11 Charitable Efforts I Supported In 2007

Last year, I tried to follow Grace's lead and blog each month about where I was donating money. Not to show off, but to highlight those organizations while I was thinking about them and encourage others to give. I didn't do a very good job of the blogging, though I did a good job giving each month.

This year, everything fell apart. I was so sick for half the year, my monthly giving schedule did not survive. However, looking back over my records, I did manage to give. It just happened when something found me, instead of me going out regularly to find giving opportunities. I don't think I hit my goal for how much of my income was given away, but the following list isn't too shabby.

Maybe you'll see a new organization or an old favorite on the list and throw a few bucks their way. Remember, charitable donations make great holiday gifts - they don't need to be wrapped, and they don't require going to a store.

1. Women for Women International, at the request of Suebob from Red Stapler. "Women for Women International supports women in war-torn regions with financial and emotional aid, job-skills training, rights education and small business assistance so they can rebuild their lives."
2. Heart of Texas Lab Rescue, in honor of my boss's dog who passed away.
3. Joe Clark's Micropatronage effort to support an accessibility research project, which I saw linked from his own blog.
4. Genocide Intervention Network for their work on the Darfur genocide. I know I found out about them online but I don't remember where. I did a little advising to the Texas effort to pass legislation forcing divestment in Sudan by the public retirement funds here, and I'm quite pleased that it succeeded.
5. Paws of Austin, for the care of a specific dog I saw on their site.
6. The Paramount and State Theaters here in Austin, in response to an email they sent out.
7. Jane's Due Process, "a non-profit organization that serves as an information and advocacy center promoting fair and equal access for Texas teenagers seeking legal services in order to make a reproductive choice."
8. The Alzheimer's Association, although I did get a dog kiss for that one. Details here, let me know if you did it too.
9. Bitch Magazine, in response to a mailed fundraising request.

These aren't organizations, but I was glad to donate to them anyway. Since I'm lucky enough to have it, it's good to share when other people need it:

1. A woman fleeing domestic violence, at the request of Shannon from Peter's Cross Station.
2. The bloggers of The Primary Contradiction and Fabulosa Mujer, to help them attend the Allied Media Conference, at the request of brownfemipower from Women of Color Blog.

(And hey, whoever said blogs can't make a difference? I'm pretty sure this list proves otherwise.)