Yesterday I shared some gifts you can buy others that also accomplishes something good in the world.  If you haven’t picked a charity, or even if you have, tis’ the season to make a few donations, pay it forward, appease the karma gods and do good for goodness’ sake. While the Gates’ picked their favorite charities, here are a few of my favorite ways/things to support…

1. Donor’s Choose

Teachers and students in public schools post projects they’d like to do, and that you can fund.  Gates is even matching gifts up to $100 that support STEM projects. Enter the code HOLIDAY upon checkout.

2. Be a Santa to a Senior

There are a lot of great programs to collect toys and items for kids, but society is also measured by how we treat our elders.  Find a Walgreens near you and help a senior. You never know their story. They might be lonely, they might be a veteran, they may have spent their entire life helping people, this may be their last Christmas. You can make the difference.

3. Give an unrestricted cash gift

If you think about it, too often we want (or expect) something in return for our giving.  Giving can be a selfish act if we’re not careful. Ever caught yourself wondering why someone wasn’t more thankful? They didn’t jump up and down? You didn’t get a logo’d coffee tumbler or sweatshirt?  One of the tenants of great philanthropy is to help people as they need you to, not as you want to. After 9/11 there were literally 20+ trucks of dog biscuits sent from people and towns around the US for the rescue dogs. They went to waste because they weren’t needed. If you want to help the people hit by hurricane Sandy or those in New Town. Give cash to the Red Cross to help Sandy or our next natural disaster. Give to the ‘comfort dog’ organizations that are helping New Town or one of the many other Newtown funds to support the cost of assistance.

4. Give a Sussy

A what? A gift for no reason at all. An act of kindness to a stranger can be the most rewarding thing on the planet.  And receiving one, when you really need it, is even better.

Tomorrow will end our 3-part series with some year-end giving tips including a tax benefit no-brainer. Happy giving.