All Change Agent
FarmVille's game players bring clean water to the real worldItems purchased on Zynga's popular Facebook games FarmVille and Mafia Wars raise money for Water.org, which provides safe water and sanitation for people in the real world.
Four ways to help 'contract farming' benefit the very poorContract farming – an agreement between a farmer and a buyer – offers many benefits to small farmers if they have access to education and legal services.
Number of volunteers in US hits highest level since 2005More than one-quarter of Americans did volunteer work in 2011, providing 7.9 billion hours of service worth $171 billion. Utah led among states. Iowans responded to their governor's call for volunteers.
Give to people on the street? In cities, it's a daily dilemmaWhether to give to people on the street who ask for money is a complicated decision, with no easy right or wrong answer. It's a highly personal act that sometimes can be deeply rewarding.
Mom in Argentina rescues hundreds of sex slavesWhat began as a one-woman campaign a decade ago has become a movement, and today Susana Trimarco is a hero to hundreds of women she's rescued from prostitution rings in Argentina.
Shoppers add charitable giving to their listsPurchases that give a portion of the sale to a charity make shoppers feel good but may diminish overall giving to that charity, a consultant says.
Kids Helping Kids is run by kids – and for kidsThe Connecticut-based nonprofit youth group of middle schoolers and teens plans and carries out projects that make a positive difference in their community and beyond.
Alta Gracia factory produces fair-trade clothingFor years, college student activists have pressured their schools to make sure clothing with college logos is sweatshop-free. Now, they have another choice: fair-trade clothing manufactured in the Dominican Republic by Alta Gracia.
Would the lights go out if superstorm Sandy hit the Netherlands? Nope.The US can learn from the modern, disaster-resistant electric grid in the Netherlands.
Clean cookstoves in Mozambique lure big investorsCleanStar Mozambique is a combined effort among a mix of institutions centered around replacing traditional charcoal cooking stoves with stoves fueled by sustainably produced bio-ethanol.
#GivingTuesday sparks a big spike in charitable donationsGifts to charitable groups shot up 53 percent to $10 million on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which is being promoted as #GivingTuesday.
Designing from nature could solve the world's biggest challengesCan a boat be designed to clean the water? How does a spider manufacture resilient fiber? The world needs products that don’t harm humans or the environment, and nature’s already done the research.
Nonprofit leaders to President Obama: Help the vulnerableIn his second term President Obama will likely make changes that affect nonprofit and charitable groups. Five nonprofit leaders and thinkers share their ideas about what he can do to strengthen their efforts.
Black Friday, Cyber Monday ... now Giving TuesdayA national campaign to brand the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as an annual day of giving is a product of the digital age, steeped in social media, with its own Twitter hashtag: #GivingTuesday.
New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker will try living on food stampsCory Booker has committed to living on the equivalent of food stamps for at least a week to spur a discussion on the role government plays in providing food for the poor.
Bartering may boost food supply for rural KenyansThe age-old practice of bartering – trading goods without exchanging money – may provide a better return for Kenya's rural poor.
Curacao looks at using ocean water for powerCuracao, an island nation in the southern Caribbean, may use cold seawater to generate power, taking an innovative step toward clean, local energy.
Nonprofits work to help legal immigrants become US citizensThe costly, lengthy, labyrinthine path to US citizenship can take two years to complete, dissuading many from trying. Nonprofits are jumping in to help.
Volunteer Square matches willing helpers with charitable tasksA Connecticut website provides a place where people find volunteer opportunities, and nonprofits find new volunteers.
Len Stanmore mixes adventure with helping othersHe's about to set a world record by climbing the highest peaks on seven continents and crossing the four most inhospitable deserts. But when he added a charitable aspect to his quest he made it even more meaningful.
