As of this evening, half the lights of the Menorah will have been lit, the seventh window on the Advent Calendar will have been opened. It’s already time for part 4 of the Generous December Group Writing Project. Events are well-underway, but I guess it is too easy to be carried away on a wave of enthusiasm too early.

There can be a downside to charitable giving. Kelly the Nonprofiteer sent me a link about thinking critically about how charities are administrated and what, in the end, they actually accomplish. That is exactly why I chose not to make the Generous December Group Writing Project a random contest. I wanted the freedom to look at how much a given non-profit gives to the world in terms of service, compared to how much they spend on administration, marketing, and other expenses. I also made some pretty heavy demands on bloggers who enter. They (We) have had to explain completely why they have a relationship with the charity of their choice.

This project is a lot of work for everyone, but it is educational for all of us. I am not sure how comfortable I am with bloggers asking for donations for specific individuals outside a charitable context, but I wouldn’t censor someone who wants to raise money and/or awareness for friends in need. I have a great respect for the intelligence, both emotional and mental, of other bloggers. I expect all of us can determine our own comfort levels.

Since the Nonprofiteer does this kind of work all the time, I can’t wait to read Kelly’s entry about where she gives her time and money after she has applied her financial/ethical matrix.

I wrote the introduction to the Generous December Group Writing Project with some pretty strict rules that will allow me to be as careful as possible. So far, I haven’t read anything in the blog posts, or on the charity sites, or in the major and minor media in three countries that I follow regularly that sets off any alarm bells. In fact, through this initiative I’ve read about small organizations that have carefully defined one job they want to do well. I think that often prevents the administrative money-pit that can (but doesn’t always) come with donations to larger NGOs. If you have heard anything “different” about any of the non-profits entered in this GWP, please let me know.

That said, let us now return to the spirit of hope and the light of enthusiasm:

Tom at 501c Files, became the first tax guy to make me cry (which, since I pay taxes in Europe is saying something) when he wrote about Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

Kadi Prescott is thinking about how to give one particular family in crisis a gift this Christmas. Her post made me think about all the other families out there who give presents to children who would otherwise get nothing. Does anyone have any particular “toys for tots” organizations to recommend?

SlackerMommy has been sharing her upbringing on here blog and has some excellent insights into preventing child abuse. Her cause does work that supports the whole family to create a safe environment for children.

That’s three new entries, combined with those from part one, part two and part three, that makes a total of 18 entries so far. Hopefully, we’ll have enough entries to post part five on Monday. As soon as we have 20 entries, the donation amount will double.

Post from: Babylune

Image source.

Today is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. Children in the Netherlands and here in Germany, and perhaps elsewhere, cleaned their shoes before they went to bed, put them outside the door and started to wait. Here, the patron Saint of Children is seen in many ways. He can be the coca-cola colored Santa, he can be a bishop in a tall miter. He can be dressed in the sackcloth robes of a monk who has been wandering from place to place with a sack of nuts and dried fruit to nourish hungry children.

It’s the perfect occasion to reveal the gifts that make up part three of the Generous December Group Writing Project.

I have asked the blogging community to tell me about their favorite charities and issues to enter to win a donation for their cause. Part one and part two appeared earlier in the week and you have until December 19th to get your entry in. Today’s summary contains more hope that we, when we work together, can improve the quality of life on this planet.

Laura at Writing Thoughts, has me thinking about the children’s charity Compassion International. St. Nicholas would be so proud.

Linette from Mother Earth’s Garden met one of her best friends through Buckeye Border Collie Rescue. And she doesn’t mind being herded one bit.

One of the first things I learned about Kerri and Corey from Marriage, Actually is that their favorite charity is World Vision. No word on their favorite bands…

Tonight is the third night of Hanukkah. Erika from the Practicing Writer is keeping the lights burning bright and dedicates her post to the Blue Card. Grandma and grandpa need us to care too.

What cause is near and dear to your heart? Which one will you write about?

Post from: Babylune

I’ve worked in internet content since 1996, so comments like that never surprise me.  And, to a certain extent, it is true.  In the Internet business, there’s always something new to learn and a new way to interact with internet users (we all participate in it, afterall).

Still, when I heard about Albert the Urban Monk’s charity challenge meme (the more people who participate in the meme, the more he donates), I was surprised. It challenged me to get to the heart of my motivation to keep blogging. If the blogosphere came to end, what would I like Babylune to be remembered for?

I suppose, I would want the most practical information to survive. New mothers are in a physically and emotionally vulnerable state. So I’d like the long list of discomforts and the related posts about how to deal with them to be remembered. If my own opinions about energy management help anyone else get through the day, I hope they’ll be remembered too.

If I have ever influenced anyone to forget celebrity in favour of self-care or greater attention to our planet, then let those influences remain.

No two pregnancies are alike, no two mothers and no two babies. Then, it follows that no two childbirth recoveries are or ever will be alike either.

The community aspect of interactive technologies has always been the most important aspect of content creation in the online world. So, when blogging has served its purpose and given way to another trend, another means of communication, another tool, then I would like to remember the friends I made and what I learned from them.

Post from: Babylune