Britain's second annual meeting of the Pink Shoe Club presented an opportunity for female social entrepreneurs from around the country to gather together and discuss their work in an area of business that is attracting a growing number of women, reports the Times Online. Read more.

Young people in their early teens to their early 20s are embracing the spirit of community service and activism in record numbers, due in part to parental encouragement, increased Internet access, and an educational system that fosters the giving spirit, reports The Boston Globe. Read more.

New research from Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy indicates that the economic downturn is expected to have little to no effect on how the nation gives, reports MSNBC, while a separate study suggests this Christmas could be even better than usual for charitable organizations. Read more.

Three women have taken the issue of health care into their own hands, bringing informed medical information to African-American women, reports The Michigan Citizen. Dr. Nicole Farmer, Erika Evans-Weaver, and Karen Cherfils have created OurHealth LLC, an online network where individuals and physicians join forces to address personalized medical concerns. Read more.

A new movement encouraging interfaith dialogue has succeeded in twinning 50 mosques and 50 synagogues to visit each others' place of worship and explore common roots and values, reports the Toronto Star. Read more.

As the number of online social networking sites continues to grow, philanthropists around the world now have the chance to share not only their profiles, but their giving experiences as well. Sites like Ammado.com make it easier to donate to charities and show off philanthropic credentials to other online users, reports CNN. Read more.

Thanks to the hard work of Doug Freeman and his push for National Philanthropy Day, philanthropists across the nation are finally getting the recognition they deserve, reports The Orange County Register. Read more.

Me to We Style, an organic clothing manufacturer that donates 50 percent of its profits to charity, is built on a new business model fit to beat the challenges facing our globe. Rather than seeking gains at the expense of others, Oliver Madison formed his company on the idea that everyone can succeed together through collective outreach and action, reports The Daily Green. Read more.

A new generation of youthful activists is taking the lead in social entrepreneurship, according to The New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof. Children such as Talia Leman, an 8th grader who raised more than $10 million for Hurricane Katrina relief, have moved to the front lines in the movement to change the world. Read more.

The Chaplain's Office at Yale University recently hosted the school's second Interfaith Day of Service, reports Yale Daily News, providing an opportunity for those of different faiths to not only volunteer time to their community but also to interact with one another and exchange ideas. Read more.

George Srour, the founder and director of Building Tomorrow -- a nonprofit benefiting children in sub-Saharan Africa -- is just one of several recent graduates from The College of William & Mary to found an organization dedicated to improving the lives of those in other countries. Read more.

New research published in British medical journal The Lancet finds that while those living in impoverished communities have shorter life expectancies than the affluent, a proximity to greenery and open spaces positively affects an individual's health and well-being, reports BBC. Read more.

President-elect Barack Obama benefited greatly from online outreach, and both nonprofits and social entrepreneurs have much to learn from this success, reports onPhilanthropy in an article adapted from the new book by Changing Our World chief strategy officer Tom Watson. Read more.

A recent survey of youth giving habits in Britain reveals that while approximately one-third of those surveyed support the concept of texting to give, only five percent have actually supported a cause in this manner, with more than 50 percent citing texting fees as the barrier, reports Professional Fundraising magazine. Read more.

Exit poll analysis by the Center for Information and Research of Civic Learning and Engagement reveals that a record number of young people turned out to vote in this year's presidential election, favoring candidate Barack Obama by a two-to-one margin, reports the New York Times. Read more.

A new survey from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reveals that a family's income, education, and state of residence significantly influences the health of its children, reports U.S. News & World Report, with the wealthiest and most educated families having the healthiest children. Read more.

As President and CEO of the World Affairs Council/Global Philanthropy Forum and Vice President of the Aspen Institute, Jane Wales holds a position of great respect and influence in the philanthropic arena. Alliance magazine interviews Wales about all things philanthropy. Read more.

Despite the recent economic downturn, a new survey of online consumers indicates no expected diminishment in holiday giving, reports The Christian Science Monitor. And a separate report from the Giving USA Foundation finds historical precedence for continued giving during tough times. Read more.

