342 posts tagged with charity.
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20 Places to Donate Used Books
"Books are an important part of our lives but many of us still struggle with what to do with old books. When we decide it’s time to part with them, we want to know they are going to a nice home where they can continue to enrich and improve other people’s lives." [more inside]
“I still wanted to help. But I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.”
The Deaths of Effective Altruism [archive] by Leif Wenar is a critical assessment of the effective altruism movement, taking in Sam Bankman-Fried and billionaires, Peter Singer and other philosophers, and GiveWell and the wider network of charities working off effective altruistic ideas.
The Second Haitian Revolution?
The nation of Haiti has been rocked by far more than its fair share of disasters in recent decades, from major hurricanes to a devastating 2010 earthquake (which killed upwards of 200,000) to the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic. The humanitarian situation has been worsened by escalating political instability, with the "legal banditry" of President Martelly followed by the 2021 assassination of President Moïse amidst a wave of mass protests and criminal violence. The ongoing turmoil reached a fever pitch this week as gang leader Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier led an audacious jailbreak of the country's prisons, freeing thousands of convicts that have joined forces in a united front that controls most of Port-au-Prince and credibly threatens to overthrow the government. Acting president Ariel Henry (himself a prime suspect in Moïse's murder) remains stranded outside the country, having secured a deployment of Kenyan police to bolster a multinational force. Most Haitian citizens, however, oppose foreign intervention -- understandable after the last UN mission triggered a major cholera epidemic. The Biden administration is allegedly pressuring the embattled Henry to resign (an improvement over the last time the US was involved in Haitian politics). For their part, a coalition of Haitian civil society offers a possible solution in the Montana Accord, a multi-stage plan to restore electoral democracy. [more inside]
Maybe I was incapable of helping anyone anyhow
Everything was going as it had to and therefore as it should. What could I do about it? I got into bed and watched the sleet strike my window, grateful to be inside for a while longer. Then I thought some more about Jesse’s blanket. That way I could add another paragraph to this essay, and maybe earn an extra fifty cents. from Four Men by William T Vollman, about homelessness, alcoholism and the death of his daughter. [Harper’s; ungated]
Philanthropy’s equivalent of “All Lives Matter”
Non-profit writer/speaker/thinker Vu Le discusses a recent joint statement by philanthropic leaders "protecting pluralism." Vu Le previously and even more previously.
rescue, bandages, and smoke
A few very different wish-fulfillment pieces of speculative fiction. Stories by lyricwritesprose and by dalekteaservice give us alien points of view on what humans could offer to a troubled universe. And in "Burning Men" by Maria Farrell, certain people start spontaneously combusting. (Author's commentary: it's "about a world where the cost of sexual violence is born by the perpetrators and how that changes everything" as well as "the mood music of brexit and covid.") [more inside]
Don't fold back spines, asking nicely
"they were persuaded by the immediacy of suffering"
"Byzantine Empathy" is a novelette by Ken Liu about virtual reality, moral reasoning, atrocities, institutional philanthropy, geopolitics, and two very determined women at odds with each other. Content note: violence, including harm to children.
Give it
Former billionaire Chuck Feeney, who cofounded airport retailer Duty Free Shoppers, anonymously gave away almost his entire net worth. Cited as an inspiration by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates for the Giving Pledge, he recently closed his philanthropic foundation after giving away $8 billion and lives in a small rented apartment in San Francisco.
Friendly Distance Bundle
The Friendly Distance Bundle The Friendly Distance Bundle is a collection of 14 role-playing and role-playing adjacent games that are well-suited to social distancing and digital contact. [more inside]
My name is Inigo Montoya
A homemade Princess Bride. Many of the actors are ID’d here. Fbo World Central Kitchen Please feel free to suggest tags.
