charitable giving news stories on Newser

Virtual Swear Jar Turns Your Potty Mouth Into Charity

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 11:02:21 CST

If your New Year’s resolution is to stop swearing so much, why not do some good at the same time? Giving a modern twist to the idea of putting money into a glass jar every time you curse, " Charity Swear Box" monitors your Twitter feed for naughty words. At the...

US First in Charity Index

Kevin Spak — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:19:05 CST

Pat yourself on the back America; you’re the most giving nation in the world, at least according to the Charities Aid Foundation. The US jumped from fifth place to first in the second annual World Giving Index (pdf here ), with an all-time-high 60% rating. The score is based on...

Please Donate Money, Not Food

Matt Cantor — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:59:18 CST

Holiday food drives stem from the right charitable impulse, but unfortunately, they’re extremely inefficient. The sad fact is that up to half the donated food in a traditional drive doesn’t get used because the items are things recipients “can't use or don't know how to use,” write John Arnold and...

Carnegie Mellon Wins $265M Gift

Mark Russell — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 04:40:35 CDT

Carnegie Mellon University just scored a big boost, as former steel magnate William Dietrich pledged $265 million to the Pittsburgh-based school, reports AP . With charitable giving down due to the economic downturn, Dietrich's gift is considered one of the largest to a private university in recent years. "It is one...

Americans Gave More to Charity Last Year

Matt Cantor — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 06:43:23 CDT

Charitable giving increased last year as the economy improved, rising 3.8% to $290.89 billion, up from $280.3 billion in 2009. "There was a lot more optimism, all relative, in 2010," says an analyst. "People are still generous despite uncertainty, despite not having jobs, and despite confusion about...

On Your iPhone, an App for Everything—Except Donating

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:39:05 CST

Need directions to the store, a recipe for dinner, the latest tweets from all your friends, or a silly game to while away the hours? There’s an app for (all of) that. But one thing you can’t do on your iPhone is make charitable donations—at least, not directly from...

Do You Know Where Your Donations Are Going?

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 14:52:31 CST

Nicholas Kristof thinks it’s great that many people “will dig into their pockets for good causes” this holiday season—he just wants to make sure you know which causes are actually good. It’s dangerous to assume that all charities share your values and are using your money wisely, he writes...

Geldof Enraged by Report That Live Aid Paid for Weapons

Jane Yager — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:17:33 CST

Live Aid founder Bob Geldof is furious about a BBC report that said 95% of the Live Aid money his organization raised for Ethiopian famine relief in 1985 was diverted to buy weapons for rebel fighters. It's possible that "some money was mislaid, but to suggest it was on this...

America's Top Philanthropists

Kevin Spak — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:39:20 CST

The recession took a bite out of charitable giving last year, but some very wealthy, very generous people kept their checkbooks open. Slate delivers its annual list of the 60 biggest donors in the country, who together came up with $4.2 billion in new commitments to charity last year....