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In The News …

Happy Hanukkah, Greater Washington!

I’m passing along a bundle of interesting news items today. We’ve gone a couple of weeks without an “In The News …,” so just leave us a message if you have an article or two to add to the mix.

First, we wanted to give a Catalogue shout-out to the charities featured in this month’s Washingtonian Magazine article, “Spirit of Giving: How to lend a hand to those in need this holiday season,” by Mary Clare Glover. The Catalogue was one of three sources that Washingtonian used in compiling its suggestions (along with the Meyer Foundation and Community Foundation for the National Capital Region). The piece focuses on what individuals can give or do to make the holidays brighter for the people that these charities serve. I actually just picked up my copy yesterday and you should be sure to check it out! Catalogue non-profits highlighted in the piece include:

The Dwelling Place, Yellow Ribbon Fund, Bethany House, Alternative House, Homestretch, Prince George’s Child Resource Center, Building Bridges Across the River at THEARC, Doorways for Women and Families, Food for Others, Our Daily Bread, Shepherd’s Table, Pathways to Housing, Arlington Street Peoples’ Assistance Network, Christ Child Society, Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place, Operation Homefront, and Fairfax Pets on Wheels.

Why not add charity shopping to the Black Friday ritual — This past Friday in the Post, Michelle Singletary asked this intriguing question: “… What if searching for and giving to a good local charity also became part of this annual ritual?” The article also talks about the Catalogue and points to Catalogue non-profit The Training Source as one of the great, small “organizations whose missions are to create ‘sustainable’ situations for the less fortunate.”

Leonsis’s promise: to ‘leave more than I took’ — Check out the Post’s great write-up of the Catalogue’s annual launch event, Inspiration to Action! The article highlights the keynote address by Washington Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, the performances by Joy of Motion Dance and City Year DC (which “had the audience on its feet”), and 2010 award-winners Literacy Council of Montgomery County, DC Scores, and Critical Exposure.

A Facebook Founder Begins a Social Network Focused on Charities — According to the NY Times, Chris Hughes, who both co-founded Facebook and served as the chief digital organizer for President Obama’s 2008 campaign, has launched Jumo. In Mr. Hughes’ words, he predicts that the site (which launched yesterday) could “do what Yelp did for restaurants … indexing charities to help people find and evaluate them.” Crowd-sourcing definitely raises some interesting questions: Are individuals in a position to evaluate organizations to which they are donors rather than patrons? Do the reviewers know the field? Will they have site visited? Will anyone have reviewed financials? What do you think?

Farewell, Digital World (It’s All For a Cause) — Just couldn’t resist adding this one because, well, it’s a touch interesting. As the NY Times and Jezebel reported, this coming Wednesday (World AIDS Day), a growing list of celebrities will “sacrifice” their digital lives. According to the Times, “these celebrities mean they will stop communicating via Twitter and Facebook they will not be resuscitated, they say, until their fans donate $1 million.” Those who have signed on include Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, David LaChapelle, Justin Timberlake, Usher, and Elijah Wood. On the one hand, a good cause is a good cause. On the other hand, is this really the most honest and effective way to go about supporting it? What do you think?

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