Doing Good, Web 2.0, & Xmas

Friends, blockmates, etc. please listen up! In lieu of Christmas gifts, I’d rather you do the following: 1) subscribe to GOOD Magazine, 2) donate to one of the causes or nonprofits I mention below, or 3) start your own revolution like Jesse Hambley. Read on below:

The holiday season is partially the reason I’m thinking of good works but certainly not the only. I’m finishing up my term paper on Ben Goldhirsh and GOOD Magazine, a bimonthly pub he launched last year to encourage affluent and educated Gen Y-ers like himself to do good and use their privileged positions to change the world for the better. 100% of the annual $20 subscription rate goes to benefit the charity of your choice (GOOD offers 12 to choose from).

I’m no model do-gooder but I have my share of causes, like most of my friends and classmates, though I don’t do nearly as much as I should. Writing this paper has gotten me to thinking of ways to up the “giving back” quotient in my daily life or at least to be more aware of the importance of charity and volunteerism. With the Internet, it’s certainly easier than ever to give back and to raise awareness. Here are a few examples I find particularly revolutionary:

1. Jesse Hambley, a graphic designer who runs the Pittsburgh non-profit Creative TreeHouse, just launched One Nice Thing a Day, a blog detailing a daily good deed he does.
2. FreeRice, created by the same folks behind Poverty.com, features a vocabulary game that allows users to generate rice donations every time they get a question right. The donations are paid for by advertisers so the more people who play, the more the site makes in advertising revenue.
3. Kiva.org is a web-based microfinancing organization that allows people to give loans (as little as $25) to support small businesses in developing nations. Loan repayment rates are very high (so this costs you nothing!), and the money goes a long way toward helping the working poor acquire financial independence. This is also one of the nonprofits supported by GOOD Magazine.
4. The Causes Giving Challenge on Facebook encourages people to give to their favorite cause by adding an incentive: causes with the most unique donors receive additional monetary awards. Support the tiny but critical Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition that my friend Rachel is helping to raise money for.

In addition, if you really want to make my holiday, connect with me and stay updated with my blog by doing the following:

1. Subscribe to my posts on your Google Reader or sign up for email updates.
2. Become a fan of Sex and the Ivy on Facebook.
3. Follow my Twitter updates, view my photos on Flickr, and check me out on OkCupid!
4. Post my website to Facebook, Digg, or del.icio.us. Add my website to your favorites on Technorati.

The Internet is a beautiful thing.