Give without Spending a Dime

Okay, let’s be honest. It’s the Friday before Christmas and who really still wants to be at the office. If you aren’t already “out-the-door,” you’re probably at your desk making last minute holiday shopping lists (and checking them twice).

I’ve got something you can do with your time (your lunch time, of course): Give without spending a dime via a host of fun and easy Web sites.

FreeRice.com lets visitors play word games and at the same time donate food to the hungry. A word pops up on the home page of the site, with four short definitions listed below. When you click on the right answer, 20 grains of rice are donated to the United Nation’s World Food Program by the site's advertisers. So far, more than 10 billion grains have been donated.

Those who want to skip the word games have plenty of other click-to-give charities to choose from, including The Animal Rescue Site. Each time a visitor clicks on a large purple rectangle on the right-hand side of the Web site, a donation is made to provide food and shelter for unwanted animals. It also tells you how much was donated with your click—and the entire operation is sponsor-funded.

For more clicking-to-give ideas, check out Paul Thomasch’s recent article, “Click-to-give holiday gift of charity.” So what are you waiting for…let’s get clicking.