allocated in part to the homeless.

Someone wants to give money away. It's just like /. to make him feel like an ass for wanting to do so. Let the guy give money to whoever he wants. There have been many excellent suggestions here, but I find these busybodies who demand that he save the world are out of line.

-sk

Geek charaties aren't worthy charities

[Ian01]

My God, you can either donate money to people who are STARVING TO DEATH, or, you can donate money to people who need computers... Really tough choice...

I second the SETI Institute!

[Morocco Mole]

I recommend these charities that I too support: - The San Diego Zoo - NPR Radio - SETI --Richard

Disgusting debate positions

[Squirrel Killer]

Dan,

What Per Abrahamsen found disgusting was not the reason for giving, but the claim that your reason for giving is the only "legitimate" reason. What's disgusting is that you discourage charity unless it meets your requirement for the reason behind it.

I, personally, find it disgusting that you, as well as others here, disparage donations to causes for the sole reason that the cause isn't saving starving kids in Africa. People desire to support different things. That is not wrong, it just shows different priorities. Some people realize that many of the starvation problems in Africa are moreso politically generated than they are agricultral.

I support Habitat for Humanity, and I'll be damned if someone tells me that my support of that charity is worthless because I'm not saving lives.

-sk

Re:Many organizations

[jcoleman]

I would hardly consider an open source project/promoter "charity." (Not to mention that you wouldn't get a tax break) The EFF is about as close as you could come to a "geek charity."

Donate a few bucks to cure cancer or AIDS, save the rainforests, or help some kids in the ghetto. That would really help the world.

Did you ever notice that you never hear of a "Save the Deserts" charity?

Re:Education produces the geeks of tomorrow

[Darby]

How about a donation to the "Get Slashdot moderators off of crack" fund?
I almost spit iced tea out my nose reading this comment and some loser marked it flamebait. Sheesh.


---CONFLICT!!---

Re:What about the BSA (Wandering quite OT)

[Dannon]

You would find it harder to find a rational argument for respect of god.

That is why I do not try. Nevertheless, there are more learned people than I who have addressed this very question. Whether you believe in God or not, you may find C.S. Lewis's 'Mere Christianity' to be a good read. The first section deals with this topic. Whether you agree with his views or not is up to you, of course, but even if you don't, you may find it insightful and thought-provoking. It never hurts to know more about what you're disagreeing with.

Your argument that tolerance should be all encompassing, even to criminals, is unsupported.

My argument is, in fact, that tolerance should -not- be all encompassing, especially with regard to criminals. And most especially with regard to criminals who commit crimes of inhuman cruelty. If you commit a crime, it is only right that you pay for it.

Nevertheless, I can remain courteous and polite to a murderer any time I wish, not insulting him (and if he's the one with the gun, it may be quite wise.) Even if I'm calling the cops on him, I shall treat him as a fellow human being. I can put on a friendly face to a person even if I find them utterly disgusting. And even the worst of situations can be made tolerable, if not actually better, by a bit of stubborn refusal to be uncheerful. But any point added to the Scout Law would have to be all-encompassing. I may be too human to follow the Law every single moment, but it should be a worthy thing to try.

As for adding a New Point to the Scout Law... well, how's about visiting old Merriam-Webster again...

tolerant
Function: adjective
1 : inclined to tolerate; especially : marked by forbearance or endurance
2 : exhibiting tolerance (as for a drug or an environmental factor)

I assume the first meaning is the one that's important to you (although as anyone who's been on those cold camping trips can tell you, the second can be a nice bonus!). The problem is, there are some situations when a Scout should not merely endure. A Scout is Brave. Brave to stand up for the needs of the minority when it is unpopular to do so, Brave enough to speak the truth when it would be easy not to, Brave enough to give his life to save another if need be.

Tolerance is a noble trait in many situations, but it cannot be all-encompassing. The Scout Law names qualities that are all-encompassing and worth aspiring to, whether we are able to actually achieve those aspirations every second of every day or not.

---

Re:What about the BSA (Wandering quite OT)

[PD]

1) CS Lewis' arguments are faulty. I definitely did not find him to be a good read.

2) Putting on a friendly face to a murderer isn't friendly. It's ... ummmm .... two-faced. I notice that "honest" is not one of the words on the list.

3) You minimize the importance of tolerance too much. Tolerance is the basis of freedom. Nobody said you have to be tolerant to murderers, and to claim that tolerance should be excluded from the list on that basis (which is what you claimed despite your denial above) is completely bogus. Tolerate everything that does not abridge your freedom. If a gay or atheist kid wants to be a scout, does that prevent you from being straight and religious?

Re:What about the BSA (Wandering quite OT)

[Dannon]

I get the feeling I should mention, I don't think this isn't exactly an argument that has an objective, scientifically provable 'right' or 'wrong' answer, and I must apologize... I do tend to argue sometimes just for the sake of trying to see both sides myself. I've enjoyed this discussion we've had so far, really.

1) Well, you've got your favorite writers, I've got mine. I personally have trouble getting into anything written by Ayn Rand, though I know she's considered by some to be an influential philosophical writer.

2) Whoever said I was putting a friendly face on a murderer? I'm putting the friendly, or perhaps I should say, civil, face on myself.

3) Try this on for size. Tolerance ain't enough to ensure freedom. Love for one's fellow human beings is needed. A strong enough love to fight for the rights of others even if you gain no benefit. Which sounds better: A Scout Tolerates (or puts up with) his fellow human beings, or A Scout Truly Cares for his fellow human beings? True, in order to truly care for someone, you need to tolerate them... but there's a little bit of an 'extra mile' thing going on with Caring.

Anyhow, again... I've enjoyed this discussion, and I don't mean in a demeaning way. I've found it thought-provoking, challenging to my own views, and that's something I like. I do my best philisophical thinking in a 'debate' situation. I'm hoping I've returned the favor, by giving you something worth chewing over. If you don't like it, well, the great thing is, you don't have to agree with me. Thank God (if he exists) for Freedom of Thought. You may be right, I may be wrong, there's no way to know in this lifetime. Heck, we may both be right -and- wrong.

And thank you for considering me worthy of continued response. I've gained a healthy respect for you through our discussion, PD. Whether I agree with you or not, your beliefs are well-grounded, and you hold them well.
---

I was a Scout, but...

[StandardDeviant]

I was involved in the BSA from an early age. I made it to Life (the rank immeadiately below Eagle, which most people are more familiar with ;-) ) by the time I was 16. (Then I went to college and got too busy to do anything BSA related, but that's a different story.)

I can't say today that I would support them. I do think that they can teach a young boy/man good things, but I can not forgive them for the reactionary tack they've taken in recent years (``We can discriminate against anyone we don't like.'' which while legally correct (they're a private club) is morally wrong).

In an ideal world the BSA would be a forum for a young boy of any background to feel welcomed and nurtured so that they can grow into the best man they can be; sadly at this time I don't think the BSA has attained that ideal.

--

Landmine Clearance - Minerats project, EUDEM

[billstewart]

I don't know if the Minerats Project is still active, but John Walker was promoting development of cheap robots for detecting and clearing land mines.

EUDEM - The European Union in Humanitarian DEMining is another anti-landmine group, which provides a clearinghouse for technical information.

more ideas

[piperd]

Somewhat related to the EFF is EPIC (The Electronic Privacy Information Center) at http://www.epic.org. They do cool thinks like sue the FBI under the FOIA. On the environmental side, both the Cheetah Conservation Fund (http://www.cheetah.org) and The Sierra Club (http://www.sierraclub.org) do good things for the world.

scene.org

[kinnunen]

After 5 years of serving the demoscene community, we have run into a few problems. Like the Hornet archive, the Scene.org archive is growing exponentially and therefore, the demand on our system is also getting higher and higher. In the past few years, we always were able to solve these problems internally by finding staff members willing to invest in upgrading the system. Unfortunately, the volunteers that help run the archive can't do it themselves anymore. This is why we are asking you, our users, to help us.

How can you help?

• You can help by donating money to scene.org. All money will go into upgrading the archive, and will allow us to improve our services to you and the rest of the scene.
• We are also looking for corporate sponsors. The return on a sponsorship involves advertising the company on the archive. This is an ideal method for a company to reach a global potential customer base of young, talented and motivated people in the computer and design business.
• Thirdly, we are looking for mirrors for our archive. Mirrors help us with lowering the demand on our main server and improve the availability of the archive around the world.

</longquote>

If you dont know what scene.org is about, you're missing out. Check it out.

--

Re:What about the BSA

[bugg]

I couldn't agree with you more. While we're at it, let's keep all of the Jews, Blacks, and Hispanics out too. We wouldn't want the issue of genocide brought up, and we wouldn't want the issue of slavery or oppression brought up. These kids are too young for that.

Also, we all know that while there are bad Whites and good Blacks/Hispanics/Jews, we wouldn't want to risk it and let them in. After all, our mantra is Be Prepared; so let's ban everyone who isn't like us. Heck, let's deport them! Be Prepared against Blacks/Hispanics overpowering us!

Re:What about the BSA (Wandering quite OT)

[PD]

Responding to your points by number:

1) You're absolutely right about that. If you make a claim about a god then there must be extraordinary evidence to back it up. Atheists make no claims about the existence of god, and therefore need no evidence.

2) You twisted what I said. I will say it more clearly. If you smile at a murderer, you are two-faced. If you present a cheerful face to a murderer, you are dishonest.

3) You are absolutely right that tolerance isn't enough for freedom. Notice that I would not remove any words from the list of what a scout is. I would only add the word 'tolerant' which I think is essential. Tolerance is the core of the 1st ammendment which says that we all have the freedom to say what we want to, and worship or not worship in any way we want to.

Thanks for the compliments. My beliefs are well grounded because they have been arrived at through careful thought. I was once in the exact position that you are in right now - A believer, much more conservative than I am today. Keep arguing with atheists and see where it takes you!

Surely the vast majority of geeks are loaded?

[Kiss the Blade]

So why do we need a charity for the most spoiled sector of the population?

Jesus, what's wrong with Ethiopians and stuff?

KTB:Lover, Poet, Artiste, Aesthete, Programmer.

Re:Surely the vast majority of geeks are loaded?

[systmc]

How about donating to a charity that provides Ethiopians with radios, computers, etc? I've seen a few organizations that take perfectly fine 'obsolete' equipment over to such areas, though unfortunately I don't have the foggiest idea of any of org's names.

Re:Surely the vast majority of geeks are loaded?

[20000hitpoints]

This is exactly what I was going to say.

A viable charity? How about: "help out the jock who made fun of you in 8th grade and is now working in a sandwich shop"

Re:Surely the vast majority of geeks are loaded?

[glgraca]

Exactly. Donate to some org that has educational programs for poor kids. This way you can help them become geeks.

Re:Surely the vast majority of geeks are loaded?

[Blue Neon Head]

No kidding. I always thought the primary source of geek charity was stupid tech IPOs ...

