The Red Cross has estimated that up to 3 million people may have been affected by Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti. Many of us are looking for ways to help after hearing about the devastation. There is an immediate need for doctors and nurses. Otherwise, the consensus from most organizations is that money is needed most in relief efforts. They are not looking for clothes, food or volunteers right now.
Want to help immediately? Simply text ‘HAITI’ to ’90999′ and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross …

With our world filled with needs and increasing social activism, philanthropy is no longer primarily defined by wealth. You become one based on your values and finding the cause that you care enough to dedicate your money, time, and talents to. The initial desire to engage, to give, comes simply from the head and the heart.
That said, you don’t just give, you’ll want give with some impact. People don’t naturally know how to give effectively. Philanthropy is something that is learned. It is intentional. It takes some planning and there …

Safe drinking water, so essential for life and yet unavailable in many parts of the world. Each day, more than 4,000 children die in developing countries simply because they don’t have clean drinking water — a global crisis.
Cosmetic company Cover Girl kicked off the relaunch of their Clean Makeup line with the launch of the Cover Girl Clean Makeup for Clean Water campaign. Partnering with Children’s Safe Drinking Water to alleviate this global crisis, Cover Girl has donated $500,000 to CSDW which will provide 50 million liters of clean water …

We’re a huge admirer of charity:water and have been raving about them for their simple yet life-changing mission to bring clean drinking water to people in developing nations and for their marketing and fundraising prowess. We love founder, Scott Harrison’s story even more because the seeds that spawned this whole movement were planted from a volunteer tourism trip.  We’re seeing, in real-time, the far reaching effects of voluntourism. In two years, charity:water has raised over $7 million and funded 1,247 water projects in 14 countries around the world.  You can …

Did you ever consider how we chose to live at home matter to people around the world? In our globally-connected world, our lifestyles (how we live, shop, eat, buy, etc.) have far-reaching effect. We can do good for people in, say, Southeast Asia without ever stepping foot in the region. How do we do that? We can use the power of the purse to help. If we integrate more fair trade purchases into our regular buying habits, then we could help reduce poverty around the world. The impact the average …

First hotels are offering free nights for community service, now retailers are embracing community volunteering or giving back — consumerism meets volunteerism.

Popular retailer, Banana Republic, announced the launched of the “ONE+ALL” campaign this week which will help local service organizations match up with Banana Republic customers who are interested in volunteering based on their skills and interests. Banana Republic employees will also provide professional development training to service nonprofit representatives, to help the nonprofits sharpen their recruiting and training strategies.
The retailer is committed to becoming a more eco-conscious brand, doing …

A question many have been asking and the answers vary because global citizenship means different things to different people.