We all know that volunteering is a good thing to do.  But, did you know that volunteering is also good for you?  Research studies have shown that those who volunteer are not only happier but also healthier, experience fewer aches and pains, and live longer.

Gretchen Rubin

To learn more, read a thoughtful article, Voluntarily Happy by Gretchen Rubin in Good Housekeeping Magazine.  A best-selling author of The Happiness Project and columnist for Good Housekeeping, Rubin explains in her article that people are happier when learning something new, teaching someone, improving something, or fixing a problem.  Volunteering allows for all these areas and more.  Just a bunch more reasons to get yourself and your kids out there volunteering!

© YesKidzCan!, 2012

It’s fun to involve your kids in discussion about where to make charitable donations.  You know your kids will have opinions about what topic, place, or issue is meaningful to them.  But once you have honed in on the type or charity you want to support, how do you determine that your money will be used effectively?

It turns out that only 35 percent of donors do any research before making a contribution.  Fortunately with the internet, it has become a lot easier to investigate the legitimacy of organizations and how they use their donations.  Typically, you should look for charities where 65 to 75 percent of their budget supports the cause with 25 to 35 percent going toward administrative expenses. Below are several websites that can help you navigate the field.  If you know the name of the organization you are considering, type it into the database and review the information.  Many of these sites also have cause categories you can browse to help identify a group that meets your areas of interest and your standards.

• American Institute of Philanthropy
• Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance
• Center for High Impact Philanthropy
• Charity Navigator
• Give Well
• GreatNonprofits
• GuideStar

© YesKidzCan!, 2012

If your household is anything like ours, the kids are often the ones who drive our environmentally-friendly behavior.  We’ve done the homework assignment on measuring our carbon footprint.  We’ve waited longer in the carpool line while the kids finish their turn at collecting the schools recyclables.  And, under the kids’ watchful eyes, we’ve gotten much more vigilant at home with our own plastic and paper recycling efforts.

If you would like to expand your green efforts even further, you should know about Green Maven, a comprehensive search engine that helps you find products and services that are environmentally friendly.  You can search out eco-conscious food items, clothing, gift ideas, pet products, restaurants, beauty and health products, travel destinations, and much, much more!  Here’s your chance to turn the tables on your kids and show them a thing or two!  (Or at least show them that they have been good teachers!)

© YesKidzCan!, 2012

Did your kids get holiday money this year?  They probably have big plans for what to buy — as they should!  It is exciting to have cash to spend!  At the same time, you could use this as an opportunity to teach your kids about spending some and donating some.

One way to do this is through Youth Give.  Youth Give was created to help  children, youth, and families easily donate to charities they care about in a safe and secure way.  Youth Give helps families create “Giving Accounts”  to help make philanthropy an ongoing part of their lives.  A Giving Account is a personal philanthropic account used to make donations to individual charities. It’s like having your own personal foundation.   It can be opened for a newborn, a toddler, teen, or college student.  You or anyone you invite can add money to the account which is held for future giving.  The account owners can donate online to a cause of their choosing from a menu of vetted organizations.

Kids can contribute as little as one dollar to get it started.  And, every penny goes to the selected charity.  And Youth Give’s list of nonprofit recipients is expanding nationally and globally.

So, consider making a Giving Account part of this year’s holiday tradition. It’s a great way to help your kids set their own course as budding philanthropists.

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

“Tis the season for shopping.  So, why not shop and give to charity at the same time?  NonprofitShoppingMall (NPSM) makes it easy to do just this.  NPSM lets you shop online for the items you normally buy, the brands you regularly choose at the prices you normally pay.  Then, a donation is made to charity you select from a list of participating nonprofits. The retailers who participate on NPSM pay a commission for the sales and a significant portion of those payments go to the nonprofit you have selected.  Stores include GAP, Nordstrom, Staples, Target, Macy’s, Barnes and Noble, eBay, Crate and Barrel, and more! It’s do-good multi-tasking:  holiday shopping and charitable giving!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

For many of us, it is never too early to start thinking about creative and meaningful gifts for the holidays.  If you want to spread holiday cheer to gift recipients as well as people in need around the world, then this resource is for you:  Shop With Meaning!

This website highlights a product each day that generates a donation off each purchase.  They feature all types of transaction-based giving including one-for-one products (buy one give one) and products where a donation for a charity is raised based off of the sales price.