Re:Surely the vast majority of geeks are loaded?

[DrQu xum]

I won't be loaded until my $24k of student loans are paid off.

On-topic: Does the UF Project for Humanity still exist?

Also on-topic: My alma mater, Westminster College, regularly gave all the aged & retired 486s to Lawrence County HeadStart. Now all the little kids in New Castle, PA will know the phrase "This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down" by heart.

"See kids? It's okay to make mistakes -- this computer makes mistakes all the time!"

WC wouldn't let me pre-install FreeBSD before they sent them out. :(

Thus sprach DrQu+xum, SID=218745.

Re:Surely the vast majority of geeks are loaded?

[JurriAlt137n]

Why, aren't there enough of us already? Are you aware that every new geek diminishes your chances at a job?

Note to moderators, taking this post seriously is about as stupid as donating to the "Help Bill Gates through the Winter" charity, OK?

Re:Surely the vast majority of geeks are loaded?

[FFFish]

Yes. How about donating to http://www.heifer.org/ -- they have a phenomenally low overhead-to-help ratio. Unlike most "charity" organizations, it appears that Heifer actually puts most of its money toward the poor, instead of lining management's pockets.


--

Re:Surely the vast majority of geeks are loaded?

[WarrenMcA]

Absolutely - sure 'geek charity' is a contradiction in terms?

Re:... to feed the hungry or to save your soul?

[aggressivepedestrian]

Spend a little time in the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa and you will realize that the folks there really don't give a damn about intellectual property rights. They are much more concerned about whether or not the harvest in the wet season will last through the dry season. To suggest that a donation to the EFF will do more for poor people than direct charities is, I believe, a little naive.

Re:Why not electronic toys to poor children?

[bugg]

I'm sure the starving children throughout the world prefer a Furby to parents, love, food, or shelter. That's a cop-out gift.

And don't get me started on people who help the poor once (or maybe twice) a year: Thanksgiving, and to a lesser extent, Christmas.

Question about taxes - please respond if you know

[Xerithane]

If you donate to a charity, how much of that is tax deductable and of what bracket of tax (State or Federal) -- I owe a lot every year, and I would rather pay a charity a few thousand than the Government which already is getting enough of my money. What is the process for this and how do I set it up? Any accountant advice is welcome, as I'm a dork and make too much money and have no accountant nor any knowledge about this stuff - qualified urls also very welcome. And yes, I am setting up something with an accountant, but it's hard to find good accountants in this area that dont charge more for their services than you owe in taxes.

Motivations and actions

[Per Abrahamsen]

> But how can you claim that it is disgusting for > people to want to help people less well off
> than themselves?

Why do *you* want to let starving children die? I never expressed disgust of *anyones* motivation for helping other people, it be either altruism or money. *You* were the one that said some motivations fopr helping others were "wrong". *That* is the kind of thinking that is disgusting.

> And where did Christianity come into all of > this?

Christian culture is the unique in putting more value in *motivations* than in *actions*.

> Sorry, but when I give to charity it is because
> it will help someone else, and the fact that I
> feel good is incidental.

Good, I'm glad that you choose to help others, and I do not care what your motivation for doing so is. I just wish you would stop telling other people which motivations are "right" or "wrong". Motivations are neither, only actions count (except for Christians, for whom motivations may save their souls).

> You don't seem to mind people getting money for
> it, but you do mind people feeling good about > it.

No, I'm happy whatever peoples motivations are.

> Free software really isn't that important.

I'm talking about interlectual property in general. Feeding a hungry man help him. This is good, but in only last a day. Fighting in the WTO for fair trade agreements will help him and his fellow countrymen to feed themselves. Fighting against the creation of an IP aristocracy will help his children to one day live in a country that redo what Japan and the SE asians tigers did, enter the high-tech world by copying and improving existing techonology.

The Center for the Study of Technology and Society

[ATKeiper]

The think tank I started in 1999, the Center for the Study of Technology and Society, is a nonprofit organization that accepts charitable donations. We're a nonpartisan group that studies the social implications of advancing technology.

We are still getting on our feet, so you can be sure that any donation you send our way, no matter how small, will mean a great deal to us.

You can check out our Web page here: http://www.tecsoc.org .

If you are interested in helping our organization, or if you just want more information, please feel free to drop me a line at adam@tecsoc.org.

Thanks for your time, and for the many kind messages we've received from Slashdot visitors in the past year.

Yours,
Adam Keiper
The Center for the Study of Technology and Society
Washington, D.C.

UK Charities

[rleyton]

I couldn't comment on any specific geek charities per se, but UK residents may be interested in allaboutgiving.org - which gives lots of info about available charities.

You can also sign up for apply for a Charity Card - which allows you to donate online.

In my experience, it's the easiest and most tax-efficient way of giving to charity in the UK.

SPI

[gregbaker]

Software in the Public Interest. They are the parent organization of Debian, Gnome, Berlin and the Open Source Initiative.

Greg

Re:SPI

[shallot]

SPI, meaning "Software in the Public Interest", is a non-profit (501 (c)) organization that collects funds for popular Free Software projects such as Debian, Berlin and GNOME. SPI accepts all sorts of donations, and in all sorts of different ways.

Yeah, you could have just clicked on the link in the previous post, but I felt it would be better to elaborate a bit. :)

The link

[voidzero]

Sally Struthers Asks You to Save the Dot-Coms

Re:Rational charity

[Hard_Code]

Is it wrong for him to want to promote technology (which may improve society and thus save lives indirectly) rather than save a life?

Well, that's really the main question. I think in itself, it is at best a tenuous position that technology improves society and/or saves lives indirectly. One could argue that technology has done much more harm then good. Of course as geeks our basic assumption is the technology is the greatest thing on earth and will eventual cure all problems if we just give it time. Personally I would rather save somebody now than throw my money at technology and hope it will do something in the future. Whether Goldstein wins the DeCSS, or whether we finally get large cheap flat LCD screens, millions of people will still be illiterate, diseased, starving, dead or dying, tomorrow.

No, giving to different charities is not mutually exclusive, but if your goal really is to do the most people the most good, then I bet it would be best to give to the traditional feed-the-starving, house-the-homeless, cure-the-diseased type of charities.

How 'bout SUHDCB

[ayjay29]

How 'bout SUHDCB (Support for Unemployed Homeless Dot Com Burnouts).

Only six months ago they were living in luxury accommodation, driving Ferraris and eating and drinking in the finest restaurants and nightclubs. This Christmas many of them will be living in a cardboard 25" monitor box (if they are lucky...). While we can't offer the millions that the venture capitalists used to fund them with, we can help to make a difference to their lives.

Please give generously. (Any 25" monitor boxes welcome).

Re:None

[Dannon]

Well, let me preface this by saying that I hate most humans.

I feel for you, man. Check out my .sig. There are good folks out there, but it's the bad apples that ruin the bunch.

I really don't care about helping the homeless in the U.S., because most of these jokers are too lazy to go get a job.

Hear hear. Our welfare system is a horrid mess that allows lazy bums to make a living by being lazy bums. Now there are good, honest folk out there who are simply down on their luck, but they're horridly outnumbered by other guys who simply want a buck without earning it. I live in a Big City with plenty of them, and have seen no shortage of folks on the street with signs. One which comes to memory: 'I won't lie, I need a beer.'

Also, I don't like to give to big organizations like the United Way.

It really is tough to know where your money is going with these big organizations. Almost as bad as the government's welfare. I like donating canned foods and Toys for Tots, because it's Really, Really Hard to 'skim' from donations like these. And, when I do give money, I give it to groups I trust will make good use of it. Local groups especially.

If you come to my door when I am eating supper, invite yourself in my apartment, then tell me I have to donate so you can win a prize of getting the most donations, I will refuse to give a single red cent.

Ugh. I don't blame you. If some guy comes knocking at my door at a reasonable hour collecting canned goods, well, I've always got an extra can of soup somewhere. Pushiness is just rude, though. You shouldn't have to 'sell' charity.

I would say mostly people donate out of stupidity, ignorance, tax cuts, and guilt.

Cynical, but unfortunately, too close to truth. You're right: A little bit of research does go a long way. As does a bit of Effort in place of Money. There are three resources one can draw upon in giving: Time, Talent, and Treasure. All too often, the first two are neglected.

A few other 'good things to do' which cost nothing: It takes less than an hour to donate blood when the Red Cross comes around, only two hours to donate platelets, and either donation will save lives within 48 hours, with nothing out of the wallet, plus you get a free physical checkup out of the deal, and cookies. Building Homes for Humanity or some similar project one Saturday every now and again is good for the muscles (especially important for us Geeks sitting around all day).

Finally, by helping out your local Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts/Other Youth-Helping Organization/School Program, you may be helping to slightly raise the number of non-idiots in the world. Pick one with views you can agree with, there are plenty to choose from. Interesting Fact: Lord Baden-Powell considered an extra point to the Scout Law, 'A Scout Is Not A Fool', but thought it redundant.
---

Re:Rational charity

[valmont]

I agree, an ex-girlfriend of mine took some intense courses with BAMM and it really helped her fight a lot of traumas she's had since her adolescence. I went to the graduation ceremony and it was, indeed, quite impressive what they taught these women to efficiently defend themselves and not be victims anymore. This type of coursework should really become part of highschool and college programs.

Re:EFF is a political lobbying group, not a charit

[PhilHibbs]

They don't just represent rich sysadmins. They represent anyone who wants to be able to walk into a library and read potentially contravercial information on the net, with their privacy intact. This includes the homeless, students, minimum wagers, political activists, and revolutionaries. And if you don't like revolutionaries, remember that your country was founded by them. (I'm taking a statistical chance that you're American, appologies if you're not.) Yes, they lobby the legislators, but so do many other charitable organisations.

Many organizations

[buttfucker2000]

Obviously it depends on your personal preferences, but you could try:

the FSF: donate here
KDE: contacts here

other projects as you use them; e.g., netbsd, openbsd, Apache, XFree86.

Or just donate computers to Africa or somewhere.

Re:Many organizations

[Baldybits]

We dont eat computers.

I'm sorry

[Abstinent Whore]

I know there have been a lot of posts on people's sigs, but I find yours especially... I don't know. I believe a hacker is not someone who *breaks into* computer systems, but simply someone who loves computers and wants to know/learn everything he/she can about them. Your image of a hacker seems to be that of the media, an evil evil person that belongs in jail. Plus, lots of the 'hackers' you hear about going to jail or w/e are just script kiddies that fucked up because they didn't know what the hell they were doing when they wanted to bring down major sites for no apparent reason. Please change your sig. I know there are other people out there that feel the same way I do, because I have been corrected several times, before I starting calling myself a hacker. Thank you.

Re:Against Libertarianism!

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree with the moderator that your post is just flamebait, but for the sake of those watching I should point out that charitable donations are very much inline with the libertarian platform. Indeed, it's how the Libertarians intend to do away with welfare. It's against Objectivism, but objectivists are nutty.