The Winterqueen's Gambit
That Netflix Show may have created a bit of a chess craze in 2020, but back in the fall of 1995 four young chess enthusiasts toured the country, playing the game against thousands of opponents night after night, relaxing between moves by playing some music. After winning the first game, the young men, Jonathon, Michael, Page and Ernest, resigned after losing their queen during the second game at Madison Square Garden on New Years Eve. Yesterday, nearly 25 years after that crushing defeat, in a video featuring noted chess historian Dale Rook, ChD, and a chess playing cat, the four now middle-aged men have demanded a rematch, to be played on-line this New Year's Eve. [more inside]
Good News, Everyone! (Really)
MacKenzie Scott has given $4 billion to charity over the last four months, mostly to smaller organisations and colleges. Her donations eschew the usual pattern for billionaires who spread out their donations over decades and favour wealthy and prestigious institutions. “They came like gifts from a Secret Santa, $20 million here, $40 million there, all to higher education, but not to the elite universities that usually hog all the attention. These donations went to colleges and universities that many people have never heard of, and that tended to serve regional, minority and lower-income students.” (NYT/Archive.is).
My Precious! O my Precious!
Have you ever lost a ring somewhere--just had it slip off your finger and...disappear? The Ring Finders is a network of metal detecting enthusiasts who help folks find lost rings, sometimes even underwater, usually for free or on a "reward basis," just because it makes them happy.
And boy, does it make people happy.
The Most Beautiful Festival in the World
Jurek Owsiak is a Polish radio and TV journalist, a stained glass maker, and a licensed psychotherapist. In 1993, he encouraged his listeners to collect funds for a collapsing pediatric cardiac surgery unit. That project grew into the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP / Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy) which does an annual fund drive. 92% of the money collected goes to purchase medical equipment which provides every diabetic child in Poland with a free insulin pump, funds universal hearing screening for infants/newborns, buys modern medical equipment for struggling hospitals. The second Sunday of January is a day-long nationwide colorful public fundraising holiday with 120,000 volunteers distributing collection boxes, street musicians, and a telethon, culminating in a Grand Finale concert and Light in the Sky laser and fireworks display. In the summer the organization organizes "Polish Woodstock" (YT playlist) as a thank you to all its volunteers.
The only good billionaire is a former billionaire
Last week, Chuck Feeney completed his goal of giving away his entire $8 billion fortune in his lifetime.
How philanthropy benefits the super-rich
Philanthropy, it is popularly supposed, transfers money from the rich to the poor. This is not the case. There are more philanthropists than ever before. Each year they give tens of billions to charitable causes. So how come inequality keeps rising? By Paul Vallely.
Donation Dollar
The familiar kangaroos are replaced with a green and gold ripple and a message - Give to Help Others. The Royal Australian Mint releases the Donation Dollar, a coin intended to be given away. 25 million will be minted, one for each Australian.
The Demise of the (British) Second-Hand Bookshop
Alexander Larman on why Oxfam charity bookshops, “as tremendous as they are, may be the end of the second-hand bookseller.” [more inside]
Love is the virus. Love is infectious. Love is the CURE.
The coronavirus pandemic has inspired a grassroots movement that is connecting people who need help with donors who can offer financial assistance. So far, contributors have passed $13 million through more than 100,000 matches. Shelly Tygielski came up with the idea that she named Pandemic of Love. […] "As the pandemic started, I started to see the fear bubble up on my social media feeds and from friends," Tygielski told CNN. "I wanted to turn from this environment of fear to an opportunity for us to create connection, community and strengthen the bonds of love between us."
Let's party like it's 2020
"Prince and the Revolution: Live" is streaming on YouTube (SLYT) as a benefit for the WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. For more, see Rolling Stone. (The article says that it will be available for three days from the 15th, but it is still available, so don't delay.) [more inside]
Around the world in 1,200 days… on a UNICYCLE
Five years ago, Ed Pratt (previously) was a fresh-faced 19-year-old setting out from Somerset to unicycle around the world to raise money for the School in a Bag charity. A bit more than three years later, after a trip that included many encounters and adventures riding through China, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Australia, and the USA, he made it safely home. Ed recently uploaded the final episode, an epic (for him) hour and a quarter video covering the last segment riding from Edinburgh to Somerset: 1,200 DAYS Around The World On A Unicycle - RETURNING HOME [22,000 Miles Of Cycling].
