For nine years now, The Motley Fool has called on its members to nominate and support innovative, efficient charitable organizations in our annual Foolanthropy drive. Since 1997, educating people about more effective, intelligent ways of giving has been a part of The Motley Fool's broader goal to help people take control of their own finances and invest in their own futures. So far, we have raised more than $2 million.
Our all-volunteer committee fields nominations from our members and readers and selects five of the most Foolish, according to our tenets. We tend to favor organizations that create sustainable solutions, make their finances transparent and efficient, have the ability to motivate and inspire our Foolish community, and involve the public at large. We also factor in year-to-year considerations, like hurricane relief efforts, which is why we decided to break our own rules and select one regional charity this year.
The Motley Fool is proud to announce the five recipients of its Foolanthropy 2005 campaign:
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Mercy Corps works to alleviate poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. With programs in health care, education, agriculture, disaster relief, and economic development that reach 7 million people in 35 countries, Mercy Corps is currently providing winter shelter for Pakistan's earthquake victims, rebuilding lives shattered in Guatemala's hurricane-triggered mudslides, and providing Darfur's displaced women with survival skills.
- DonorsChoose is a simple way to provide at-risk students with the books, technology, and supplies they need to learn. Teachers submit requests for desperately needed resources such as "Magical Math Center" ($200) or "Big Book Bonanza" ($320). Donors can select the projects they fund and receive a feedback package including an expenditure report showing that their gift was spent as directed.
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The Humane Society of Louisiana had its operations critically disrupted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Its donor base, shelters, and volunteers are largely gone, its fundraising activities canceled, and tens of thousands of animals from across the state have been displaced. Its day-to-day activity in Tylertown, Miss., involves veterinary care, shelter, and reunion of pets with displaced owners.
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Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres) is an international medical aid agency that believes the right to medical care supersedes respect for national borders. Each year, Doctors Without Borders joins more than 2,500 volunteer doctors, nurses, water sanitation engineers, and others to provide medical aid in more than 80 countries.
- Heifer International works to end world hunger by giving cows, goats, and other food- and income-producing livestock to impoverished families in 50 countries around the world. Think of it as microloans in the form of livestock: Recipients must agree to "pass on the gift" by sharing some of the offspring of their animals with others in need in their community.
Starting Nov. 21, you can make donations directly to these organizations via links on our website. During the month of December, you can also participate in our "My Two Cents" campaign, when the Fool pitches in $0.02 for each and every post on every discussion board we have and distributes the proceeds among the recipients. At the end of the drive, the organization that raises the most financial support from our members will receive an additional $10,000 from the Fool.
Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, or suggestions on anything related to Foolanthropy or charitable giving at our Foolanthropy discussion board. We'd love to hear from you!