With the economic crisis hitting such traditionally relied upon providers of sizable charitable grants as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Lehman Bros., nonprofits across the country are growing increasingly concerned about guaranteeing their continued financial support, reports USA Today. Read more.

Through a partnership between Nike and Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, Ore., five young people who successfully battled serious illnesses at the hospital have designed custom sneakers inspired by their experiences that will soon be sold nationwide, reports The Oregonian. Read more.

Inspired by the book "The Faith Club," six women in Fort Collins, Colo., representing the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faiths have convened regular meetings to discuss their similarities and differences, and to learn from one another, reports Fort Collins Now. Read more.

The Toronto-based Canadian Women's Foundation recently became the country's first nonprofit to sell shares in one of its social programs, reports The Ottawa Citizen, noting that while investors won't receive any financial return, they will be helping build "social equity." Read more.

Centennial High School in Bakersfield, Calif., is one of the nation's most successful when it comes to educating students about what it means to be a citizen, reports The Northwest Voice. In fact, many graduates of the school's We the People program have gone on to work in the government sector. Read more.

San Jose State University's Muslim Jewish Christian Coalition brings together students of various faiths to share ideas and unite in helping those less fortunate, reports MSNBC, with recent fundraising events benefiting Heifer International and the Genocide Information Network. Read more.

Springboard Innovation's "Local Agenda" program is designed to help socially minded entrepreneurs translate great ideas into great impact, reports The Oregonian. Project Equilibrium's Stephanie Fleming, the Abundance Farming Project's Paul Osterlund, and the Potluck Truck Network's Claire Simons are three of the 12-week program's recent grads. Read more.

Gap, Inc. recently encouraged its U.S. employees to make short videos discussing their volunteer activities as part of a pilot online competition that used social networking tools to spread the word and provided funding to the top three vote-getters' charities, reports onPhilanthropy. Read more.

Upon returning to the U.S. after teaching English at a small town in Bangkok, Kyle Berner came up with the idea of importing flip-flop shoes manufactured by a local Thai business, selling them through a company he started called Feelgoodz, and donating three percent of the earnings to nonprofits benefiting Thailand, reports The Times-Picayune. Read more.

For 10 years, volunteers at the Chicago-based Working Bike Cooperative have been fixing up old donated bicycles for distribution to those in need locally and around the world, reports Northwestern University student newspaper North by Northwestern. Read more.

The "donor-advised funding" approach of such philanthropic organizations as the San Francisco Foundation puts decisions in the hands of family investors, reports the San Francisco Chronicle, allowing individuals to play a more active role in determining where their charitable donations go. Read more.

A growing number of vacationers are taking advantage of the many new "voluntourism" options introduced by companies in recent years, reports the San Francisco Chronicle, perhaps reflecting a desire to bring real meaning to the idea of a "working vacation." Read more.

People are starting to make their first charitable donations at increasingly younger ages with the help of new technology such as text messaging, electronic mapping, and online video, reports USA Today. In turn they are helping change the way charities think about raising money. Read more.

Airlines such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have raised huge amounts of money for charity through programs that enable fliers to donate money left over from travel abroad, while other initiatives allow for the charitable use of air miles, reports CNN. Read more.

The UN Foundation, which was established by Ted Turner as a way to directly support the United Nations' causes, has become an increasingly attractive charitable outlet for corporations focusing on "strategic philanthropy," reports the Financial Times. Read more.

Those with lots of money to give are finding themselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of nonprofits, reports The International Herald Tribune, noting that new services such as GlobalGiving pre-screen the organizations they list on their website and provide donors with updates on what's being done with their contributions. Read more.

A new Global Malaria Action Plan has been unveiled at an international summit in New York, the goal of which is to eradicate deaths from the disease by 2015 with the help of a multi-sector $3-billion funding commitment, reports The Washington Post. Read more.