You Awake to Find Yourself in a Dark Twitch Stream
Nearly half way through a 48 hour marathon twitch stream, the madman behind 2012 youtube sensation The Dark Room and subsequent comedy text adventure show is raising money for the NHS and Mind by being unreasonably energetic and killing hapless adventurers live until 7pm BST Sunday. Join in via chat and see if you can win a Flamboyant Potato*. [more inside]
Games in the time of etc
Humble Conquer COVID-19 Bundle
"This special one-week bundle features $1,071 worth of games and ebooks for just $30. 100% of the proceeds from your bundle purchase go to support organizations responding to COVID-19. For example, delivering protective gear to safeguard healthcare workers and providing medical care to infected patients."
Humble Bundle on MeFi, previously. [more inside]
"This special one-week bundle features $1,071 worth of games and ebooks for just $30. 100% of the proceeds from your bundle purchase go to support organizations responding to COVID-19. For example, delivering protective gear to safeguard healthcare workers and providing medical care to infected patients."
Humble Bundle on MeFi, previously. [more inside]
Humble Australia Fire Relief Bundle
Humble Australia Fire Relief Bundle: There's only about 5 days left to obtain this special one-week bundle featuring over $400 in incredible games for just $25. 100% of the proceeds from your bundle purchase go to help the wildlife and animals affected by the Australian bushfires. [more inside]
How To Really Piss Off Your Parents
“There are so many myths and lies around the idea of meritocracy in this country. Even Trump’s whole, like, “I got a small loan.” I think we have this pervasive belief: If you work hard and you do the grind and you do the hustle, the American Dream is within reach for anyone. And what I’m trying to show from my stories is that so much of it is also due to systemic racism and who had access to what. Many of our members who are white have multigenerational wealth, because their parents or grandparents went to college on the GI Bill, or their ancestors had access to land ownership before any person of color was ever allowed access to land ownership.“ Meet the Rich Kids Who Want to Give Away All Their Money (Town & Country)
so we're like a predatory giver
Former Collection Agency Executives Start Charity To Buy And Forgive Medical Debt - Craig Antico and Jerry Ashton, founders of RIP Medical Debt, decided to use their expertise to forgive medical debt instead of collecting it. So far, their company has abolished hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. They want to reach a billion by 2020.
The value of billionaires pledges
After the fire at Notre Dame, billions in pledges arrived from some of the wealthiest people in France. Now that the bills have come due, the actual money is coming from small donations, with equal amounts coming from the United States and France. [more inside]
Look for the helpers. Here are two.
Helping Underprivileged Kids:
Dale Schroeder lived simply for his entire life. He grew up poor, never married or had kids, and worked as a carpenter at the same company for 67 years. He owned just two pair of jeans and drove a rusty old Chevrolet truck. Shortly before his death in 2005, Schroeder told his attorney, Steve Nielsen, that he wanted to use his savings to help poor students in Iowa go to college. "I said, 'How much are we talking about, Dale?'" Nielsen told KCCI. "And he said, 'Oh, just shy of $3 million.' I nearly fell out of my chair."Helping Homeless People:
Make an appointment at Steller Hair Company and owner Katie Steller will offer you a seat in one of ten flame-red chairs. All are stationary. Her eleventh chair - the one she hauls to street corners in the back of her Nissan - is not. “If fear is contagious, why can’t kindness be?” the hair stylist asks.
HOLY SHIT WHAT A TRILOGY
ONE
My dad died. Classic start to a funny story. He was buried in a small village in Sussex. I was really close to my dad so I visited his grave a lot. I still do. [DON’T WORRY, IT GETS FUNNIER.] (Twitter | Threadreader)[more inside]
The ultra-rich have no redeeming social value.
“Working- and middle-class people have a vested interest in infrastructure investment. They depend on good public roads, schools, and parks. Wealthy people don’t. If public services frazzle, they can opt out to private alternatives. And the more wealth concentrates, the more our political leaders tilt the wealthy’s way. The wealthy do not like paying for public services they don’t use. Political leaders don’t make them. They cut taxes and deny public services the funds they need to thrive.” The World Would Be a Better Place Without the Rich (Jacobin) [more inside]
Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something
There are millions of mobile applications available to smartphone users today, and that number will only keep growing as it becomes easier to build and deploy apps. Some apps are for amusement, but others are specifically designed to improve the lives of their users or the world at large.
We asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members the following question about some of the most innovative apps they’ve encountered that were created to help people: What’s one innovative app you‘ve seen that’s designed to help people, and what can leaders learn from apps like it? (via) [more inside]
We asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members the following question about some of the most innovative apps they’ve encountered that were created to help people: What’s one innovative app you‘ve seen that’s designed to help people, and what can leaders learn from apps like it? (via) [more inside]
We got bored while you were gone.
Blair Braverman (previously) just finished the Iditarod. Her fans were doing their part, too. [SLtwitter, very short story, but man it got dusty in here]
It’s not just a meat snack, It’s a way of life!
Surprisingly, the UK Christmas Number One is the charity single by, youtuber and 'Celebrity Dad Of The Year', LadBaby: 'We Built This City' - a cover of the Starship song that's also a homage to the sausage roll. (Sausage rolls previously)
That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.
The Christmas weed (No, not that kind of weed) adorning a West Toledo intersection has grown from curious holiday delight to impromptu collection drive.
Or, as resident Luci Baumberger said at the site, “I think it is just the most Toledo thing to ever happen,” she said. A circle of donations now surrounds the decorated plant at West Alexis and Secor roads. Canned goods, scarfs, socks, and sneakers all sit at the pedestrian island for those in need. It is not clear who started the gift giving, but the curb has quickly become a “take-what-you-need” dropoff site. [more inside]
Or, as resident Luci Baumberger said at the site, “I think it is just the most Toledo thing to ever happen,” she said. A circle of donations now surrounds the decorated plant at West Alexis and Secor roads. Canned goods, scarfs, socks, and sneakers all sit at the pedestrian island for those in need. It is not clear who started the gift giving, but the curb has quickly become a “take-what-you-need” dropoff site. [more inside]
Reflection as a self-congratulatory proxy for action
"Conservative funders focus on the big picture, act quickly, do not micromanage, provide significant general operating funds, fund for twenty or thirty years, support leaders and movements, engage in policy and politics, and treat grantees as equal partners. Progressive funders—with a few exceptions—intellectualize, are severely risk-averse, focus narrowly, fund isolated strategies and programs, avoid politics, and treat grantees like parasites and freeloaders." 10 things progressive funders must learn from conservative ones, or we are all screwed.
The Old Way Of Politics Is Dead
“I’m telling you this story because I imagine there are others, like me, who want to see a better, kinder world, but they’re not sure how to go about achieving it. When I was 24 I thought it was through proper, respectable channels: NGOs and civil political gamesmanship and gradual pressure for reform. I now know that those proper and respectable channels are an illusion, anesthetizing you to the fact that the world is a vicious brawl for resources, with capitalists leading every major offensive.” Why Do Nonprofits Exist? (Popula)
The Philanthro-Capitalist Class
“First, for years, they allowed problems to fester—real problems like declining social mobility, what trade was doing to America, issues around cities and gentrification. Every time you say Lean In is going to fix gender equality, or one charter school in Bed-Stuy is going to solve education, or you’re going to have some kind of tote bag that saves the environment—every time we were promulgating phony change, that is not doing real change. It is crowding out real change and redefining change so we cannot do more ambitious change.” Why Real Change Won’t Come From Billionaire Philanthropists - “Just as the firm dodged the collapse of those toxic securities, it dodged the public’s thirst for justice. The e-mail’s recipients—and the very affluent in general—would capture most of the gains from the long recovery. A Times analysis of Federal Reserve data last year found that, while the average American household was still thirty-per-cent poorer, in net worth, than in 2007, the top ten per cent of households were twenty-seven per cent wealthier than before the crisis“ After the Financial Crisis, Wall Street Turned to Charity—and Avoided Justice - Anand Giridharadas, author of Winners Take All, on the win–win business- and plutocrat-friendly philanthropy of today’s rich (Jacbonin Radio)
"'Accepting charity is an ugly business'"
"My return to the refugee camps, 30 years on": Dina Nayeri was eight when she and her family fled Iran. Are today’s refugees treated with more dignity? (SLGuardian)
“...a moral pretext for what is really just imaginative pleasure.”