But teach a man to fish...

[Per Abrahamsen]

> I very much doubt that a poor kid somewhere
> unsure where their next meal is coming from
> gives a flying fuck about whether software is
> free or proprietary.

He probably don't, but the world power structures determine whether his children may one day participate in an economic miracle like what happened to the SE Asian countries. IP will play a major role in these power structures in this century.

Ham Radio Clubs

[jon_adair]

Find a nearby ham radio club that actually does something like teach classes, visit schools, work with scouts, do disaster work, etc. They can always put money to good use like buying electronic kits for kids to build.

Re:Helping.org = AOL

[Moofie]

AOL owns everything. Didn't you get the memo?

And, if they're doing good (which they do, occasionally) they should be supported in doing those good things. It's called positive behavior modification. Not that it WORKS or anything, but it's good in principle. Think about it. If you've got a huge vicious dog and you beat it whenever it does ANYTHING, bad OR good, you're certainly not going to make it less vicious. It might tear your arm off, though, and that'd wreck your whole afternoon.

Re:Helping.org = AOL

[lizrd]

By your logic Microsoft is owned by NSI.
Domain Name: MICROSOFT.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, INC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: DNS4.CP.MSFT.NET
Name Server: DNS5.CP.MSFT.NET
Name Server: DNS7.CP.MSFT.NET
Name Server: DNS6.CP.MSFT.NET
Updated Date: 29-sep-2000

as are Red Hat and /.

Domain Name: REDHAT.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, INC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: NS2.REDHAT.COM
Name Server: NS1.REDHAT.COM
Updated Date: 13-nov-2000

Domain Name: SLASHDOT.ORG
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, INC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: NS1.ANDOVER.NET
Name Server: NS2.ANDOVER.NET
Updated Date: 08-feb-2000

All that the Registrar line says is who got paid to register that domain name. The information you posted only indicated to me that AOL registered their domain name and hosts the site. Now, as it happens they are affiliated with AOL as can be seen here.
_____________

Computers4Kids

[waldoj]

Here in Charlottesville, there's an organization called Computers4Kids that I've been volunteering with for the last couple of weeks. They take donated computer parts (mostly getting low-end Pentiums, 100-166MHz systems), and volunteers turn them into functional, solid machines. They're then given to children in low-income families that need computers for school. C4K even has a training lab and mentors to help teach the kids how to use their systems.

There's no on-line cash donation system. (The cost of the e-commerce system, merchant account, CyberCash, etc., would be a little pricy.) But there is an address at the bottom of the front page of the site where a check or computer parts could be mailed.

It's a good geek charity -- computer related, helps needy children, easy to donate something you might already have, but feels worthless to you. (That 2-year-old 3DFx or that ancient 800MB drive.) Computers4Kids may not be as worthy as starving children in Ethopia, but the program sure means a lot to the kids that it helps.

-Waldo

Re:Computers4Kids

[hlva]

On a related line, there are a lot of computer recycling organizations out there, such as Oberlin College's OCRP, you might try to find one near you. PEP National Directory of Computer Recycling Programs claims to have a fairly complete list.

Also there's the arsDigita Foundation which sponsers a prize for web service designed by high school age students and aDUni, a tution free computer science program. (Since I am an aDUni, this is a bit of shameless begging/advertising, but so far it has proven itself a very worthwhile program.)

Re:EFF is a political lobbying group, not a charit

[belroth]

I'm not in the US, so I won't support the EFF.

But how does their opposition to spam, censorship and the opposition to the RIAA/MPAA etc show any representation of only the technical class? Surely this will benefit the public, who are much less clued up about these issues than technocrats?

I don't disagree that the EFF is run by technocrats and is primarily concerned with subjects of concern to them, but I don't see these issues as promoting the technocrats, over others. Most of the issues taken up by the EFF will affect the AOLuser, opposing the RIAA/MPAA in particular would benefit joe sixpack who wouldn't have to buy several more copies of things he'd already bought - this is more of an issue to those on lower incomes, surely?

This isn't to say I think the EFF is more worthy than charities that distribute food to the starving, quite the opposite, but I still don't agree that they are a technocrats interest political party. I think that the FSF is far more deserving of a political tag. In my view there may be political elements to what the EFF does, but you can say the same about Amnesty in Singapore or any direct action charity (food to the starving in a warzone) - my point was anything is political if you want it to be.
----

www.giftcultureclub.com

[blacksqr]

May I suggest a site I've just set up called The Gift Culture Club. Rather than ask you for money, it allows you to accumulate affiliate rebates from all the online purchases you're going to make this season, and route them to deserving open source related organizations and persons (and maybe a little to yourself).

The site is at: http://www.giftcultureclub.com

I've just put the site up this week, comments are welcome.

Steve Huntley
gcc@giftcultureclub.com

How very tragic

[Dan Hayes]

Firstly, charity is something you should do because you want to, not because it allows you to save some money from the taxman. The idea of charity is not to provide affluent geeks with a ready-made tax break, it's to raise money for good causes.

Secondly, if you're really interested in donating to charity, at least make it one that really helps people in need, not one that at the end of the day, accomplishes very little in the grand scheme of things. There are starving children in Africa, victims of ethnic cleansing in Montenegro, children forced into prostitution across the globe and countless other causes that accomplish real good for millions of people.

I think it's tragic that charity is only considered to be useful as a tax dodge, and that even then it's more "geek chic" to promote the EFF than the hundreds of charities genuinely improving people's lives.

Re:How very tragic

[ari_j]

... let's spend our lives posting to /. in the general assumption until we die in the sure knowledge that we have made no impact whatsoever on the world as we know it...

Anyone as insightful and observant at the same time as yourself has exactly one effective way to make an impact on the world: Jump from a very high cliff and hope that you hit hard enough to make a dent.

...slightly more happy for a little while...

I'm not even going to comment on the first part of this paragraph, because you'd probably miss important little details such as nonexistant HTML tags that entirely change my meaning. But I will say a few things. If you're homeless, there are better ways out than begging. "Beggars can't be choosers", but they tend to be. And, in general, they continue harrassing anyone that gives them a penny for the rest of the dollar. I wish that this weren't true, but every time I've gone anywhere and tried to be generous to homeless people, it's had the same results. And that penny isn't even tax-deductible. So not only are you paying for someone else to stay too drunk or stoned to feel the cold, you are also paying their taxes for them as well. There are better ways. "Will work for food." Try "will work for money", and carry it over to Job Service. They may be mean, but you'll be inside a warm place where you're welcome for at least an hour, and you'll more than likely end up with a job that can at least keep you in a dry cardboard box, if not someplace better.

Re:How very tragic

[JurriAlt137n]

Firstly, charity is something you should do because you want to, not because it allows you to save some money from the taxman.

Or you could say that giving money to charity in order to prevent it from going to the state is making the choice of spending your money on food instead of weapons...

Re:How very tragic

[JurriAlt137n]

You're either trolling or preaching to the choire. Yeah, yeah, the world is a bad place. Yeah, yeah, there's nothing we can do about it. Yeah, yeah, let's spend our lives posting to /. in the general assumption until we die in the sure knowledge that we have made no impact whatsoever on the world as we know it.

There's just one thing that puzzles me about your post. Is it supposed to depress me enough to shoot myself, or do you want me to become angry enough to come over to shoot you? Now if you'll just excuse me, some of us still live under the illusion that giving a homeless person his first meal in two weeks might actually make that person feel slightly more happy for a little while...

Re:How very tragic

[Jonathan]

On the surface, giving money to traditional charities seems much more worthy -- they deal with life and death situations, after all. However, upon reflection, they may in fact be less worthy because starvation, ethnic cleansing etc., are not in fact the result of lack of money but the result of corrupt bigoted governments. Giving money has essentially no effect on the situation because the corrupt governments will never let the aid get to the people who need it. In the modern age, "famines" are generally artificial and are weapons that governments use against their own people. What the oppressed people need in such countries is revolution, not charity.

On the other hand, giving money to the EFF (or the World Wildlife Fund, etc.) can be more effective, because while their goals maybe seem less important than stopping starvation, their goals are of the type that can be accomplished by the hiring of lobbyists and lawyers -- and that *is* just a matter of money.

Re:How very tragic

[biohazard99]

but he would be just as greatful for a big bottle of cheap wine

Re:How very tragic

[JurriAlt137n]

You're one of those persons who walks around the block if you see a bum? Not all homeless people are alcoholics, smart ass.

Re:How very tragic

[nabucco]

There's an old socialist idea that charity is a bad thing. There are many reasons for this, including that charity just patches up problems in stead of fixing them, and de-motivates people from helping themselves, which includes people who are oppressed. The fact that Republicans are always saying social programs should be replaced by charity, drives the point home, as it is the exact opposite of the leftist idea. The fact that, as the poster says, it is largely a tax dodge nowadays (in addition to be able to say you're giving back to the community) further drives it home. Or the Phillip Morris ads where they show Phillip Morris employees helping an old lady, or "they stopped making beer and bottled water?" or teach little black kids and whatnot - they neglect to mention that they're selling a product that they know to kill millions of people a year, and are now selling it abroad without warning labels. You'll never see that in their commercials though - I feel like barfing every time I see a commercial from a Fortune 500 company trying to convince me what loving, great people they are. Hype your toilet paper and macaroni and shut up.

Re:How very tragic

[biohazard99]

Sorry, personal experience leads me to believe otherwise. I have a great uncle who will not come home, despite the offers to give him a home and treatment for his problems

Re:How very tragic

[JurriAlt137n]

OK, so you know a person who is both an alcoholic and homeless. I can understand that this colors your opinion somewhat. I used to be homeless and I've never had any alcoholical behaviour. At least that changes the statistics to 50%...

Re:... to feed the hungry or to save your soul?

[Per Abrahamsen]

> How can you think that the idea that charity
> should be voluntary is 'disgusting?'

That is not what I say. What I find disgusting is the condemnation of giving charity for the "wrong" reasons (tax-cut, prestige, TV time, whatever). Remember, the person I replied to called these reasons a _tradegy_, not less.

> After all, which is better: giving to a poor
> child because he is poor or giving to a poor
> child because then his attractive sister will
> be more likely to date you? Obviously one is
> charitable and the other is sickly manipulative.
With regard to the child, both reasons are equally valid. With regard to his sister, one action may be deceptive. I don't think deception is a good basis for a relationsship. If it is *not* deceptive, the action may be closer to prostitution than charity.

> As a Christian, I don't condemn those who give
> for essentially selfish reasons (like corps who
> give to enter a lower tax bracket), but I do
> consider it a plus if the giving is 'from the
> heart,' as would most people, I should think.

I'm glad you don't condemn selfish charity, which is my main point. That you are extra happy to see signs that another soul is closer to salvation doen't bother me. That most (western) people care about motivation is because most western people have been brought up in a christian culture, no matter what their personal belief are.

> So, anyway, check your facts and maybe consult
> some actual Christians before spouting off about
> the 'Christian mindset.'

