About: Causecast is a community of people who want to make a difference. They describe their website as “a platform where media, philanthropy, social networking, entertainment and education converge to serve a greater purpose.” Those who enjoy giving back can connect with one another and talk about the causes that mean the most to them. Nearly 75 organizations are featured on the site, dealing with a variety of issues, from animal rights, to poverty, to clean water. They offer non-profits the opportunity for mobile fundraising, interview musical artists about social change, and recognize companies who have made “cause” part of their business model on a special blog called Cause Integration.

Take Action: Join the community and interact! Follow Causecast on Twitter, watch videos on their site and read their blog. Check out special features like their How To guide to change the world, and the weekly blog about how Causecast is going green.

Heidi Minx began her working life with a career in marketing, but it wasn’t until a trip to Haiti when she discovered what she really wanted to do. She wanted to be more hands on, to use her expertise to help the less fortunate, instead of selling products that people may or may not need.  On a trip to India, Minx saw firsthand how small nonprofits and NGOs were struggling, and decided to take action. In 2008, she founded Built on Respect as a vehicle to help her help others.

The phrase “built on respect,” has always been a sort of mantra for Minx. It was the tagline for her clothing line Franky & Minx, and she says it means that every business decision is based on integrity, much to the dismay of every agent she’s worked with in the past.

Since her first trip to India, Minx has returned to Dharamsala every three months or so, and continued to help the community grow. While in Dharamsala, Minx takes part of in a number of different projects. Initially, she was just teaching English and computers at a small rural school, but then began volunteering in the afternoons in the Tibetan community. Minx soon started working with the Hope Center, an education center founded by two Tibetans with the goal of educating their community and teaching them English so they could be one step closer to reaching their goals. At the beginning, Minx taught conversation classes to the students at the center, but when girls from the class started asking her simple things like how to attach a photo to an e-mail, she began sharing her computer knowledge as well.  In addition to the students, Minx taught the teachers so that they would be better prepared in the future.

Every time Minx visits Dharamsala, she finds more people she wants to help, and she gives them the little things that they need to be successful. Whether it’s setting them up with a website and covering their web hosting, teaching them how to use YouTube to upload videos, or using her experience in Marketing to help them form a plan to increase site traffic, Minx does all that she can.

Back in the States, Minx is known as an alternative culture icon.  She writes for Inked Magazine and other publications, and blogs for Huffington Post Impact.  Last year, Minx’s book Home Rockanomics hit bookstore shelves, putting into print the online cult phenomenon Punk Rock Domestics. Her friends in the music business lend a hand by recording PSAs and spreading the word through songs and merchandise. Later this month, Minx will head off to Dharamsala once again to continue what she started, showing through her own example that one person can change the world.

Support Minx and Built on Respect by visiting the BOR page on Social Vibe. Check out the organizations that Heidi works with in Dharamsala:

• Tibet Hope Center
• Save Zanskar
• Tashi Dhargyal
• Institute of Tibetan Thangka Art

Connect with BOR on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter!

Garden of Dreams is working to make dreams come true for kids in crisis. The nonprofit works with all teams and brands related to Madison Square Garden including the New York Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, MSG Media, MSG Entertainment and Fuse. In partnership with a number of children-related organizations, the Foundation says they have a singular goal each and every day: “to utilize the power and magic of Madison Square Garden and its properties to bring joy and happiness to children facing devastating problems. Over the past four years, Garden of Dreams has created once in a lifetime experiences for more than 134,000 tri-state area children in crisis. They have donated more than 99,000 tickets to worthy organizations, and more than 950 special events have been designed for over 18,000 children and families.

Check out the Garden of Dreams website to learn more about what they do and find out how you can help!

Tickets-For-Charity is “where great events and great causes come together,” providing people with the opportunity to buy event tickets and give back to charities at the same time.  Thanks to partnerships with artists, management, venues and promoters, Tickets-For-Charity is able to guarantee that 100% of the donation amount made in conjunction with ticket purchases will be directed towards the charity you select. They currently partner with more than 30 charities. So, the next time you’re looking for a ticket to a concert, sporting event or play, visit Tickets-For-Charity.com.

CNN Heroes is a special program that focuses on everyday people who are changing the world. Anyone can nominate a hero by simply filling out a form.  At the end of each year,  a Blue Ribbon Panel selects the Top 10 CNN Heroes, and those people are honored at a special awards ceremony. Visit the site to read about the Top 10 from 2009, learn how you can help, watch videos, and nominate a hero you know!

Follow @cnnheroes on Twitter, watch and subscribe to the podcast, and get the newsletter sent straight to your inbox.

The Medtronic Global Heroes program celebrates the passion and accomplishments of runners who benefit from medical technology.  This includes people who have a medical device to treat conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain, and spinal and neurological disorders.

In partnership with Twin Cities in Motion, the Medtronic Foundation will bring together runners from around the world to Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon events. The events take place from September 30-October 14.

This year, up to twenty-five Global Heroes will be selected. Each recipient will be awarded two entries into the race, plus a travel package for themselves and a guest, and a $1,000 grant to an associated patient organization.

Take Action: If you or someone you know is a runner who benefits from medical technology, apply to be a hero or fill out a nomination form today!  Visit the Twin Cities in Motion site for more information on the events.

Last Friday, more than 25 television networks aired the “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief” telethon, which featured musical performances, celebrity appeals, and reports from Haiti. As of Saturday, the event was already setting records, having raised more than $58 million, and boasting the biggest one-day pre-order in iTunes history for the benefit album. The two-hour show was hosted by actor George Clooney and musician Wyclef Jean, and featured reporting by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who is stationed in Haiti.