A Massachusetts businessman with a nonprofit background has created a new nonprofit called GiftsToGive that is focused not only on delivering goods to children in need, but also involving more financially stable families in supporting the day-to-day operation of the organization, reports South Coast Today. Read more.

With women representing a majority of the world's poor, but also controlling more than half of the personal wealth in the U.S., a growing number of wealthy female philanthropists are stepping in to look after the unmet needs of their own, reports NewsBlaze. Read more.

As the mother of a nine-year-old treated for a rare form of bone cancer, Forbes.com senior editor Helen Jonsen questions why pediatric cancer research is increasingly underfunded in the U.S., while the disease remains the nation's leading killer of children. Read more.

In an effort to discourage panhandling and create a more managed approach to helping the homeless, the city of Atlanta has introduced new "donation meters" downtown as part of its "Give Change That Makes Sense" campaign, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Read more.

Canadian online development startup Akoha recently introduced a new interactive computer gaming concept in which participants are encouraged to "pay forward" good deeds and earn "karma points" for completing their charitable missions, reports The Montreal Gazette. Read more.

Electronics giant Philips is expanding its focus beyond the needs of developed countries to those of developing ones, reports BusinessWeek, and this non-traditional approach finds the company not only developing targeted innovations but working with local agencies in creating job opportunities related to the manufacture and distribution of these niche products. Read more.

As a participant in the Phoenix Project's Nonprofit Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program, John Tyler Community College graduate Jamie Poniatowski spent her first summer after graduation learning the role of nonprofits in helping the community, reports The Progress-Index. Read more.

A growing number of business school students are looking to combine a passion for social issues with their entrepreneurial spirit, reports BusinessWeek, but investor support for these risky socially responsible ventures remains hard to come by. Read more.

A group of 12 current and former Princeton University students spent part of the summer participating in a cross-cultural immersion program that involved a conference on "Religion, Diplomacy and International Relations" in Vienna and six days of interacting with students and teachers in Jordan. Read more.

Now a four-year-old Chicago tradition, Café Finjan brings together local Jewish and Muslim artists -- from singers to comedians -- to creatively express their cultural differences in an environment that is entertaining and promotes interfaith conversation, reports The Huffington Post. Read more.

From incorporating celebrity endorsements to employing social networking tactics, nonprofit organizations are experimenting with new ways to raise funds online and limit their reliance on more traditional appeals, reports The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Read more.

Employees of British company Xyratex convened in Sacramento, Calif., to put together prosthetic devices as part of a “philanthropic team building" exercise devised by California firm Odyssey, reports The Kansas City Star, noting that such efforts are becoming increasingly common in the corporate world. Read more.

The pan-Asian group of women comprising the New York City-based Asian Women Giving Circle is focused on raising money to support local artists working for the greater good, while also raising awareness of a community not often associated with philanthropic efforts, reports AsianWeek. Read more.

The Seattle Biomedical Research Institute was inundated with inquiries from potential volunteers after announcing plans to conduct vaccine research on humans exposed to malaria in newly created Human Challenge Centers, reports the Seattle-Post Intelligencer. Read more.

A new study published in Science magazine indicates that giving money to others elicits a greater sense of contentment than purchasing things for oneself, reports The Mercury News. Read more.

Andrea Christie Pizziconi, the 28-year-old principal of urban development company Christie Co., discusses her idea of locating quality public schools in private commercial buildings throughout the U.S. and Africa in BusinessWeek's Entrepreneur's Journal. Read more.

Interfaith Youth Core leader Eboo Patel discusses in Newsweek magazine how New Orleans native Dr. Kyshun Webster overcame his difficult childhood to eventually found nonprofit Operation REACH. The organization, which focuses on youth education, has been working with Interfaith Works to ensure the participation of individuals from a variety of religious backgrounds. Read more.

Today's youth are increasingly aware of global issues and are more connected to those issues through technology, writes The Wichita Eagle, and Web sites such as Disney's Club Penguin are teaching young people how to move from "awareness to action." Read more.