So far, all the Christians who have answered, including you, have confirmed my assertion that Christanity promoted judging *motivations* instead of *actions*.

Here you go

[Signal 111]

Try these links on for size:

http://209.15.162.75/charity/geek-charity.htm
http://www.techtv.com/bigthinkers/thisweeksbigthin ker/story/0,6917,2470817,00.html

Re:So Target your money to a org you do like!

[dancomfort]

United Way and other umbrella organizations allow you to specify that all of your contribution will go to a specific agency. For example, my entire UW contribution goes to the American Cancer Society. Don't stop using the street just because pro-choice people also drive on it!

Re:EFF is a political lobbying group, not a charit

[belroth]

I understand that food aid may not be seen as a political act within the US, but consider the situation in Somalia and Eritrea over the past years where standard practice has been to try to starve the opposition. Do you think that either the rebels or government view the distribution of food to their 'enemies' as an apolitical act?

I can't comment on US tax as I know very little about it.

I don't know if Amnesty is political, I thought not - you can't provide practical help if you aren't allowed in the country. Is wanting to stop prisoners from being tortured political? Amnesty has concerns about the UK and US as well as other, perhaps more obvious, countries.
My point is, the distinction between politics and charity is often not clear cut - most people seem to think of greenpeace as a charity and to me it's political, it depends upon your point of view.

All charity is political to someone.
----

Re:What about the BSA

[firebus]

exclusion of scout leaders and scouts based on sexual preference is the way that sexuality becomes an issue in the boy scouts. if you really want sexuality to be a non-topic, then don't descriminate based on sexual preference.

most pedophiles and sexual predators are heterosexual, or identify themselves as such. excluding out gays from leadership roles in the boy scouts does nothing to protect anyone from molestation or sexual abuse.

consider giving your time, too.

[jeff.covey]

i realize the american way is to write a check and forget about it, but consider giving some of your time and elbow grease as well. i help run a computer lab for an inner city community (http://agape.qis.net/ if one of the kids hasn't pushed the power button on the server again ;), and my experience has been that it's easy to find people to donate money and hardware, and much harder to find people willing to spend one afternoon a week teaching the kids to use the internet.

as you're looking around for places to put your money, consider whether you could put yourself and your expertise there as well. you'll find that it's a lot more fun, and you get to see first hand whether the project you're contributing to is doing any good.
--

Re:consider giving your time, too.

[ari_j]

Oh my God, they're taxing my time, too?

Seriously, though, I strongly agree with this post. Even if you must help out geekish causes, time is the most valuable resource. Isn't that what our whole philosophy is supposed to be, anyhow? If everyone puts in 10 minutes of quality work, then we have everyone * 10 minutes' worth of quality work, right? And if you really need the tax break, you can launder money a lot more easily than you can find a worthwhile charity. Just have your kid or your niece or your cousin paint you something and buy it from him for a huge amount of money; or if it's less than 20 grand, try ye olde cashe gifte. ;-D

Re:So you rate money higher than altruism?

[PhilHibbs]

Sorry, but when I give to charity it is because it will help someone else, and the fact that I feel good is incidental.

I am sure that you are mistaken in this belief.

Trickle Up Program

[kevin805]

This isn't technologically related, but for those geeks who are fans of capitalism, Trickle Up is a charity that provides small grants and loans to people in third world countries to start a business. They're about actually improving people's lives rather than just giving them enough to survive 'til tomorrow.

Trickle Up

More Techies

[bob4u2c]

If you want to help out some techies, why not set up a scholarship fund at your favorite college or university? Being a poor starving student I know I could have used a few hundred to pay for books. You might even consider setting up a women's fund to help correct the gender imbalance in the computer science field, also it would be nice to have a girl or two in a few of my classes.

Re:What about the BSA

[EduardoLeonidas]

A lot of what you said sounds great. You are right, sexuality should not be a part of the scouting experience (except of course for the porn magazines shared at summer camp. That was the best part:). And I think it is perfectly legitimite to not allow gay men to donate blood. Not accepting blood from people that are at much higher risk to be HIV+ makes perfect sense. My problem comes from assuming that gay men are more likely to make their sexuality part of their role as scouts or scoutmasters. If my straight scout master could keep his sex life out of the job, so can a gay one. I also do not like the assumption that gay men are more likely to be pedophiles. I do not belive it to be true and I have never seen any evidence that it is.

So, unless you think that gay men really are pedophiles or are more likely to set out to convert children to their cause, I don't recommend you donate money to them. YMMV

Eduardo Ramirez

Re:... to feed the hungry or to save your soul?

[belroth]

the selfish Christian idea that the main purpose of charity is to save the soul of the giver, not to help the receiver

Sigh, another go at 'all X are Y' to which I am going to say. 'No, some X are Y'

By which I mean, as a Christian, that this is a fallacy often perpetuated - I don't want get into a religious flame war but there are many sorts of Christians, as there are of any other group.

This Christians explanation is this: I am saved solely by the acceptance of Jesus as Saviour, nothing else is necessary, and no matter what Good Deeds I did, without this acceptance I would not be saved.
Good deeds have nothing to do with saving the soul, that comes only from accepting Jesus. Now, having accepted Jesus I am trying to be a better person, by His teachings - I try to love people who if I weren't a Christian I would probably want to make suffer :-)
It is the trying to be better that leads me to give to others, not to save my soul as that is already saved, but because my soul is saved.
Christianity is very easy to get wrong, and every Christian gets it wrong.

Christianity is the least exclusive club around, anyone can join, no matter who they are or what they've done. Anyone.

Having said all the above, not too many flames please, I don't care why anybody gives time, money, whatever to the needy, what matters is that it is given.
As a Christian if people starve to death they don't have any chance of a better life, which may include becoming Christian. Doesn't have to and that's up to them. Before I became a Christian I gave to charity just because I wanted to help those less fortunate than me, no thought of my soul there.

For the record I am pro-women priests, pro-privacy, anti-censorship, not (in US terms) either pro-life or pro-choice - I'm still thinking about that one.
In my view becoming a Christian doesn't mean becoming intolerant and bigotted, and it certainly doesn't mean not thinking about each issue on its merits. Quite the opposite, unless you question and consider everything how can you decide what your Christian view on that issue is (for those who are Christians of course). A bit like Jimmy Carter leaving the Southern Baptist Church (eventually) because he couldn't accept their outdated views on women in the church.

None of the above is meant as disrespect for any non-Christians, it's merely an explanation of where some Christians (esp this one) are coming from, I'm quite happy to be tolerant of others faiths (or whatever), but it would be nice to have a little tolerance for mine.
----

http://www.efunddrive.org

[hexic]

This site lets you purchase things and at the same time a percentage will be skimmed off the top and given to the organization of your choosing. Alternately, direct donations can also be made. Admittedly, not quite geek-oriented, but useful nonetheless. Make a habit of funneling your online shopping through this site!

LinuxFund and Missionary Mindset

[twisty]

"...selfish Christian idea that the main purpose of charity is to save the soul of the giver, not to help the receiver." blah blah blah...

Most people I know who find *any* motive to give do so to better the world, not just to unload cash and a guilty conscience. Most, in fact, take pride in skillfully making the difference they do to the betterment of the environment around them.

On a small scale, we bathe, we place trash in the proper recepticals, we make our world a bit less intollerable, one action at a time. But a person with a Missionary Mindset has a larger vision of effectively improving some corner of the world.

I for one like the 'geekaid' idea... On the surface, it may not sound like it will help close a rift between the haves and have-nots. But deeper, it profoundly impacts the earth if hardworking freeware engineers are adequately funded to empower the moneyless with technology... far more impact than handing a twenty to some hobo who would blow it all on booze and cancersticks.

I'm a non-believer doing IT work for The Salvation Army. It's good to know that the purpose I serve has one of the world's lowest overheads in operating expenses, doing tons of underpublicized community work and Emergency Disaster Relief. Yet I think getting a credit card for LinuxFund is just as effective a contribution, because it helps people (not unlike myself) who pour their life's blood and sweat into helping those who have less.

"Back off, Romulan! I'm on a Mission From Kahless" --KwISt, the twistai guy }};-)

ACM.org / Local ACM Chapters?

[obfuscated]

We may forget, but a large, old organization that supports us all indirectly is the ACM.

(http://www.acm.org/)

I'm sure they always need money.

And don't forget the universities with their local student-run ACM chapters. I know we here at UT/Austin would love a donation.

We rely soley on donations for all of our events and community service.

I've even got our taxpayer ID right here if you want to float some money our way =).

Although some of that money will probably wind up paying for a keg or what not =) a gross majority will be to help the students and community as a whole.

www.thehungersite.com

[deft]

its not a charity you can donate $ too, but i try to mention this site whenever i can. its got a working business model, and it takes about 10 seconds to donate a cup of food. you click "donate food" and it shows you 4 ads, with the amount of food that was just donated. you can do it once a day.

Free The Knowledge

[TheSHAD0W]

Actually, some friends and I have been trying to start a charitable organization. You can obtain more details at FreeTheKnowledge.org. We aren't set up for donations yet, however; things have gotten busy for all of us, and we've been trying to sign on a lawyer to donate his time, help us register and act as escrow agent. Still, a pledge would be greatly appreciated.

Wake up please.

[dthor]

Get your head out of Sally Struthers' a**. Think about what you are saying. Or rather think about what you might not have been able to say, because you do realise that it is foundations like EFF that promote your electronic freedom of speech. Stay with me, now. There are ideas floating around Washington, D.C. RIGHT NOW that would make sharing bugfixes, security loopholes, and workarounds illegal to share on the internet. This means sites that periodically post bugs and security information will be outlawed. If they can conceive of something like that, what stops them from outlawing open source? (it entails a certain level of security info-sharing between developers.) no open source? no linux? no /.? wake up. make a difference. vote. don't let the lemmings take away all of yoru rights.

ICCF

[lahvak]

Fire up vim (you all use vi improved, don't you? Emacs go home!:-)) and type ':help uganda' for an idea.

Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility

[tomhartung]

You might find the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility to be a worthy cause. For more information, see http://www.cpsr.org .

None

[Anonymous Coward]

What motivates people to donate to charity? I'm asking because, despite the fact that the tech market has tightened up and allowed me to earn ridiculous salaries, I have no desire to give any of that away. I've earned my money and see no reason to share it with someone who hasn't.

Possibly this thinking runs counter to the community feel that permeates Open Source. I can understand giving away your code because of a philosophical bend toward sharing information, I have worked on several open source projects. Code is different though, it is something that you have created and has cost you nothing other than time (your own time) that you presumably enjoyed spending. Money is entirely different. Many people hate their jobs or at least would rather be doing something else. In exchange for putting yourself through the pain of doing something you don't like you are compensated with a salary. To me turning around and giving that away is odd, why not just go through less pain to begin with?