For more on the event, check out Rolling Stone’s Live Blog, read about all of the tracks on the benefit album, and check out news and photos on CNN. Donations will be accepted for six months after the telethon, visit HopeForHaitiNow.org for more information, and our Help Haiti page for more ways to give.

Gwendolyn Strong was born perfectly healthy in October 2007. But, at 6-months-old, her health took a bad turn, and she was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I. SMA is much like Lou Gehrig’s disease, but is only found in babies.  According to WebMD, SMA is characterized by a loss of nerve cells called motor neutrons that leads to muscle weakness and atrophy. Gwendolyn’s doctors told her parents to “take her home and love her,” and while they certainly planned to do that, they wanted to do more.  So, Bill and Victoria Strong started The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF), “ Doing nothing was not an option, so that’s why we started the foundation, to raise awareness for SMA and to raise funding to make sure money was not a hindrance to research,” Bill said.

Since the foundation’s inception, the Strongs have found many creative ways to spread the word and raise money. Many of GSF’s initiatives have a social media spin.  In an effort to reach Congressional leaders, they established PetitionToCureSMA.com in July 2008, and have received more than 80,000 signatures thus far.  GSF also urges their Twitter followers to Tweet for a Cure, and even does the work for them. By simply plugging in your zip code and clicking Tweet, you can contact your representatives with an important message about SMA.  Last summer, Bill, Victoria and Gwendolyn traveled from California to Mississippi to introduce Gwendolyn to her 104-year-old great-grandfather. With the help of more than 450 supporters, their Sponsor-A-Mile campaign raised more than $44,000.

Recently, GSF was voted as one of the Top 100 Nonprofits (out of more than 500,000 organizations) as part of Chase’s Community Giving campaign on Facebook. As a finalist, GSF was given $25,000 in grant money, all of which has already gone towards SMA research at the University of California-Irvine. They are now eligible to win a $1 million grand prize grant. Voting takes place on Facebook from January 15-22. If they win, GSF plans to use this grant money to empower the SMA community, by giving those affected by the disease and their families a say in how the money will be distributed across promising programs. Visit Facebook to give GSF your vote, follow them on Twitter, and check out their website to find out more about the amazing work they do.

The holiday season is a time of giving. Exchanging gifts and spending time with family and friends is a beloved tradition at this time of year.  It’s also a great time to give back to worthy causes. Here are some of the ways you can give a happier holiday to those in need:

The Red Cross

• Gifts That Save the Day: Shop the Holiday Gift Giving Catalog for gifts like a disaster comfort kit, a day’s food, shelter, a warm blanket, or life-saving vaccinations, all for less than $100.

• Join in the 3rd annual Holiday Mail for Heroes by sending a greeting card to the men and women of our armed forces. All cards must be received by December 7th so they may undergo a safety check before being sent out.

Make-A-Wish Foundation

• Season of Wishes: There are many ways to help make holiday wishes come true. Adopt a wish and fund an entire wish experience, donate your frequent flier miles, shop holiday promotions, or send a holiday card.

Feeding America:

• Help them reach their goal of filling 3.3 million bags of groceries this holiday season. Every $5 covers 10 bags for hungry families, so a little really does go a long way.

• Send holiday HOPE cards by making a donation. You can send cards to up to five friends or family members for a suggested $35 donation.

Habitat Humanity

• Give from the heart. Provide building materials, supplies, and support for families who are in need of decent, affordable homes.

Nothing But Nets

• Help towards the goal of providing 160,000 nets to protect refugees by New Years Eve. One bed net costs only $10.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

• Be Passionately Pink for the Cure and host a pink holiday party, complete with pink desserts from Bake for the Cure. Share recipes, buy cookbooks and donate to the cause.

Operation Smile

• Take part in the Holiday Matching Gift Challenge. Every donation received by December 31 will be doubled in impact, thanks to a generous grant.

• Shop the 2009 Holiday Gift Catalog. Give gifts like antibiotics for 10 kids for $30, hospital gowns for 10 kids for $60 or give an entire reconstructive surgery for a child in need for only $240.

Save the Children

• Shop the 2009 Holiday Catalog for Gifts of Joy for Lasting Change. Sending a child to summer camp, keeping an adolescent girl in school, and donating a goat or sheep to a needy family are only a few of the options on the long list of meaningful gifts.

PayPal

• “By giving the gift no one wants, you’re giving the gift everyone needs.” Support one of 24 charities with a digital fruitcake! Select from the nine available fruitcakes, enter the amount you want to raise for your fruitcake’s charity, and a dare you’ll fulfill if your donation goal is reached.  Fun!

If you know of any other opportunities that could be part of this list, please leave the information in the comments below. Thanks!

Photo Credits: Arotem, MGShelton

About: Spirit Jump is a grassroots non-profit organization with a mission to provide hope and comfort to the many men, women and children battling cancer. The organization was started by Meghan Edelstein, herself a cervical cancer survivor. While she was fighting for her life, it was the little things like cards and gifts that gave Meghan the strength to keep on going. So, she started Spirit Jump so that she could help raise the spirits of others in the same way.

Take Action: Visit their website to learn more about how Spirit Jump is fighting cancer one gift at a time. Become a Spirit Jumper, read the stories of those battling cancer, and send cards or small gifts to the ones who touch your heart.