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Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Philanthropic 2.0

For my next installment of 2.0 winners on SEOmoz, I picked philanthropy (bet you didn't see that one coming) and "being green," because these two seemed to be closely tied together on the site.

Donors Choose came in second on the list, and is a great way for teachers to support their classrooms. Public school teachers from all over create project proposals to be submitted on this website, listing exactly which resources they need (and can't supply be themselves or through their schools) in order for their students to learn and have a great learning experience. Then, you, the mighty philanthropist, can look at the different proposals and give as you so choose to the request that pulls the hardest on your heartstrings. In return, the students you help will send you thank-you letters letting you know how much they appreciated your help.

Giveness was actually named Givezilla when it received an honorable mention on SEOmoz, but is still the same site. Here individuals can help support non-profit organizations when they buy products through the site. A portion of the sales (and I think they even normally tell you exactly how much) goes to the non-profit of your choice. You can shop many different stores through Giveness, even places such as eBay, iTunes, The Gap, NewEgg, Orbitz, Overstock - the list goes on and on. In order for non-profits to qualify for this, they need to register on Giveness. So, if you work for a non-profit, why not check it out? And if you want to support one, here's a great opportunity.

This one didn't win anything on SEOmoz (I don't think, anyway) but it's a personal favorite of mine - FreeRice. Some of you have already heard of this, I know, but it's worth reiterating. FreeRice is a sister website to Poverty.com, and aims to help end world hunger while giving you a better vocabulary. If you have a few minutes, I stongly urge you to check this out. All you do is guess the answer that best defines the word shown. If you get it right, 20 grains of rice are donated through the United Nations World Food Program. If you get it wrong, you get to try again on an easier word. So far, since its start in October of 2007 (just 3 months ago!) over 13 BILLION grains of rice have been donated. Not only is this game addicting and a great vocabulary tool, but it is the easiest way I know of to help those less fortunate that we could otherwise not reach.

The winner of the philanthropy section was Care2, a website that uses donations, petitions, tips, and group support to make our world a better place. This website not only deals with being green, but also animal welfare, human rights, child welfare, civil rights, etc. Here you can find tips for making your living style a little greener (send e-cards (provided for you on the site!) instead of snail mail), sign a petition for a cause you feel strongly about, receive newsletters to keep you updated, read others' blogs on your favorite topics, and even find a job based on a company's past record of contributing to society and reducing its environmental footprint! This site has a little bit of everything - there's so much information that it would be a shame not to take a peek.

And finally, SEOmoz's third place winner under the philanthropy category: BeGreenNow. Learn about global warming and its effect on the environment, calculate your personal carbon emissions and learn what you can do to offset or eliminate them, and, if you choose to donate, see exactly where your money is going. Learn about Green Mountain Energy and eMission Solutions and what they're doing to increase solar and wind power and use carbon management solutions with the next generation of businesses. What can I say? If you want to know what all the buzz about "green" is, this site is a perfect introduction. And if you're already green at heart? Take a look anyway - I guarantee you'll learn something new.

2 comments:

  1. this is a great list, thanks for pointing it out! Thanks for stopping by my blog as well. :)

    I found your blog because it came up when I did a search on the Other Boleyn Girl...I just like to see other reader reactions.

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  2. I forwarded this article to our non-profit's Marketing Director. Maybe we'll be able to generate some revenue! Thanks.

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