I think most charities would be better odd with donations of your time rather than of your money

Re:None

[b0z]

Well, what you mentioned is giving to people that you know, that need. That is different than welfare or the United Way and what I view as traditional charity. As far as giving to my uncle, I was too young at the time to have money to give to him, and now that I do, he's doing well enough to be happy. However, he does know that I am there for him as well as the rest of my family. I think my mother gave some of my sisters old clothing to him for his daughter a while back when she was in sizes my sisters used to wear. Also, the subject of giving back to immediate family, I do share of my skills, time, money, and everything. I don't think that is charity though, but just being part of a family and should be expected. Unless a person in your family abuses it, I feel you should always try to help them out. It's still quite different than just throwing money in a pot to go to an organization that you don't see how they use the money, or any of the benefits. My problems with charity deal with who gets the money, and how they use it. I don't mind that some of my tax money goes to help support a vietnam vet that got his legs blown off by a landmine, I think that is good. However, if this person goes and spends their whole check at the liquor store I don't think my money is being used very well. I don't like that orgs like the United Way have to hire people and pay them a lot of the donation money for a salary. Don't CEO's and advertising people want to donate their time too? If there are computer people willing to teach classes on computers to elderly and poor for free, surely other industries must be willing to do the same and the United Way could save that money to use to help who they claim to help. There's just too much gray area, and people are stupid, so they give to the wrong things. I also do not like that I am forced to give to the welfare system. It doesn't sit too well with me that those who are unwilling to work (as the welfare system is set up to prefer) make more money than people who work their butt off.

Re:None

[rattdot]

I wasn't trying to piss you off by replying, Mr. b0z, but your original post pissed me off. The ideas you expressed about charity echo those often touted by the spoiled, (relatively) rich, bitter loudmouths that make up most of the Slutdot readership. Now, I'm not saying you're one of those (from reading your post it seems that you certainly are not), but for a while you sounded like it and it got my juices going.

I respect your cynical view on giving, but I offer up a few more tidbits and/or rejoinders as food for thought...

but I would not say that the majority is mentally ill.
Most studies show that the vast majority of the homeless are indeed mentally ill. Not cukoo for cocopuffs mentally ill, but unstable enough to slip out of society. Not all, but most.

As far as AFDC, I don't know what it is
Aid for Families with Dependent Children. It's what most people are thinking of when they use the term "welfare". Yearly we spend about 20 billion nationally --- about the cost of a few new planes (don't get me wrong, I dig that stealth shit as much as the next guy, but...). It's a drop in the bucket when you consider that our national budget is around 5 trillion.

You can not tell me that the majority of people recieving welfare are not cheating the system.
I'm not saying that people don't cheat --- they do. But someone is going to cheat any system (income tax, environmental regs, free soda at work, etc.). Just because there's a few scumbags scamming the system doesn't mean the system itself is bad. The fact is, the majority of people who go on welfare stay on the program for less than six months. Like your mother, they use it to pull their lives together; when the dust settles, they get a job. That's a fact; you can look it up.

Good for you. I'm sure Jesus would be proud of you to throw your pocket change to someone on the street so they can go buy that rock they have been wanting to smoke.
I dunno about this one... does Jesus smoke the rock too?

then got a job at a supermarket to buy my own car, because my parents couldn't buy one for me like your parents probably did
Made me feel better knowing that I wasn't the only one making assumptions. No one (but me) has ever bought me a car. I paid for all the crap I had with money I earned (I've had my share of stupid, if not humiliating, jobs). Now, like you, I'm an over-paid tech professional. And the thing is, I consider myself quite lucky. We both should...

Re:None

[Harri]

Why people donate their hard-earned cash to charity:

Set of people 1: These people actually enjoy their jobs. They have more money than they need to live on, and rather than donating it to their employer by asking for a pay cut, they donate it to someone who needs it. They do not feel that they morally earned the right to a bunch of money they don't need, since they are spending their days doing fun stuff.

Set of people 2: May or may not enjoy their jobs, but feel that morally nobody has "earned" the right to sit and admire money which they do not need but which could help other people. Perhaps they noticed that the people they are donating to do _even worse things_ every day, and don't get compensated at all. Thus _your_ logic now says that the recipients earned that money more than the person donating it.

Set of people 3: are required by their religion to donate a certain percentage of their income to charity. For example, I believe Jews do this. Then the moral rights or wrongs are second to the religious requirement.

Can I ask, (assuming you celebrate Christmas), do you give your family/friends/whoever presents at Christmas? If you can establish why it is that you do this when you have earned that money yourself for your hard work, then that is probably the answer to your question.

Don't forget granite canyon

[abrager]

Don't forget granite canyon. They provide free DNS server hosting. They help quality sites such as the drudge report stay alive.

Food first, free software second.

[be-fan]

Get your priorities straight.

Give it to...

[drnomad]

the "new Rolls Royce for me fund" ;-)

Nit pick, PC

[KahunaBurger]

If I be modded down for my un-PC views on this, so be it.

I hate to break it to you, but using a rational definition of political correctness, your views are as PC as it gets. "not all discimination is bigotry" "protect the children" "CYA in case something goes wrong" those views will get you onto the new york times or wall street journal op ed page, respectfully recieved at a state house hearing, and considered "moderate" and "tolerant" to boot. It is the ultamately politically correct way to oppose gay inclusion, and I applaud your completeness in hitting all the catch phrases.

And of course, from those who use "PC" as a knee jerk insult for "liberal" or "progressive" you will also get applauded for your "bravery in making un-PC comments". Best of all worlds really.

The logic, or lack thereof, of the comments themselves has been pretty well covered by others, so I won't belabor it.

-Kahuna Burger

Penguins

[91degrees]

Find a charity that looks after ill penguins. There's plenty around, and they're so cute.

Re:Rational charity

[Joe Decker]

This type of coursework should really become part of highschool and college programs.

Absolutely. BTW, a lot of their donations go toward providing instruction for teens. And even for folks who aren't survivors, I notice a remarkable difference in attitude and personal responsiblility from the graduates.

For folks in the Bay Area, BAMM will be having a Mug-A-Thon this weekend, it's a fun way to get introduced to what BAMM actually does.

BTW, I'll be taking their Men's Course January 12-14.

--j

VH1's Save the Music

[Darth_Jon]

I don't know if you can donate to it, but VH1 runs a charity type thing called save the music to help music programs in public schools. That might not sound that geeky, but research shows that kids exposed to music are able to visualize and understand mathematical concepts related to ratios and fractions, which is geeky. I think they donate musical instruments to troubled music programs so that schools don't hae to buy their own, and that way the music program won't be a cut corner when they have to find some funding

Re:What about the BSA (Wandering quite OT)

[Dannon]

They should replace the word 'reverent' with the word 'tolerant.'

Actually, I do believe 'tolerance', as the term is most often used, is already covered by the Scout Law. A Scout is Friendly, Courteous, and Cheerful. No qualification given about to whom one should be Friendly, Courteous, and Cheerful. The Scout Law applies when dealing with anyone under the sun.

The problem with adding 'tolerant' to the Scout Law is that the Scout would have to be tolerant of everything, with no limit, to truly follow the Law... and there are many things which should not be tolerated. Murder. Rape. Abuse. You get the idea.

Reverence, however, is, I think, a worthy quality, even for an atheist. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, reverence is 'honor or respect felt or shown', no mention of religion despite the common social implication, and respect goes hand-in-hand with tolerance.

I'm tempted to get into a rational argument for respect for 'God and country' as presented by the Boy Scouts, but the closest I've ever gotten to theological study is reading books by better writers than I. Therefore, I must refrain. I will note, however: If parents don't wish to bring their kids up with a belief in duty to God and country, there are other organizations. It is the parent's choice. The difference between a code of ethics and a rule of law is that one -chooses- the code of ethics, by one's behavior and by the organizations, professional or otherwise, that one joins.
---

Re:What about the BSA

[Dannon]

We had blessings for meals and the like in my troop, but it was all very non-denominational, and applicable to any religion.

I remember an anecdote I recently heard. Perhaps I can liven up this intense topic and give a few folks a nice chuckle.

The Scouts and Leaders in my troop were having their yearly weekend planning retreat. (This was after I had gone off to college). At the time, the troop had a young lad serving as Chaplain's Aide. He was asked to think up a blessing before the evening meal, but he was quietly cautioned to make it 'generic', as one family in the troop is Jewish. Meaning, of course, that it would be rude to refer to Jesus, or Mary, or the Trinity, or any other Strictly Christian beliefs.

Well, this kid thought long and hard about it. And when the evening meal came, he was called upon to give this blessing he had been contemplating.

He began with, "To whom it may concern...."

The adult Leaders did manage to keep straight faces, thank goodness.

---

http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~puente

[Jazzman]

PUENTE (Spanish for 'bridge') is a student run organization at the University of Pennsylvania that seeks to bridge the digital divide in low-income regions throughout the world. It's a very worthy cause and a highly credible organization. Link

Re:What about the BSA

[LordNimon]

My religous beliefs were never an issue when I was in the BSA. I never had to perform any religious activity, never went to any religious location (e.g. church), and I never had to listen to anyone talk about anything religious.
--

Re:United Way

[Handover Slashdot]

FYI: If it matters, United Way funds Planned Parenthood, home of the fetus vacuum...they'll never get a dime from me...

Re:Helping.org = AOL

[joshsisk]

Except in this case, he's right: helping.org is an arm of the AOL Foundation.

As he pointed out in his original post, if you had read it: "Now, as it happens they are affiliated with AOL as can be seen here."

Josh Sisk

don't like people....?

[acomj]

Give to animal charities.....(Audbon, sierra club etc.....)

Give the critters a nice place to live and prevent the sprawl of people...

Also a good place to get away from people..

Hemos likes Foresight.org -- please check us out

[Christine]

One of Hemos's favorite charities is Foresight Institute: http://www.foresight.org. See also our news site http://nanodot.org.

For a description of what you get for your gift, please see: http://www.foresight.org/SrAssoc

We are a strong and early supporter of Open Source; see the history page at opensource.org.

Thanks for considering Foresight!

--Christine Peterson, president, Foresight Institute

Two words:

[JurriAlt137n]

Tax deduction. Nuff said.

Re:Two words:

[bmongar]

Tax deduction. Nuff said.

Well the tax deduction doesn't fully make up for your donation unless of course you are close enough to drop brackets, otherwise it makes it a little less painful

If you don't want to give don't, but I believe that the money I earn is in part paid for in some way or another by the people of the world. By giving back to the community I support the people who support me

Re: It's never really that simple..

[packphour]

If we all focused on one need, all the other needs out there would go untouched.

And get off the "solving world hunger" gripe, it makes you sound like Miss F'ing America.

Donate it to...

[cookieman]

Taco so he can improve that lameness filter of his ;)
Don't know about the "geek" part, but hey nerds are everywere right ?

Why not electronic toys to poor children?

