DonorsChoose.org is the type of service that would replace most of the functions of government in my perfect world. Match people who want to give charity with people and organizations in need. This particular effort is focused on private funding of various school programs at all levels of primary education. Here are over 100 Maine programs you can support. There are opportunities in every state.
We could apply this approach to just about anything! Schools, libraries, small business grants, victim support organizations, environmental research, scientific studies. Big charitable organizations can break out budget needs at a more regional and micro scale. The red cross could put out a call for marketing funds for an upcoming blood drive in a specific region or to provide shelter for a family faced with leaving their home due to fire or flood. A regional library could have specific micro funds for expanding specific collections allowing you to donate to fill out the computer science stack without supporting the purchase of religious texts or some other range of the Dewey Decimal System. The possibilities are endless.
Donors Choose is also using technology to its advantage, with region and keyword based RSS feeds! If there were more organizations like this I'd be tempted to create a MaineDonors site which would aggregate all the local charitable RSS feeds into a one stop shop for local giving.
How fun would it be to give away some percentage of the thousands of dollars the government takes from me each year to local causes that actually have an impact on my life and those around me directly? Direct giving inspires community involvement and could contribute to a feeling of responsibility for our neighbors, without forcing it on us or disconnecting the distribution of money from the act of giving as our current tax system does.
I digress, as usual... The point is: this is a really cool organization and concept that deserves our support.
Check out this video where Steven Colbert uses the election to raise money for Donors Choose programs... how cool is that?
