What are YOU passionate about?

There's a charity for that! I am passionate about music, and so I was able to find some great ideas on the web by just doing a simple google search! There is: American Music Therapy Association: http://www.musictherapy.org/faqs.html; Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation: http://www.mhopus.org/; National Endowment for the Arts: http://www.nea.gov/support/index.html; and more! I also recently heard a radio commercial talking about a group that sends musicians to visit patients in hospitals to help brighten their day. What a great way to share your talents and serve others! There are lots of big ways to make a difference, but there are many more small ways.

Here is a challenge for you, google (or your favorite search engine) to find you some great charities that you can volunteer for, donate to, promote, or just plain be PASSIONATE about!

Craig's New List

While I've never been a huge Craiglist user, I've followed it over the years and used it a time a two when my children were newborns (remember those canning bottles and spiders, Matt?!) To my surprise, I was recently pointed to a new "Do Good" endeavor, headed by Craig Newmark the founder of Craiglist, called Craig Connects. Craig puts his mission best in his own words:

"This will be long-term effort. We’re talking ongoing support for effective organizations. I’m committing the next 20 years to craigconnects, focusing the first phase on highlighting mostly larger sized nonprofits making an impact in my personal Areas of Support. I’ve been helping nonprofits for about 10 years, applying a lot of what I’ve learned doing customer service for craigslist."

I love that he is using his tried and true commitment to doing good in such a way that using his expertise people can come together in a confident manner to support worthy causes throughout the world, both big and small. I know I've been concerned about that very issue, trust, when it pertains to giving online. "Where does the money REALLY go?" I'd ask myself. And then I'd choose to wait until next time to help.

I wish I could say, as Craig does, "This is the biggest thing in my life, and I’d like a little help from you." Maybe I should say that and commit the next twenty years of my life to Doing Good. How about you? In fact, I need to take my own advice. I'm going to make a donation to one organization every week for the next year to see how this changes my mindset about service and community. And I'll start doing that today.

I will do more research on Craig Connects and keep reporting over the next month. But for those interested, his first featured NonProfit: DonorsChoose.org - what a great idea. I'm having a hard time not just sending many of these teams and such some money, what worthy causes.

Thanks Craig!