[w3woody]

Here's what I do. When times are good for me and my consulting business (as they have been this year), I go down to the local mall where they set up a tree with wishes from poor children who would otherwise not get any toys for Christmas. I then look for the one card from some child who wants something relatively outrageous, like (one year) a Playstation and a bunch of games.

I then buy it for him or her.

I figure it's like this: the children who make those wishes are told to keep them small (like around $15-$20), because the bigger the wish, the less likely they are to get them. And there is always one kid who bucks the system, who wants something big, and who would rather wish what he/she wants and run the risk of not getting it, than wish for something small he/she doesn't want.

Bucking the system in that sort of way is what (to me) being a geek is all about. And so I go down to the mall when I can and reward small children, to get them started on a road where they wish big and act big and build big things.

If you can afford to buy a computer for a small child who wishes for one, do so! We need people who wish for things they're told they cannot have, and who learn to act on those wishes rather than be told "you can't have that, you insolent child."

Re:Why not electronic toys to poor children?

[bugg]

They've done a good thing, but then they spend the other 355 days of the year pretending the problem isn't there.

Charity is done to make the giver feel good, not to really solve any problems. And that annoys me.

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

[geojaz]

While donating to geek interests seems interesting, I think I'd rather give to something with a little bit more impact than a dot.org of some sort. If you are interested in doing something with a "greater" cause this Christmas - and of course tax season - check out something like donating your older equipment, or even newer equipment to some of the less well off, technologically (and probably otherwise), countries.
No guarantees but Friends of the Third World looks like it might be a good place to start.
Happy Holidays all...

Re:... to feed the hungry or to save your soul?

[dave3124]

Wow, you speak the truth about Christianity and get modded down as flamebait. I'm sorry about that :( The ignorance about Christianity (and other religions as well) here at /. is simply astounding...

Yeah, it's tragic that so many people are anti-Christian without even bothering or wanting to know what Christians beleive. Christianity, as it is popularly perceived, is an easy target for attack by the ignorant. But if someone tries to provide a bit of information about what it's really all about, no-one is interested.

I wouldn't have been surprised if my post had been modded down as off-topic, but flamebait was certainly not my intention.

Anyway, thanks for your response. Good to know someone out there sees things the same way I do :-)

charity vs politics

[KahunaBurger]

I think you're creating a false problem by assuming that political = bad and charity = good. I agree that greenpeace is political, I also think that it is a good cause. And yes, "wanting to stop people from being tortured" is completely political, even if I agree with it. Its an action for political or social change.

Imagine a man has been beaten in the street. Going up and giving him first aid is charitable. Finding out that he was beaten for being part of a religious minority and starting an education effort to reduce such prejudice is political, but in a social action way that will still get you a charitable deduction. Starting a lobbying group to make police be more proactive in preventing such crimes is political and non-tax deductable. Non of these things is bad, or selfish, or power seeking, or any of the other bad ideas people sometimes associate with "politics". Its just a different way of helping in the long term.

Some kinds of aid can have political implications or effects, but that doesn't make them political rather than charitable. It may reduce their effectivness, however, creating the need for political as well as purely charitable work in that particular instance.

Perhaps I'm being dogmatic, and sorry if I am, but I work with donate to or get solicited for dozens of different organizations, and I can't think of one campaign that I have any difficulty classifying on a politcal vs charitable basis, except those raising money for more than one action. Your examples of greenpeace or amnesty international make me think perhaps you are taking political to mean partisan, or somesuch, but I don't mean it that way. There's a saying in the gay rights feild "the personal is political" its not talking about getting one candidate elected, or one party, or one particular law, its talking about broad social action and change. This is the way I mean political (though some political groups are clearly narrower in focus.)

-Kahuna Burger

Re:charity vs politics

[belroth]

I think that we basically agree (except about greenpeace), I don't feel that political-charitable maps to good-bad, they're orthogonal (to me).
I started repsonding to my perception of someone else equating political = bad and charity = good :-)
I do sometimes get the ipression that US citizens map deductible=charity too, and that isn't always true either.
----

ACLU

[Agthorr]

While not exactly a "geek" charity, the ACLU fights many of the legal battles talked about on slashdot. Their charter is to basically uphold the bill of rights: free speech, free press, freedom of religion, etc. Sadly, donations are not tax deductible.

... to feed the hungry or to save your soul?

[Per Abrahamsen]

> charity is something you should do because you
> want to

I find this line of reasoning disgusting. A starving child in Africa don't care about the motivation for donating the money to buy food. The only reason the motivation should matter, is the selfish Christian idea that the main purpose of charity is to save the soul of the giver, not to help the receiver.

This Christian mindset causes an unknown amount of tradegy every year, when followers of it fight the use of alternative efficient motivations for giving charity. Only charity given "for the goodness of the heart" is valuable in saving the givers soul.

BTW: A donation to EFF or FSF is likely to do a lot more good to the poor people than the more direct charities. The EFF and FSF fight the establishing of a new global aristocracy based on ownership of interlectual property, which will prevent the poor country from ever entering the new economy.

Re:... to feed the hungry or to save your soul?

[JimPooley]

BTW: A donation to EFF or FSF is likely to do a lot more good to the poor people than the more direct charities
Congratulations. You win our "Living in a dream world all his own" award for this thread. I very much doubt that a poor kid somewhere unsure where their next meal is coming from gives a flying fuck about whether software is free or proprietary.
GET A SENSE OF PROPORTION


Hacker: A criminal who breaks into computer systems

Community Technology Centers' Network (CTCNet)

[sbrsb]

In low-income communities where can people no longer in school go to acquire computer skills? Well, they can go on the 'net or over to a buddy's place, of course. But also, in lots of neighborhoods, community technology centers are being established... places where people can take an inexpensive class or just hang out during open access hours trying things out and sharing what they learn. Many of these places could use funds, but just as much they can use volunteer talent. There's a list of hundreds of them at http://www.ctcnet.org. That's the site of the Community Technology Centers' Network (CTCNet). CTCNet, itself, is thinking it'd like to set up a slashdot-like environment for focus on community technology issues. If you could advise CTCNet staff (hey, that's me) try to set that up, boy would it be appreciated! Write info@ctcnet.org if you think you might be able to offer help! Steve Ronan

No

[Per Abrahamsen]

/. is owned by VA Linux, which is a for-profit company.

Here's an excellent GNU/Linux charity....

[Peter Eckersley]

Hi...

(disclaimer - I am Computerbank's publicity officer :)

Computerbank is an Australian charity which recycles second hand computers, installs Debian on them, and gives them to people who would otherwise be unable to afford one.

We also provide a lot of training, covering both introductory system usage and more in-depth material for people hoping to get a shot at an IT career.

Computerbank has been existence for a couple of years, and is beginning to get some serious organisational momentum.

(see .sig for more info :)

Re:Charities.

[caite]

Geek related charities, like science museums, PBS, and the various liberty organizations? Great. Also try your library, mine is looking for someone to underwrite their e-book subscription.

But why do people always think that charity is for children? Charity is to support causes, groups and events that wouldn't exist otherwise. I don't see any shortage of children. Children's charities seem to be encouraging more children which need more charity. All geeks should know about uncontrolled recursion being bad.

Support groups that everyone benefits from.

Er, how about FSF

[Kurgol]

arn't you forgetting the free software foundation. ;-)

PluggedIn.org

[RedZone]

I donate to Plugged In, a community technology center in East Palo Alto. This place is really helping to turn this area around --they train disadvantaged teenagers in web design technology, and there's a creative space and after-school program for younger kids. Very cool work.

Here's a link...
http://www.pluggedin.org/

HTH!

Rational charity

[w00ly_mammoth]

The ethics of giving is a rarely considered subject. Generally, most donations are made irrationally, and often to satisfy the ego or personal preference of the donor.

Consider real ethical questions - if you were to donate $100, and if it were to save a life, would you instead give it to a school charity to buy a 17 inch monitor to replace a 15 inch one? Then comes the question of how you know you're really saving lives, or making a difference.

The sad thing is, people are pretty stupid. They give donations to charities which advertise on TV or which seem hip or trendy (thereby paying for the salaries of marketing execs who make a living off starving kids).

If you REALLY want to make a difference, why not spend a few minutes researching the subject (like you do with technical FAQs) and find out for yourself some tiny third world grass-roots organization that does genuine work, instead of the huge charities that are already well known and command millions in input revenue?

w/m

Re:Rational charity

[Elvis Maximus]

No, giving to different charities is not mutually exclusive, but if your goal really is to do the most people the most good, then I bet it would be best to give to the traditional feed-the-starving, house-the-homeless, cure-the-diseased type of charities.

I work for one of those traditional charities, so of course I believe them to be valuable. But there is a role for all of these organizations, and we shouldn't shut any of them out just because they don't deal in food and medicine. Civil society is a rich tapestry, and is not just about canned goods for the poor. Single-minded giving does not serve society well, and something people often forget is that the poor -- today's and tomorrow's -- are part of society, too.

My wife and I give to charities of the other's choosing for Christmas, and for the record, I'm having her give to EFF this year. I feel good about that choice. Not because I am not familiar with plenty of other worthy causes, or because I think poor Bangladeshi kids care about DeCSS, but because the EFF deals with important issues, issues that are important to wider society but that few of us are passionate about or equipped to really understand.

It's like historic preservation. I don't know anything about historic preservation, but when I go to a new place and explore its historic sites, I benefit from preservation. Not just because the sites are enjoyable, but because they present a learning experience and helps me think about my place in the vastness of history, and that has an effect on my life as a whole. So while I will probably never give a dime toward historic preservation, I am glad that others are passionate about it and give generously toward it, even though it may seem like a relatively frivolous and middle-class pursuit.

-

Re:Rational charity

[bluebomber]

I know this is off-topic (these are non-geek charities), but a couple of grass-roots organizations similar to what you describe:

• The Grameen Foundation
• The Heifer Project

There are many others...

-bluebomber

Re:Rational charity

[Lust]

Don't overlook the donation of time, such as working the line at a food bank. It can be a great way to stay connected to your community. Better yet, donate time and money!

I think the coolest way

[ch-chuck]

would be to get large bags of cash from the bank, go to the top of a tall building looming over lots of foot traffic and sprinkle it over the side. Video tape the ensuing madness for tax records. But again, it's probably illegal somehow. Maybe prearrange a 'cash drop' with the local authorities from a helocopter over a mall parking lot...

Pick a name at random out of the phone book, call 'em up and say, "Congratulations! You've just won $10,000!" and see how many think it's a telemarketing scam and hang up on you.

Or you could drop it in the bucket of one of those salvation army santa's, but something tells me the army will never see that santa again.

Bigotry

[Per Abrahamsen]

>> the selfish Christian idea that the main
>> purpose of charity is to save the soul of the
>> giver, not to help the receiver

> Sigh, another go at 'all X are Y' to which
> I am going to say. 'No, some X are Y'

That an idea is Christian, does not imply that all Christians subscribe to it. It just mean that the idea is derived from a Christian context. Although I can understand why you chose to assume the former, it is much easier to accuse me of bigotry, rather than argue against my point, that the moral focus on the donaters motivation causes less donaters, thus hurting the receivers.

