Year-End Giving
Whether it’s holidays or the close of the tax year that motivates, it’s a good time for generosity to non-profit causes. Here are some of mine:
The Tor Project, Inc. develops anonymity software to help users navigate the web without being tracked — helping whistleblowers blog anonymously and dissidents browse past national firewalls. The Tor Project will be concluding its first year as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and I’m proud to be on its Board of Directors. While your there, download the Tor software and add a node to the anonymity network.
Electronic Frontier Foundation relies on members’ donations to champion online freedoms in the courts. Its litigation against AT&T for participation in warrantless wiretapping has helped to expose the depth of the administration’s evasions. While you’re there, keep the pressure on congress to let the public hold telecommunications carriers accountable when they break the law.
Creative Commons celebrates five years of helping creators to share their works and the public to find them, through standard copyright-permissions licenses. Science Commons is extending this spirit to enable web-like collaboration in scientific research. While you’re there, search for CC-licensed work or license a work of your own.
One Laptop Per Child Through the end of the year, donors to OLPC can give one and get one — give one laptop to a child in a developing country and get one of their rugged yet open-source machines for your (inner) child.
Free Software Foundation produces both great software and the original great legal hack — copyleft. Grab some free software while you’re there.
American Civil Liberties Union isn’t tax-deductible, but we need allies lobbying for our rights in Washington too.
I think at least some regional ACLUs have both a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4) set up, so, if you pick the right one, you can deduct your donation. To take a purely illustrative and in no way ulterior-motivated example, the ACLU of Washington Foundation is happy to accept your tax-deductible donation (which it shares with the national ACLU Foundation). :)
Comment by Riana — December 19, 2007 @ 4:43 pm
I was going to echo Riana’s point. You can always donate to the ACLU Foundation instead of the ACLU. The ACLU supports lobbying activities while the ACLU Foundation supports most litigation. There’s a webpage here that describes the situation: http://www.aclu.org/acluf.html
Comment by Benjamin Mako Hill — December 20, 2007 @ 10:26 am