Charities Post
I like to help out. I'm sure you do too. I, for example, feel like I need to give something back to the world after being so incessently lucky throughout my life (stable family and home life growing up, access to travel, educational materials, computers, books and various interests far above that of my peers). So I tend to keep an eye out for charities, and when I have money, or time, or gifts to buy, I look to them first. Though this is mostly for my own benefit, you may find this post helpful too. I will update and postdate as it becomes possible.

* marks a charity that requires nothing but time.

*The Hunger Site and associates. Here you can donate money to world hunger, free mammograms, children's health, children's literacy, rainforest preservation and food for shelter animals, all without any cost to you beyond about five minutes. The site works by providing a button that leads you to a page full of ads that donate money based on the number of views they get. The ads are attractive, not pop-up and not otherwise irritating. These sites (six related ones all working on the same principle) also have some wonderful stores for gifts.

*Freerice, a site where you can play a vocabulary game and donate rice to the hungry at the same time. Get a word right, and you donate twenty grains of rice. It's a fun way to end world hunger, and free as well. Highly recommended.

Donors Choose, recommended to me by Bex. I believe it was also recommended by the Colbert Report. Teachers submit proposals to the site for various projects that they do not have the materials or the budget for, and people can choose the project to donate to. I think we can all agree that our schools need more money. This site is an excellent start.

For the crafty folks, The Snuggles Project provides a niftily useful place to get rid of those blankets you knit to keep calm. The Snuggles Project has a list of shelters where you can donate blankets to keep the animals warm and interested. If you've ever been to a shelter, you know they often have to keep the animals in small, cold boxes. The Snuggles Project helps to spruce up those boxes and make the animals just that little bit more comfortable.

UPDATE

Kiva is a site that offers loans to entrepreneurs in developing companies. Somewhat unique in that you get your donated money repaid as time goes on (though I believe you need Paypal for that). The site connects you to the entrepreneurs; you receive email updates. Definitely aboveboard and a worthy cause.

More to come as I find them (or have them suggested.)