Re:Bigotry

[belroth]

I didn't think I was accusing you of bigotry - the last para wasn't meant to be directed at you, and I apologise that it came across that way.

As to the rest- my point is that it is not a Christian idea, it is thought of as a Christian idea, but isn't. It is a misperception that some Christians unfortunately share.

I don't disagree with your claiming that focusing on the morality of motivation may dissuade some people, but may it not also motivate others into giving?
I'm not endorsing moral blackmail at all, but If you don't care why someone gives, so long as they give, what is the best way to increase giving? It probably varies from locale to locale.
----

Long Now Foundation

[Elvis Maximus]

I'm not sure it's the most worthy recipient of your Christmas contributions, but the Long Now Foundation is an interesting organization that seeks to raise awareness of very long-term planning issues.

Their centerpiece project is the Clock of the Long Now, a clock with an extremely long period, made to last 10,000 years. The idea is to make it a destination that will inspire visitors to think about their place in time and their responsibility to the future.

Very interesting project.

-

Education produces the geeks of tomorrow

[JenJuniper]

How about an educational organization, like PBS, or the Nat'l Science Foundation? Shows like Sesame Street, Nova and Bill Nye will help create the geeks of tomorrow.

Charity begins at home

[Anonymous Coward]

Someone buy this man a new desk!

We all need to

[jjr]

Save the Mallocs

check out www.jaars.org

[trbraun]

While not specifically a geek charity, http://www.jaars.org does some great things with computers and technology -- like putting Internet access in places where there is no power, no phones, not anything. They also work a lot with computer aided language translation.

forget geek charities

[neorf]

if you're going to give money to charity, give it to a charity that really helps someone. medical charities are more worth it. come on mate, do a good thing to someone who needs it to survive, rather than to feel better.


---

Holiday Spirit? Give to Kids, not Geeks

[Anonymous Coward]

While giving to 'Geek Charities' is certainly an important and noble endeavor, is it really in the Holiday Spirit?

It seems to me that at this time of year we should think more of those who are less fortunate rather than our battles with fascist government policies and out-of-control capitalist corporations.

Why not look up your local Children's Hospital (or CHOP in Philadelphia) and see about donating some toys to needy children? If you want to keep the Geek think going, you could donate some Geek toys - like that new Playstation2 you're bidding for on Ebay.

Don't get me wrong - I'm a hard-lined capitalist, not a bleeding-heart liberal (like our fearless millionaire leader, Cmdr Taco) and Atlas Shrugged is my bible. But I guess even I soften up a bit at Christmastime.

i.c. stars

[germuska]

There's a very local organization here in Chicago called "i.c. stars" Their goal is to develop technology skills in minority youth. They take about 10 interns, aged 18-25, and give them a three-month intensive (full-time) introduction to technology development and general business-world skills. I've been to volunteer orientations, but haven't found time to actually help out yet. Still, it seems like a pretty good organization. Their second group of interns is nearly done with the program.

Re:Jerusalem Post admits Israeli Slave Trade

[lonesome phreak]

I looked this over, and nowhere does it say that these woman are being kidnapped by Jews. Their fake passports say that they are Jewish Isrealies, but how do you know that these crimes are being commited by jews?

Your assumtion leaves out the fact that there are other races in Isreal, ones that actually would like to make it look like it the Jews are doing this. The Jews beleive in fundamental human rights of other races. In fact, it is AGAINST Torah law to allow prostitutions to live in Isreal, so I can bet this isn't a "relgious" problem like you are trying to make it. If I where you, I would look more towards fundamental Islam as the actual source of this problem, since they treat their women more in this way.

BTW, prostitution is legal in some areas of the United States too. By your logic, we should not donate to any US charities. Just because a country has bad laws doesn't make everyone in the country, or the entire race which is spread out over the whole world, bad.

Open source education and the ArsDigita Foundation

[dpplgngr]

If you're considering donating to a geek charity take a look at what's happening with the ArsDigita Foundation- ArsDigita University is well under way, now finishing it's third month. You can view lectures at the ADU site.

About ArsDigita Foundation:

ArsDigita Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the
development of web services that work better for society. With a commitment
to outstanding education, training and technical assistance, the
Foundation's programs include, ArsDigita University, ArsDigita Prize,
ArfDigita, and others. Formed in 1998, the foundation received its 501 (c) 3
status in 1999.

Foundation Programs:

ArsDigita Prize (http://arsdigita.org)- The Prize is awarded annually to
young people, eighteen years and younger, for their achievement in building
and maintaining non-commercial, useful Web sites. Each year there is a
winner and a varying number of finalists who receive cash awards, courses in
web development, and the use of a server for their web sites. The Prize is
ready to accept entries for the third annual prize, which will be awarded in
June 2001.

ArsDigita University (http://aduni.org)- The University is a free one-year
post-baccalaureate computer science program. The first class is thirty-six
students who were accepted from a pool of about 350. The curriculum is very
similar to what computer science majors learn at the top schools in the
country and consists of ten month long courses. ArsDigita University is not
a degree-granting institution.

ArfDigita (http://arfdigita.org)- ArfDigita is an animal welfare program
that enables its member shelters to be more efficient around adoption
services thereby decreasing the number of animals euthanized each year.
ArfDigita is a database backed Web site that facilitates the adoption
process, hosts an online community, pet care information, training tips as
well as a question and answer forum.

Donate free food to the world

[Icki]

Hi Dude, Everyday I click here once: http://www.thehungersite.com/index.html Do with it what you like. Greetz, Icki.

So you rate money higher than altruism?

[Dan Hayes]

I find this line of reasoning disgusting. A starving child in Africa don't care about the motivation for donating the money to buy food. The only reason the motivation should matter, is the selfish Christian idea that the main purpose of charity is to save the soul of the giver, not to help the receiver.

No, they don't care about the reason for the donation. But how can you claim that it is disgusting for people to want to help people less well off than themselves? And where did Christianity come into all of this? Sorry, but when I give to charity it is because it will help someone else, and the fact that I feel good is incidental.

This Christian mindset causes an unknown amount of tradegy every year, when followers of it fight the use of alternative efficient motivations for giving charity. Only charity given "for the goodness of the heart" is valuable in saving the givers soul.

I'm not saying that using charity as a tax break is a bad thing, just that it is fairly pathetic when it is the only reason that people donate to charity, and if they didn't get something for it they wouldn't bother.

You don't seem to mind people getting money for it, but you do mind people feeling good about it. Why is this? Do you value money over altruism?

BTW: A donation to EFF or FSF is likely to do a lot more good to the poor people than the more direct charities. The EFF and FSF fight the establishing of a new global aristocracy based on ownership of interlectual property, which will prevent the poor country from ever entering the new economy.

Rubbish. There are countries where they still lack the basic infrastructure to support the kind of services that make organisations like these possible. I really don't think donating money to RMS's personal crusade is going to do anything for people desparately in need of food and water in Ethiopia. Free software really isn't that important.

Re:So you rate money higher than altruism?

[orblee]

Here Here! Besides, much as many slashdot readers think that America is the world and everything that happens there affects the rest of the world (even if slowly), that isn't the case. The FSF and EFF don't really help anyone outside the US. Maybe the FSF were so against KDE for that reason, maybe the US idea of free differs from the European or other ideas of free. Open Source schemes elsewhere in India, for instance, are never mentioned.

You are your own country and your first priority is to take care of yourselves, but don't you think that the natural human skill/ability known as empathy gives us a responsiblity to help out those less fortunate than ourselves? Just as greed gives us a responsiblity to learn more and earn more?
(Okay that last sentence is very dodgy, but hey!)

Give to the Brits!

[nick_davison]

Two summers ago, the Ethiopians actually donated drinking water to the English (granted, as a stunt organised by Mark Thomas - the UK's Michael Moore). Despite half the country being flooded for six months of the year, it only takes six weeks of no-rain for our resevoirs to run dry.

You want a geek charity? Give something back to the country that built (arguably) the first modern computer. Send bottles of Evian to Yorkshire Water and help them prepare for the suprise of next summer.

Yorkshire Water Services Ltd.,
PO Box 306,
Bradford,
BD1 5SU

Re:What about the BSA (Wandering quite OT)

[PD]

You could probably find a rational argument for respect for country. You would find it harder to find a rational argument for respect of god. A historical argument for respect based on the contribution of religion to culture would have to somehow deal with the negative aspects of religion to come out with a net positive, and that could very well be difficult.

Your argument that tolerance should be all encompassing, even to criminals, is unsupported. It is especially unpersuasive when you imply that friendliness, cheerfulness, and courtesy might not be extended to murderers. Certainly the murderer would consider me downright unfriendly, uncheerful, and uncourteous when I call the police on him!

Your point on reverence is well taken, so how about adding tolerant right after the word reverent? (subject to the same limits with regards to murderers as the word 'friendly' is)

Computer Aid International (UK based)

[fantomas]

Computer Aid International (if you're in the UK) http://www.cit.org.uk/. They recycle computers for other charities, get them out to developing countries as well as the UK, and create jobs to do this work - working wih local job training schemes, as well as volunteers.

Make new geeks!

[Armaphine]

OK, maybe not like Linus did, unless you don't value sleep all that highly. But let's face it, if a kid to become a geek, they have to be presented with the material at some point.

Penguins!

[Staciebeth]

Help penguins caught in oil spills.

SANCOOB South African National Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.

1-2-3 reasons

[Anonymous Coward]

If you found a drowning person and drove him to the nearest hospital, you'd be paying for the gas yourself (out of your salary, which you earned ).

Now, there is no legal reason why you should save that person, and after all, it is a considerable cost to you and a waste of your time.

The only difference between saving drowning people you encounter and bothering to write a check to real charities is the proximity of the victim - either way, it saves lives if done correctly. Of course you don't have to do either, and one of them is easier than the other, depending on how analytical you are.

OTOH, I don't quite see your analogy with donating code (unless your time is worth 0$/hr). People who write code or work for charities or give money do it even though it costs them, because they see it as part of returning something for being born in fortunate circumstances. It's extremely unlikely that you'd be earning all that money if you'd been born a sub-saharan nomad. It's just luck.

Geek Charity

[firemoth]

This would actuly make quite a nice slashdot voting poll, on which organizations are most worthy / worth puting money towards they're projects.

Re:Geek Charity

[guran]

Slashdot poll
Which organizations are most worthy / worth puting money towards their projects.

* Hemos
* CmdrTaco
* CowboyNeal

Send all donations to : 64.28.67.48

OPENBSD!!!

[mrzer0]

OpenBSD accepts donations, as well as the other BSD's (well, I dunno about FreeBSD anymore. They probably still do but they seem to have all kinds of deals with big companies). And if you donate to OpenBSD you get your name listed on a page. woo!

