by Jo Keroes

Just because the season of mandatory giving is (finally!) over and just because our bankbooks are all tapped out, that doesn’t mean we should forget about the need to give beyond ourselves. In fact, what better resolution for the New Year than to make charitable giving, no matter how modest, a fact of life? In our continuing effort to make this as effortless as possible, we urge you to check out ChangingthePresent.org.

From a list of causes ranging from animal welfare to arts and culture; from children and youth to microcredit; from landmines to mental health to peace, education and disaster relief and beyond it’s just a click away to make the world a better place, one gift at a time. The site also contains links to help you start a fund raising drive for your own favorite cause or give gifts of donations to friends and family as well as an extensive list of non-profit organizations. Along with such sites as Kiva.org and World Vision, ChangingthePresent.org makes making a difference not just essential but easy.