Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Achilles Track Club

Sorry about the lack of posts this past week, but business travel always takes a little more out of you than you expect. Especially when you end up in Cleveland for no good reason. But I digress.

This week's charity is also Five Dollar Heroes' first one that's reader-suggested (Thanks, Keith). The Achilles Track Club is a worldwide organization, with chapters in 60 countries, that purchases equipment and entry frees for disabled runners. The New York City chapter, for instance, is helping disabled runners get into the NYC Marathon. The organization even sponsors a triathlon team...and if that doesn't motivate you to hit the gym, nothing will.

To check out the team, click here. And to add your $5 to mine, click here. (On the drop-down list of programs, go ahead and put Achilles Track Club, unless surfing around the site has drawn you to a specific program.)

Sunday, August 24, 2008

The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty

Hello, heroes! This week's charity focuses on homelessness and poverty right here in the United States. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty is the only national legal advocacy organization dedicated to preventing homelessness. They do it through litigation and public policy, as well as educational outreach. And they have a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, which means the bulk of our five dollar donations will be put to use directly helping the homeless.

For more information on the work of the NLCHP, click here. And to make your donation, click here. This is a PayPal site, so on top of the page, just enter 5 in the Unit Price field, and then enter your info below. And no, you don't have to have a PayPal account to donate. So get clicking, donate your $5, and then e-mail everyone you know so they can donate, too!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

New e-mail and mailing list

OK, so I don't really have a mailing list; this is a pretty shoestring project. However, I've established a new e-mail address for use with this blog, and anybody who sends me e-mail there will be included on a weekly e-mail announcing the next $5 charity. So drop me a line at the new address, fivedollarheroes@gmail.com.

And hey, if you have ideas for nonprofits that deserve the Hero treatment, or thoughts on how this little project could be better, send 'em along!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Buy stuff and feel good about it!

There are over 13,000 nonprofits raising money on eBay.com, the auction site. And the cool thing is, you can also sell your useless crap for a cause too!

eBay's Giving Works site not only features the usual array of charity auction items, like a Napa Valley honeymoon or a chance to be a roadie for The Who, but also thousands of more typical eBay auctions -- jewelry, vintage clothing, books, antiques, sports memorabilia, you name it. These items are sold by everyday people who want to earn a little something for their favorite cause.

Everything works just like the typical eBay auction, except the proceeds to the seller's choice of nonprofits. If you're buying, read the whole listing carefully to see how much of the proceeds will go to charity (It's a range 10% to 100%), and what organization will benefit. Be sure to look before buy something cool, only to realize it goes toward some cause you can't get behind.

If you're selling, you determine how much goes to charity and how much you want to keep, and you get a break on your listing fees commensurate with the donated proceeds. All charity auctions are marked with the little ribbon you see in the image on this posting.

So check it out, clean out the attic, and sell some old junk for a good cause. Or fill your attic with new junk, also for said good cause. Whatever works for you.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Doctors Without Borders

Here we go! The first organization I want to spotlight is Doctors Without Borders. Every day, some 27,000 doctors, nurses and medical professionals from all over the world go to where they're needed most -- usually the worst places on the planet, where plague, natural disaster and armed conflict have resulted in a critical need for medical care.
These medical professionals are the doctors and nurses next door, but instead of playing golf in their free time, they're going to Darfur or Georgia to care for others. They're making huge sacrifices, and in some cases, they're putting their lives on the line.

Our donations will help get these professionals to the place they're needed most, and give them the tools they need to treat those in desperate need. For more info on Doctors Without Borders and their activities, click here. And to put your five bucks down next to mine, click here for the donation page. And remember, when you donate, e-mail this blog to others so they can join us!

Friday, August 15, 2008

So many charities...which one to pick?

The whole premise of this blog begs the question: Exactly how am I going to choose which charities to post? Short answer: I want to find genuine charities that can really use the money to make positive changes in the world. I do not want to throw money at something because it's, well, shiny. A Five Dollar Hero is smarter than that.

So for starters, each charity featured here will be a real 501(c)(3)-registered charity, as recognized by the IRS. (Save your receipts!) Furthermore, I'm going to check each charity against sources like the American Institute of Philanthropy, Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance to make sure they're on the up-and-up.

Next, I'm going to choose organizations that I feel serve a broad population in life-changing ways, the ones tackling the big issues like poverty, health, homelessness, the environment and human rights, for example. Ideally, this is stuff that every Five Dollar Hero can get behind.

And I'll have a few caveats, too. I'm not going to post items on faith-based charities or religious groups. Religious organizations do immense good around the world, no doubt. But I'm trying to build something that people of all backgrounds can contribute to, and I don't want to alienate anybody. The same goes for political groups, whether they're tied to a party or just particularly slanted one way or the other.

There are certainly some issues which are critically important and need support, but also involve intense differences in how to help. Teen pregnancy and the whole abortion vs. adoption argument springs to mind. In cases like those, I'll likely provide two or more donation options, so that folks feel they can put their money to work in good conscience.

Despite all that, I'll might choose an organization you don't agree with. If that's the case, I hope you'll take your five bucks and give it to someone else, then come back the following week and see if I've come to my senses. And if you have ideas on organizations that could use the Five Dollar Heroes treatment, drop me an e-mail and tell me all about it.

Oh, the guy in blue? He's The Tick. It might have been a stretch, but I'm happy I got him in here.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

"We are the change that we seek."

This quote is from one of Barack Obama's speeches, and I liked it so much that I gave the Obama campaign $15 a few weeks ago. That's not a lot, but it was the first presidential campaign contribution I ever made.

Obama's campaign has thrived on so-called "small dollar" donations, to the tune of $340 million from two million people. A little bit of money, coming from a lot of people, can make a huge difference.

That got me thinking. Could someone do the same thing to more broadly help charities and other worthy causes on a regular basis? I pondered the idea for a few weeks, and you're now reading the result.

Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to pick a charity that operates locally, throughout the nation, or around the world. I'm going to give that charity $5, and post the link on this blog every Monday in the hopes that you'll match my Mr. Lincoln with a fiver of your own. I'll also post some ideas on charitable giving, upcoming events and opportunities to give of your time, and also some links to buy stuff that goes to support good works.

I'm hoping you, my friend, will do two things. One, match that five bucks each week. Skip the vente latte at Starbucks, for example, or pack a lunch. An "extra" five dollars shouldn't be that hard to find. Two, if you're going to take up this challenge, tell others about it. Drop this URL in an e-mail and send it to as many folks as you're comfortable with. The more people we get to join us, the more good we can do for the world.

So there you have it. Be the change you've always hoped for, and do it with the spare change in your pocket. Take five minutes each week, spend five bucks, and be a Five Dollar Hero. Hokey? Yeah, maybe...but with enough people behind us, we all might wear the title with pride some day.