Empathy Machines: Fellow feeling as a technologically mediated experience by Olivia Rosane “The narrative about the power of literature, like the current approach to VR, makes historical change not a matter of the resistance efforts of the oppressed and their allies but of relatively privileged people speaking to other relatively privileged people to spark a paternalistic response. [...] By focusing on bringing the experiences of the marginalized to elites, VR developers implicitly endorse a system in which a small number of people retain outsize power.”
You wanna leave a legacy? Get in the way, any way you can.
Cameron Esposito has a new stand-up special about sexual assault from a survivor’s perspective available to stream for free on her site. Proceeds from donations benefit RAINN, the United States’ largest anti-sexual violence organization. (CW: sexual assault) [more inside]
Giving with one hand to take back with the other
When the British Royal Family participated in the other games
It's A Knockout (1966-2001 in the UK), adapted from the French show Intervilles, was a strange hybrid of village rivalries, Eurovision and the Olympic Games. In 1987, a charity version [1] [2] [3], organised by Prince Edward and involving several Royals and many celebrities such as Sheena Easton and John Travolta, was televised. Of the presenters, some prospered while others passed away [1] [2] or were jailed. Despite large viewing figures, reviews were unkind and Edward was disappointed with journalists. Later, it transpired that Meatloaf and Prince Andrew fought by a moat over Princess Ferguson. Since then, Royals have largely shied away from reality TV, though Edward continued various media projects to this day.
Vikings Give to the Who Dat Nation
Since Sunday Minnesota Vikings fans have raised more than $150,000 for the New-Orleans based charity What You Give Will Grow founded by Saints punter Thomas Morstead. Morstead said 100% of donations will go directly to Children's Minnesota to support their Child Life department. [more inside]
Travel, Budget Beds, and the Homeless
Back in January, Rick Steves donated the Trinity Place transitional housing complex in Edmonds, WA, which he had owned and operated in partnership with the Rotary and the YWCA since 2005, to the YWCA. On his blog, Steves discusses the history of the project—and his reasons for donating it now—at some length. (Rick Steves previously)
How Nick Offerman Is Using Woodworking to Help Americans in Need
Nick Offerman loves woodworking. The actor, perhaps best known for his turn as Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation, adores the craft so much, he’s started Offerman Woodshop, where he makes and sells everything from meat paddles to mustache combs to custom dining tables. Nick Offerman also loves the betterment of humanity which is why when he found a project that combined his two passions, he leapt at the chance to participate. Would Works is a non-profit charity that helps Americans in need get back on their feet through the production of handmade wood goods. Proceeds from purchases help fund the woodshop and the program. Plus, Offerman will match any donations to Would Works, dollar-by-dollar, up to $20,000. [slGQ]
How one man built a $51m theme park for his disabled daughter
A father from Texas realised there were no theme parks where his disabled daughter could play. So he decided to build one.
"We wanted a theme park where everyone could do everything, where people with and without special needs could play,"Gordon Hartman says. [more inside]
"I must become someone else."
Stephen Amell (Arrow) takes on the American Ninja Warrior course for Red Nose Day 2017. [more inside]
The Book of The Homeless
From the title page:
The Book of the Homeless
( Le Livre des Sans-Foter )
Edited by Edith Wharton
Original articles in verse and prose Illustrations reproduced from original paintings & drawings
The book is sold for the benefit of the American Hostels for Refugees (with the Foyer Franco-Belge) and of the Children of Flanders Rescue Committee. [more inside]
The Book of the Homeless
( Le Livre des Sans-Foter )
Edited by Edith Wharton
Original articles in verse and prose Illustrations reproduced from original paintings & drawings
The book is sold for the benefit of the American Hostels for Refugees (with the Foyer Franco-Belge) and of the Children of Flanders Rescue Committee. [more inside]
ok ok we got this
Something to pick you up this morning: 99 Reasons Why 2016 Was a Good Year (SLMedium)