I have a new puppy, and was impressed with Pet Smart. I thought it was particularly interesting that they asked if I wanted to give an extra $1 for the Humane Society.  I bet they have high conversions on that – a $1 contribution won’t break the bank, and the cumulative impact can be huge.

McDonald’s has for years had a coin collector for the Ronald McDonald House, but why don’t more retail companies offer the opportunity for micro-giving at the point of sale via automatic charge? Stores could even give you a menu of say 5 charities from which you choose. This could also work well for online retailers.

In the Netherlands, an online protest of avatars raised awareness of poverty. [link to source article.]

thanks, Guy, for this!

Gizmag reports the introduction of the second generation Lifestraw, a portable, personal water filtration device for the developing world. Previous sharkride post here. Check out the video below, and consider giving the gift of clean water to those in need this Holiday season. Lifestraws can be purchased through World Outreach for $24.95 – if you buy one, the organization will donate a second one as well, so your contribution has 2x impact.

Check out Darfur Wall – It’s like million dollar homepage, but for a good cause. There are 400,000 numbers on the wall – one number for each person killed in Darfur – and you can light up a number for one dollar each. 100% of the proceeds go to organizations providing relief in Darfur.