10 Great Social Change Websites

The Web provides us with so many ways to help the world out, and in these unsettling times, what better way to forget about your own problems than to do something good? Many of the sites on this list also allow you to give a meaningful holiday gift in the name of a family member or friend. Try one of these out. You'll feel better about yourself. 

Causecast has been called "a one stop philanthropy shop," and serves as a platform where media, philanthropy, social networking, entertainment and education come together on one website for a greater purpose. Causecast makes giving easy by providing users with means to connect with leaders, charities and nonprofit organizations in one place. The categories on Causecast range from animals to the arts, from the environment to human rights. You can make donations via Causecast anonymously or on someone else's behalf (for a special occasion or the holidays), and you can track your donation history in your profile dashboard 

VolunteerMatch is exactly what the name implies - a website that matches people with volunteer opportunities. The organization offers a variety of online services to support nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement. The site is visited by six million people each year and has become a recruiting tool for more than 50,000 nonprofit organizations. It has made 3.7 million referrals and currently lists approximately 54,000 volunteer opportunities. Check out their disaster and relief volunteering map here, which shows all the places in the U.S. that need disaster volunteers. 

Idealist, a project of the non-profit Action Without Borders, is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, find funding opportunities and supporters, and "take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives." The website makes it easy for you to find people, organizations, groups, jobs, volunteer opportunities, events and more. You can sign up for alerts, create a profile, invite co-workers and friends, list your organization, start your own Idealist group, and make contributions to worthy causes. 

The Care2 Petition Site is one of my favorites, because it generates petitions about a wide variety of issues. You can choose a petition to sign or create one of your own, and Care2 sends the petitions to the proper authorities for the record. For example, the petition site currently includes a petition that will be sent to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, opposing the practice of poaching moose in that state. Another urges Congress to pass a law to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. More than 30 million signatures have been received on the Care2 petition site since its inception. It's worth browsing through. 

The Girl Effect is a movement dedicated to improving the lives of young girls in our world, particularly those in developing countries. Browsing through the site is a humbling experience. Here's what the site says: Girls living in poverty are uniquely capable of creating a better future. But when a girl reaches adolescence, she reaches a crossroads. Things can go one of two ways for her - and for everyone around her. The Girl Effect Fact Sheet lists some disturbing statistics about girls living in developing countries:

1. More than 600 million girls live in developing countries.

2. One-quarter of girls in developing countries are not in school.

3. One girl in seven in developing countries marries before the age of 15.

4. Medical complications from pregnancy are the leading cause of death among girls ages 15 to 19 worldwide.

5. 75 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds living with HIV in Africa are female.

You can donate money to Girl Effect, publicize its efforts on your website or blog, join its FaceBook page, and simply learn more about the imperiled future of girls on our planet. Check out the Girl Effect video here, and you'll be convinced.

If there's anything that can pull at your heartstrings, it's the stories of children around the world who are orphaned, living on the street, or trafficked as slaves. Global Angels is an international children's charity championing the needs of children around the world. Global Angels consists of a network of professionals and volunteers and supports the initiatives of best-practice children-focused charities in every country. They combine celebrity concerts, compelling documentaries, and partnerships with the business world to pool resources and make a bigger impact on the lives of needy children. On their website, you can donate to a host of specific programs, start your own fundraiser, or shop at their Global Angels store, where the proceeds go to needy children.

DonorsChoose was started in 2000 by teachers at a Bronx public high school who were concerned about the scarcity of materials in public school classrooms and the impact it was having on public education. DonorsChoose was created to connect classrooms in need with individuals who want to help. With the power of the Web's ability to connect people one-to-one, DonorsChoose is a micro-donation site, with an online marketplace where teachers describe what they need (small gifts that often total between $40 and $150) and individuals are able to fund very specific projects. This remarkable site allows you to create your own account, track and manage your giving, and offers the option of gift certificates and gift registries.

Change.org is a great social networking site for people who want to change and improve the world. It survives on the goodness of its members, who share their causes, sign up for fundraising events, make videos, load photos and write about what deserves our attention. The causes are myriad -- women's rights, human rights, the environment, gay rights, peace in the Middle East and fair trade. Change.org steps in by suggesting nonprofit organizations that are already working to advance worthy causes and by creating social networks around each nonprofit. This is a busy, lively community.The video on the right is a clever takeoff on the Mac vs. PC commercials and is posted on Charge.org's Gay Rights page. 

Here's the point to The Point: There's strength in numbers. Many of us would like to support or advance a cause, but not alone. We need the power of many. The Point is a website that leverages the influence of the group to make things happen. On The Point, all "campaigns" started by people have a "tipping point" - you can pledge to give money or do something, but no one does a thing until pre-determined conditions are met to make the campaign worthwhile. Among other things, The Point gives you a widget to advertise your campaign on your website, blog, or social networks.This way, people can join your campaign easily. Everyone can stay anonymous until the tipping point is reached -- that can come in the form of fundraising, getting more benefits in the workplace, or righting a perceived wrong of any kind. As you can imagine, the site has all manner of campaigns, from large environmental causes to starving artists who need support. It's great fun to browse through the site and The Point has been lauded for its unique approach to giving and organizing. 

There are many great social change websites out there, so feel free to suggest any site you'd like me to add to this hub. I intend to update this with extra website links, so I look forward to hearing from you! The more, the merrier.