Personal experiance means nothing

[Dan Hayes]

Hello? You do realise that even a basic understanding of statistical techniques will tell you that a sample size of one person means absolutely nothing. Just because your great uncle doesn't want to come home it doesn't follow that all homeless people are quite happy where they are.

And besides, it seems likely that their are issues which mean that your great uncle doesn't want to come home. It's quite unlikely he actually enjoys sleeping on the street.

Re:Personal experiance means nothing

[biohazard99]

damn it its way too early for a flame war, mod me down I don't give a rats ass

The Christmas Project

[Nodatadj]

http://www.thechristmasproject.co.uk
Very good organisation that gives the money to orphans in Brazil, africa and Serbia (I think)

Charities.

[interi]

If you mean geek related as in the useful promotion of technology, why not call the United Way or Boys and Girls Clubs. They often have computer related afterschool programs or at least would like the facilities to be able to start them. A lot of normal charities realize the potential of technology to help families, and especially children, of the American underclasses to overcome obstacles in their learning and economic situations. -Brent

Re:None (why we give)

[pshuman]

You are right: most charities would be better off with donations of your time rather than of your money. However a bit of both are needed for most organizations to survive.

I am motivated to give of my time and money because I have seen first hand how what we consider a little can make such a big difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate than me. Seeing the joy it brings a child to not only move out of a cardboard shack into a house, but to know that there are people in the world who care about the condition of his family and are willing to help becase they can.

In general, I think it is a desire to do what you can to better society. You crank out software and go home and consume. How does that help better society in general? Does it help literacy rates go up? Does is decrease the crime rate in your city? Are less people wasting their lives on drugs? Are people happier, smarter or healther because of your contribution?

Contrary to what society and the media tell us, making and spending money is not going to make us happy and it is tearing our society down. Donating to these groups is how we can take an active part in preserving those parts of society that we see as good and benificial.

Good Charity call My Pocket

[Hackshop]

I except cash. Checks or money order can be made out to Lance Ward.

Please send money to:
Lance Ward
423 Pheasant Run
Kaukauna, WI 54130


All money will go to a good cause. (My pocket to buy more computer components.)

Thanks

Re:Donating computers to Africa

[b0z]

I plugged this before elsewhere, but you could contact the people at http://www.africaspromise.org if you want to donate money, computers, etc. I know the guy that is in charge of it and he took a bunch of computers this year and has people in Nigeria to train kids how to use them...also though, it pays for clothes, regular school supplies, food, first aid supplies, etc. And makes sure to actually buy the stuff for the kids and pay for their school tuition so the parents don't just use the money for themselves.

All in all I think it's a decent charity. I have a few others that I give to, but they don't accept computers as far as I know.

Re: Motivation for donating hard earned money

[Jens_AAMC]

What motivates people to donate to charity?

To improve the world or some aspect thereof Id guess.

I've earned my money and see no reason to share it with someone who hasn't.

Well, parents give money to their children even though the children havent "earned it". I guess charity is in general just an extension of that to a larger and more anonymous group of people than your close relatives.
Of course egoistic charity is also possible, somebody might for instance donate money for an enviromental cause due to fear of their island being flooded by the melting ice from the global warming.

To me turning around and giving that away is odd, why not just go through less pain to begin with?

I guess it is a trade-off. People hating their jobs and donating for charity at the same time seem to think that their donation is more worth than the pain they go through. There can be many reasons for this thinking.

I think most charities would be better odd with donations of your time rather than of your money

Im not so sure about that. Could be for instance that some computer professionals are better off earning money and donating them to somebody trained and skilled in working with kids rather than going out and working with kids themselves.
I guess in most cases society is best off with people doing what theyre good at, not necessarily what they themselves find important.
I assume this is also the reason for the mandatory "charity" youre giving through taxes, it allows better distribution of the resources when there is some central control.

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (US-based)

[Aithlin]

If you want to do something for an organization that is not a policy-based group (like EFF), may I suggest Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic? RFBD is a group in the United States which - using volunteer labor - records books and other written material so that blind and dyslexic people can have access to the same information. There are only 34 recording studios across the nation, usually in urban areas, and it requires a screening test and a weekly commitment to be a volunteer. However, RFBD is in desperate need of readers who can handle scientific and technical material. If you can't volunteer physically, they take cash too; they are starting to convert hundreds of thousands of audio tapes to CD-ROM and need to raise $35 million to do so and to upgrade the recording facilities. RFDB is the only organization that does this in the US. It is non-governmental and community based. If you care about giving back to the geek community in more than just a policy way, here's a way to help students and adults learn about technical subjects (as well as every other subject under the sun).

Re:Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (US-based)

[kaustin]

The URL is actually http://www.rfbd.org/

I feel that EFF is probably the best way to go

[cecil36]

Although there are many other worthy "geek causes" out there that deserve our donations, I feel that if we do not support the EFF, we may end up losing the legal battles against the MPAA.

MPAA: Movie-Producing Association of @$$holes

culturejammers

[asreal]

If you feel like giving, check out adbusters and help support their work against corporate influence and globalization. Of course, I'm not 100% sure that it is tax deductable....

-as

Lesser known projects...

[howardjp]

Some projectes like the EFF and KDE are well known and are rolling in money. There are other projectes like Arbornet.org and Cyberspace.org which are living off the day to day donations of users. I am sure these organizations would be able to utilize the donations a lot better since they have a $0 dollar overhead and no paid employees.

education of geeks

[dewey]

Both ACM (www.acm.org) and IEEE (www.ieee.org) have funds to support various initiatives, including scholarships and other education programs. They make it very easy to donate, just by adding a few bucks to your annual dues.

And you can always donate money to your college or high school through the alumni fund. Often you can specify what purpose your donation should go to, so you might write in "computer equipment" or "computer science scholarships". You might also be able to donate your *time* to a school, for computer training, installation, or to talk at a "career day".

SPI

[Anonymous Coward]

No one has mentioned SPI: http://www.spi-inc.org/

Geek Charity

[ignatiusst]

Young Republicans

... You can't get much geekier than that...

But seriously.. Thanks for posting something that shows the real spirit of the holidays!

What about the BSA

[Droupou]

The Boy Scouts of America seem to catch alot of guff, however they do support a boys curiosity and interest in learning. And not just about the outdoors. Just a thought. Droupou the Friendly Dwarven Warrior.

X-prize

[cybercuzco]

If youre interested in spaceflight, and want to help get the average Joe sixpack (you) there as soon as possible, consider donating to the X-Prize foundation. The foundation has set out a ten million dollar prize for the first vehicle that can successfully reach outer space with two people aboard and do it again within two weeks. Click here for more information about joining.

Incorrect about the tax code.

[Gannoc]

You don't seem to understand. Its not a magic tax break, the money isn't donated for free. The way to think of it is that the money you donate is money you never earned...

That is, if you're in the 41% tax bracket, and you donate $1000, you can get up to $410 off in taxes. That still means you spent $590. Its not exactly some sort of money making scheme. Plus, the tax break only comes into effect after you've spent over 2% of your income towards charity or some other deductable things.

So a normal person who doesn't have other deductable 2% rule expenses, making $100,000/year, who donates $4000 to a charitable organization, will get a refund of $820. Maybe.

Back a few years ago, before tax code reform, the highest tax brackets were 91%! Thats why there were all sorts of insane donations back in the 50s to build libraries, etc, because a rich person could donate a MILLION dollars, and only have to actually lose $90,000.

Southern Poverty Law Center

[DrLoveMD]

i was *going* to put in my two cents about the poorly phrased comments of the original message, but they have already been said. so i will simply take this time to give you some worthwhile charities that anyone (geek or non-geek) should give to, as they are well worth your time and provide some much needed services.

Southern Poverty Law Center

Hatewatch.org

Anti-Defamation League

Even if you don't agree with my policies, please give SOMETHING to a good cause this holiday season, whether that would be PBS or NPR or one of your own pet causes. we're so saturated with "be a good capitalist" in the media, we often forget about what truly makes a good person. give it some thought... it can give you a good break from the equally abstract concept of programming. :)

Alan Turing Memorial Fund

[klweber1]

Try giving some money to construct a fitting memorial for Alan Turing, "The Father of Computer Science" http://www.btinternet.com/~glynhughes/turing.htm

Penguins and other ideas

[barabbi]

This is a great idea! There are too many shaved apes on the planet as it is. and most of them don't have the intelligence to move from the desert and stop breeding. Natural selection at work.

Penguins, endangered species, epa, greenpeace, whales, rainforest. These things aren't multiplying like humans. =)

Christian hypocrisy

[Per Abrahamsen]

> The message of Christianity is not that
> you should do good works to save your soul.
> In fact, it's quite the opposite.

Correct, this is exeactly the problem I pointed out. To a Christian, the *motivation* matter more than the *action*. This leads to the disgusting mindset demonstrated by Dan Hayes, where he call it *tragic* that some people do the right thing (charity) for the wrong reasons (tax-deductions).

The person receiving the charity is unlikely to care about the motivations. Only the actions count.

Helping.org = AOL

[Shotnicam]

uh... doesnt AOL own helping.org?

Whois Server Version 1.3

Domain names in the .com, .net, and .org domains can now be registered with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net for detailed information.

Domain Name: HELPING.ORG
Registrar: AMERICA ONLINE, INC.
Whois Server: whois.compuserve.com
Referral URL: domain.compuserve.com
Name Server: DNS-02.NS.AOL.COM
Name Server: DNS-01.NS.AOL.COM
Updated Date: 05-nov-1999

Last update of whois database: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 06:31:08 EST

how can you, a certified aol-hating geek, support them like this? or are you trying to say that they occassionally do GOOD things for the communtity?

United Way

[Hard_Code]

Isn't United Way like a clearing house many other different charities? You can give to them and let them dole it out how they see fit, or you can specify a percentage or amount to go to each partner/child program, or you can donate directly to that program.

While it's nice to liberate information, I think it is just as geek-worthy to liberate people from poverty, starvation, disease, illiteracy, homelessness, etc. etc.

JREF donations

[V_M_Smith]

The James Randi Educational Foundation would definitely fall into the category of a "geek charity". Many people know of James "The Amazing" Randi's work in debunking pseudoscientific claims, and increasing the awareness and critical thinking skills of the general public but they can always use more money to further their work.

Anything that might help more people think for a change is a worthy cause IMHO.

African Charities

[poast]

For those of you interested in spreading computer awareness, the entire continent of Africa needs your help. There's a good article here with a handful of links, including Computers for Africa.

Anti SPAM charity

[Rader]

www.cauce.com
Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail

Saw this today while reading at adbusters.org:

The biggest victory to date is a recent $2 million settlement for Earthlink, an Internet Service Provider. The loser was self-proclaimed "Spam King" Sanford Wallace, a man some estimate sends as many as 25 million bulk e-mails a day. At the vanguard of the Spam solution are those who are trying to enact meaningful anti-Spam legislation, such as the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (CAUCE). You too can help by visiting the Coalition at www.cauce.org.