If You Give a Kid a Book

BookEnds

In 1993, 8-year-old Brandon Keefe believed he could make a difference. By 1998, he was, forming BookEnds as nonprofit organization in Southern California that is about kids helping kids. The organization recycles children's books through student-run book drives and places them in schools and youth organizations in need of books. They believe that a literate child is the foundation of a thriving community. By providing access to books, children are given the resources to develop literacy skills and to experience the joy and imagination of reading.

Recipients of the BookEnds program include:

• Inner City Schools
• Youth Centers
• Homeless Shelters
• Family Literacy Centers
• After-school Enrichment Programs
• Children's Group Homes
• Juvenile Detention Facilities

For recipient organizations the ratio of books to kids is 3 to 1; the national average is 22 to 1.  Each dollar donated to BookEnds results in more than five dollars worth of books for kids.

BookEnds believes in the power of community service. Through Bookends students have the opportunity to change their lives and the lives of others through community service. Student volunteers collect, sort and personally deliver donated books to quality libraries and inspire a passion for reading.

The Stats to Date:

• 22,000 student volunteers
• 585 empty libraries filled in the Greater Los Angeles area
• 2.1 million books delivered
• Serving over 520,000 at-risk children

For more information please visit BookEnds.

Welcome to Nonprofit Awareness 2.0

Welcome to the next chapter of Nonprofit Awareness. After what has been a long hiatus, the site is back and better than ever. And to reflect this renewed commitment to the non-profit sector and its activities, Nonprofit Awareness has become Non-Profits Now.

It's my goal for this site to serve as a resource for non-profit professionals, donors, volunteers, and anyone interested in making a difference. As you borrow the site, you'll be able to explore various charities, and receive the latest news coming out of the non-profit community. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, and the resources needed to make informed contributions.

Previous features will remain in the archive for your review. Keep checking throughout the week as more content is added to the site, and be sure to look out for the official site launch next Monday, October 18th.

Email for inquires and submissions.

Tools for Charity

Today's posting provides some easy web resources to get involved with charitable work, and tools to ensure that the nonprofits you select are credible. Whether you're looking for simple ways to give or looking to transition into the nonprofit sector, the sites below will help you find a way to get involved that fits your lifestyle.

1. GuideStar:

GuideStar gathers and publicizes information about nonprofit organizations; organizing the information into its large database. They encourage nonprofits to share information about their organizations openly and completely. This is especially important as transparency is vital in the nonprofit community. 

Any nonprofit can update its report with information about its mission, programs, leaders, goals, accomplishments, and needs- for free. GuideStar also supplies information from other resources, including the organization's financial statements, which must be made available to the public. You can search for an organization for free. Completing the free registration form gives you access to even more information.

So why is this nonprofit so important, and why are they passionate about providing information on other nonprofit organizations? "Because the best possible decisions are made when donors, funders, researchers, educators, professional service providers, governing agencies, and the media use the quality information that [GuideStar] provides. Those decisions affect our world today and will continue to affect it for generations to come."

GuideStar is a great resource to become familiar with some great nonprofit organizations, and make sure that you're equipped with the facts necessary to make informed giving decisions. To learn more please visit the GuideStar website.

2. The Good Search:

The Good Search is a simple way to give to charity without having to put a lot of effort into it. Simple visit the website, select the charity or school of your choice, search the web as you normally would, and they'll donate to the cause of your choice for every search. It's that easy! For more information please visit The Good Search.

3. FreeRice:

FreeRice is a nonprofit website run by the United Nations World Food Program. Their partner is the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, but don't let the big names scare you. This website makes giving fun and easy. FreeRice has two goals:

• Provide education to everyone for free.
• Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by sponsors who advertise on the site. The concept is simple- for each right answer you donate 10 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program. The questions range in difficulty, but are all multiple choice: select the proper meaning of each word listed.  For more information and to play this wildly catchy game, please visit FreeRice.

4. Action Without Borders (Idealist):

Action Without Borders is a nonprofit organization founded in New York City in 1995. Their mission  is to connect people, organizations, and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives. They envision a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives,  every person who wants to help anther has the ability to do so, and no opportunities for action or collaboration are missed or wasted. The organization is independent of any government, political ideology, or religious creed.  Their work is guided by the common desire of their members and supporters to find practical solutions to social and environmental problems, in a spirit of generosity and mutual respect.