Here are some examples of what the site features:

Apparel – You can buy “pink” items that support breast cancer research to crochet hats made by women in Uganda who will earn family income from the sales.

Beauty and Wellness – Try out Soapbox soaps, a one-for-one manufacturer, where they give a bar of soap to a needy child every time you purchase one for yourself.   Or, how about Radiant Cosmetics which donates proceeds to help end human trafficking.

Shoes – Check out  BucketFeet Shoes where artists design one-of-a-kind shoes creations with a percentage going to support kids through art, music, and sports.

This site encourages us to think differently about our purchase decisions and offers a fresh way to bring new meaning to shopping for the holidays or year round!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

You know those times when you have done something nice for someone, they say thank you, and you reply, “You don’t need to thank me!”  Well, here is a situation where you won’t be saying thank you for an act of kindness because — you can’t! There is a good-deed doer who sneaks around (in the best way possible) and leaves thoughtful messages, unexpected gifts, and cheerful reminders without so much as a calling card or expectation of acknowledgement.

This stealth operator is Patience Salgado (a.k.a. Kindness Girl).  A 35-year-old mom, Patience writes about her secret missions on her blog.  And she comes up with some wonderful and caring surprises.  For example, she once placed $5 Starbucks gift cards on  bus stop benches.  On the first day of school, she wrote messages along the campus sidewalks such as, “Don’t be shy, we’re all new friends.”  She has even tied a note card to a flower in a public place that read, “It’s going to be okay.”  Or, she has tucked gift certificates for ice cream in the pocket of a new backpack at a store.  And, Patience wants you and your kids to duplicate her missions!  Now, how fun is that!  You can actually encourage your kids to sneak around and be secretive — all in the name of generosity and kindness!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

Strength exists in numbers.  This has never been a more useful truism than in the battle against bullying.  Knowing that others have experienced taunting, teasing, and cruelty and have gotten through it has the power to help transform someone’s life. That’s why we are giving a standing ovation to the Kind Campaign, a movement to end girl-against-girl bullying.

The Kind Campaign was founded by Molly Thompson and Lauren Parsekian, two college pals who both experienced bullying in school.  Part of their efforts include directing a documentary called Finding Kind where they interviewed girls across the country to show that teens can end bullying by making a concerted effort to be kind to one another.  Individuals or groups can click on the link to get more information about hosting a screening or finding a location to watch the film.  In addition, Molly and Lauren’s website provides extremely valuable tools to help girls find the words, courage, or hope to end the bullying cycle.  It’s worth checking out their resources including: the online apology to make saying, “I’m sorry” easier, the no-bullying pledge, Kind Magazine, and the “Truth Wall” where girls post experiences with girl-against-girl meanness.

Sometimes making a difference means stopping rather than starting something.  We agree with the Kind Campaign:  stop competition, stop cattiness, stop hate.  Start being kind!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

Here’s an evolving online resource for those who want to live well and do good.  It’s called GOOD — a media platform for people, businesses, and nonprofits interested in moving the world forward.  GOOD offers a website, videos, live events, and a print magazine.

Perhaps this is the platform to help you explore your inner and outer good and bring some inspiration to those around you!

©YesKidzCan!, 2011

There are actually media outlets that offer inspirational, good news.  Last month, we started a series that we will continue over the next few months where we will highlight these bright spots that help us make a difference in our world.  Here are two more media outlets that use their power for good:

USA Today Kindness provides a welcome place in the media for positive news stories that uplift and inspire.  by sharing unique stories about giving and providing tips and resources for filling your life with acts of kindness.  In addition, USA Today has build a community called the Kindness Forum that lets readers connect with other readers and share ideas and generate discussions around making a difference in the world. The Forum encourages readers to elaborate on how they are making an impact, offer advice, or seek new ways or tools to get involved.

More than a website, Cool People Care encourages a caring way of life in a quirky and fun way without losing the seriousness and importance of many of their features.  For example, the site offers “5 Minutes of Caring” which is actually a 99 word article that shares one thing you can do to make the world a better place.  If you have more time, you can dig into “More Time on Your Hands” which are longer essays on how ordinary individuals made a meaningful difference.

Look for more good news outlets next month!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011