Portman Wants to Talk About Microloans, Not Movies

Donations are down 11%, report finds

(NEWSER) - Charitable donations plunged 11% in 2009, the worst drop in 20 years, a new report has found. The Philanthropy 400, to be released today by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, found that even the country's top charities, such as the United Way and the Salvation Army, were hit hard by the the Great Recession. The findings show "that charities are really having a tough time," a Chronicle editor tells AP . More»

20 ways to make a charitable donation without emptying your wallet

(NEWSER) - Even if the Great Recession has left you without a lot of disposable income, you can still help make the world a better place. The Christian Science Monitor rounds up no- and low-budget ways you can help by donating:

• Business attire: The clothes you're no longer wearing to the office represent "opportunities for life-changing success for people who are reaching hard for that brass ring."
• Recyclables: "Almost every Habitat for Humanity office will accept can and/or bottle donations."

But here's a way to fix it

(NEWSER) - A bunch of billionaires have signed up for Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ “ Giving Pledge ,” promising to give away half or more of their money to charity. Sounds great, right? Not to Ron Rosenbaum of Slate . “I think I can speak for the rest of the world when I say: Dudes, the ‘pledge’ is nice and all, but show us the money if you want the credit,” he writes, declaring the promise a “nebulous never-never-land pledge.” More»

Money will be distributed by his foundation

(NEWSER) - Johnny Carson has rewritten the book on celebrity philanthropy. The late entertainer's charitable foundation has received $156 million from a trust that Carson set up years before his death in 2005, reports the Smoking Gun . The bequest means that Carson's foundation is now by far the biggest of Hollywood charities. More»

Microsoft co-founder commits most of his fortune to philanthropy

(NEWSER) - Looks as though Bill Gates' billionaire challenge is paying off: Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has pledged to give away most of his $13 billion fortune. He made the vow public a month after Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett urged the world's richest to give away at least half of their wealth. Allen, the 37th-richest person in the world on the most recent Forbes list, hopes to "spur other people to give," a rep tells the Seattle Times . More»