The organization works toward their mission  by providing a meeting point for individuals and organizations that seek to improve their communities, whether through promoting volunteerism and nonprofit careers, or by facilitating connections between people that can lead to personal and collective action.

The site is filled with information including: nonprofit jobs, volunteer opportunities (including volunteer abroad), nonprofit organizations, consultants, Idealist groups, internships, programs, people, nonprofit books and materials, campaigns, events, and speakers. For more information please visit Action Without Border's Idealist website.

5. Grassroots:

Grassroots provide free web services to nonprofits. Their mission is to serve as a catalyst for positive social change by leveraging modern technologies and best business practices. Their ultimate goal is to adopt 10,000 nonprofit members, and to provide them each with an average of $10,000 of services per year at no charge.

The organization's supporters help them achieve their goal by donating time, services, and money. Nonprofits benefit by receiving free services including hosting and designing and building capacity. Volunteers help by contributing their web and graphic design skills. Grassroots currently serves 1,300 nonprofits in the United States and Canada.

For more information please visit Grassroots.

Hopefully these organizations will help guide, inform, and inspire your involvement with the nonprofit community. Stay tuned for Tools for Charity 2.0 coming May 3rd.

Lotsa Helping Hands

Lotsa Helping Hands is an organization that allows users to create free of charge, private, web-based community to organize family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues -during times of need. The purpose of the site is to help easily coordinate activities and manage volunteers with Lotsa Helping Hands' group calendar.

The organization's mission is "to provide the communication resources facilitating a world where caregivers feel empowered to ask for help, and in doing so, improve their own health and quality-of-life. Volunteers can become part of the solution when family, friends, neighbors, or colleagues are in need of help. Community becomes a recognized way to find meaning in both giving and receiving. Lotsa Helping Hands was created after witnessing "four years of awe-inspiring community support and response to a family member's serious medical crisis." 

Lotsa Helping Hands is committed to philanthropy. They support the nonprofit sector and align themselves with national organizations who offer Lotsa Helping Hands' services to their members and constituents. The organization also donates pro bono expertise and financial resources to the nonprofit organizations they serve.

Once you set up a community, volunteers can view and sign up  for available tasks and review current commitments. Automatic emails remind volunteers, so you don't have to worry that they'll forget their assignments. The site provides: messages boards, photo galleries, resource sections for sharing web links and documents, and a Well Wishes wall. The site boasts an easy to use interface, with a variety of community templates supplied.

For more information please visit Lotsa Helping Hands' website.

Bikes for the World

Based in Arlington, VA, Bikes for the World's mission is to assist the poor in overseas countries become more productive citizens by providing bicycles to nonprofit organizations abroad. These bicycles provide much needed transportation to work, school, healthcare, and recreation.

It's secondary focus is on creating a community of volunteers in America, based on the common goal of providing vehicles to improve the quality of life for the poor, by donating, collecting, storing, and shipping bicycles and spare parts.

Founded in 2005, the organization has already provided 31,000 bicycles to 15 organizations in ten countries and the US. It is the largest bicycle reuse program in America and has supplied bicycles to nonprofit agencies in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In 2007 Bikes for the World introduced the Rockville Youth Bicycle Program, a subsidiary program aimed at serving local youth in Montgomery, MD.

Bikes for the World Director, Keith Oberg say, "One point we would like to emphasize... we wish to join with others to foster a continent-wide movement to collect and donate  usable bicycles in developing countries, moving beyond our modest geographic footprint."

Please visit the site for more information on how you can get involved. This is a great organization for anyone interested in providing necessary tools to developing countries.

Cross Cultural Solutions

Cross Cultural Solutions, (CCS), is an international volunteer program that matches volunteers with local organizations to work on community led initiatives.  Their mission is "dedicated to the vision of a world where people value cultures different from their own, are aware of global issues, and are empowered to effect positive change."

Founded in 1995, CCS operates in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. The organization offering three different volunteering experiences: Volunteer Abroad, Intern Abroad, and Insight Abroad. These programs range from from 1 to 12 weeks and volunteers have over 20 program sites to choose from. Volunteer placements are within the following categories: Caregiving, Community Development, Healthcare, and Teaching. The objective of volunteer placement is to match the immediate needs of the community with the skills and interests of each volunteer.

This organization is great for anyone who is interested in getting involved on a more international level. Or wishes to support the organization's global initiatives.