philanthropy

Pop quiz: How did Google get its employees to donate nearly 800,000 meals to charity this holiday season?

The answer, it turns out, was a quiz.

The company distributed a 10-question quiz to as many of its 30,000 employees as it could reach, designed to educate them about world hunger issues. The quiz came with an appealing hook: Google gave every employee who completed the quiz $10 to donate to a hunger charity of their choosing.

The quiz was a hit: more than 6,000 people took it. Google offices in 41 countries participated. In Mountain View alone, … Read more

Google today announced a new charitable grant program designed to help solve big problems using technology.

Today the company announced its first round of Global Impact Awards, granting $23 million to seven organizations it says are changing the world.

"Technology has dramatically improved our lives -- from the speed at which we get things done to how we connect with others," said Jacqueline Fuller, director of giving at Google, in a blog post. "Yet innovations in medicine, business and communications have far outpaced tech-enabled advances in the nonprofit sector."

The awards attempt to … Read more

Microsoft already offers a number of "Spark"-branded outreach programs aimed at bringing new groups of developers and users into the Microsoft fold, including DreamSpark and BizSpark.

Today, Microsoft added another Spark to its list: YouthSpark.

YouthSpark is a new program via which Microsoft will partner with other governments, nonprofit organizations, and businesses "to help close the opportunity divide for youth," according to a company blog post.

GeekWire's Todd Bishop reported that Microsoft is investing half a billion dollars over three years and donating technologies that bring the total to "multiple billions" as … Read more

CNET's newest TV editor, Ty Pendlebury, joins us on today's episode for a short lesson in Australian holidays and colloquialisms!

Today we're talking about another billionaire bitten by the space travel bug, even though Jeff seems reluctant to travel in outer space.

We'll also bug Ty to tell us why the FCC doesn't care about eardrums, and he'll join us throughout the second half where we'll premiere a new geek speed-dating show on TLC.

Also, be sure to tune in tomorrow to hear us announce the winners of Target's video voice mail competition. Two winners will get their choice of an Xbox 360/Kinect Bundle or an iPad 2!… Read more

NEW YORK--"Over here, that's a clam learning how to use the Internet," Yosi Sergant, the publicist best known for promoting Shepard Fairey's now-iconic "HOPE" poster during Barack Obama's presidential campaign, said as he led a tour of RE:FORM School.

RE:FORM School is weekend-long exhibit in Manhattan designed to raise awareness and funds regarding the need to reform American education.

On the wall of a corridor in a downtown building that for decades housed the oldest Catholic school in the city--it was closed last year due to underenrollment--sure enough, there was … Read more

As expected, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled today the creation of "Startup: Education" a charitable foundation to "improve educational opportunities for young people in America." Its first project, to be announced later today on The Oprah Winfrey Show, is a $100 million donation to support the public school system in the troubled city of Newark, N.J.

Zuckerberg will appear on the syndicated talk show with Newark mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey governor Chris Christie, where they will announce the joint Partnership for Education in Newark.

"Mayor Booker and Governor Christie refuse … Read more

In his first major act of public philanthropy, The New York Times reported late today that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to donate $100 million to the public school system in Newark, N.J., a troubled and crime-ridden city across the Hudson River from New York. The formal announcement will reportedly come Friday on Oprah Winfrey's talk show, where Zuckerberg will be joined by Newark Mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who will formally cede some control of the Newark school system to Booker's municipal administration.

The article in the Times hints that it's … Read more

NEAR LAKE TAHOE, Calif.--Bill Gates says it's gratifying to see the computer industry that he helped start turn some of its attention to broader societal challenges.

"I think there's increased awareness of using innovation to help in more than just profit making," Gates told CNET in an interview on Friday, following his speech at the Techonomy conference. "When I think back to the conferences I went to earlier in the industry, we were pretty darn focused on popularizing software and personal computing. Nothing wrong with that, but it's nice to see the evolution.&… Read more

Technology goes a long way toward making our personal and professional lives easier and more enjoyable. But what many people may not realize is that it can also be an integral tool in making the lives of others better. From Web-based volunteering to device donation, there are a plethora of ways you can do good with tech. Here are a few tips to get you started.

With the hectic schedules that many of us contend with day in and day out, it's easy to make an excuse not to volunteer your limited free time. But DON'T. With the variety of online volunteering options available today, you don't even have to leave the comfort of your home to help out a person or organization in need.

Even better, some companies have opportunities that only take a few minutes and can be done whenever you have a moment to spare, so you don't have to stress about fitting yet another obligation into an already crammed schedule. DO check out organizations like The Extraordinaries, which offers a platform that allows those with a variety of skills to participate in micro volunteering.

Pressed for time but have plenty of cold, hard cash to spare? DO visit the Web sites of causes close to your heart to find out about quick and easy ways to donate. A huge number of nonprofit organizations such as the Audubon Society, your regional PBS affiliate, Farm Aid, and many more now accept text donations, which are automatically added to your cell phone bill in easily-digestible increments of $5 to $10 (in most cases).… Read more