Inspired by Hoops for Hope, the charitable brainchild of Arizona teen Austin Gutwein, four students at Memorial-Spaulding Elementary School in Newton, Mass., launched a free-throw fundraising campaign to help support AIDS relief efforts in Zambia, reports the Newton TAB. Read more.

Christians, Jews, and Muslims gathered at a Lutheran church in Schaumburg, Ill., to participate in a discussion of their shared patriarch inspired by bestselling author Bruce Feiler's "Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths," reports the Chicago Tribune. Read more.

Teen TV talk show producer W. Rachel Chery is just one of 16 fellows to date to benefit from Mount Wachusett Community College's Community Builders program, which was established two years ago to support efforts that "benefit the community," reports the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Read more.

Duke University junior Josh Sommer has dedicated himself to gathering support and awareness for the rare form of bone cancer he was diagnosed with freshman year -- as an active researcher and as co-founder of the Chordoma Foundation, reports ABC News. Read more.

Meet Contribute magazine's Tech 10 list of advocacy leaders, who are successfully using the power of the Internet to innovatively effect change locally and globally and, in the process, to redefine philanthropy, reports MSNBC. Read more.

By backing risk-taking scientists and researchers traditionally overlooked for much-needed grant money, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation is hoping to accelerate the pace at which groundbreaking cures can be identified and put to use, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Read more.

In addition to celebrating their individual faiths each week, members of the Santa Clarita Valley Interfaith Council meet once a month to learn about each other's faith and host community events to raise religious awareness, reports The Signal. Read more.

Baby Boomer and Gen X women are making their mark in the world of philanthropy, reports the Traverse City Record-Eagle, and whether donating $200 or $4 million, they are interested in solving problems and contributing to charities and causes that bring about change. Read more.

Today's youth are increasingly aware of global issues and are more connected to those issues through technology, writes The Wichita Eagle, and Web sites such as Disney's Club Penguin are teaching young people how to move from "awareness to action." Read more.

If your level of charitable giving has moved from the hundreds or thousands to the millions of dollars, explains The Motley Fool, then it's time to consider such mutually beneficial alternatives as giving stock to charity, establishing a charitable annuity or trust, or creating a family foundation. Read more.

In a collection of stories about people who have learned to turn their careers into "vehicle[s] for positive change," career counselor Melissa Everett demonstrates how all Americans can put their skills toward community good and global change, reports Voice of America. Read more or hear more.

While two-thirds of Americans donate to charities each year, the one-third who don't fluctuates annually due to major life events like divorce and illness, reports The Plain Dealer. And although those who do give regularly give more on average, education and income also affect patterns and levels of giving. Read more.

When businesses work to align their missions with local needs, they are able to solve problems and improve communities, reports the Minnesota Women's Press, and Smart Women founder Jane Hellwich is a prime example of creating socially responsible--and profitable--products. Read more.

The combined efforts of Muslims and Jews in the United States are working not only to strengthen the relationship between these two "often alienated faiths," but also to create a worldwide model for religious understanding and cooperation, writes Reuters. Read more.

By raising one nickel, dime, or quarter at a time, students are turning their "drops in a bucket" into clean water for Kenyan villages, and in the process they're learning that small donations can amount to big change for the health and education of children in developing countries, reports the Star Tribune. Read more.

A few spare parts is all it takes to repair abandoned motorcycles scattered across Africa's deserts, writes the Times Online, and by providing these parts and recruiting states and nongovernmental agencies to maintain these bikes, Riders for Health has secured viable transportation for families desperately needing to reach medical care. Read more.

Using Moses as their guiding prophet and the shared act of breaking fast as a springboard, a group of Emory University's Muslim and Jewish students met at the school's first interfaith event to discuss the meaning behind their respective fasts and to better understand each other's faith, reports the Emory Wheel. Read more.

Perpetual rivals Duke and the University of North Carolina may finally have found some common ground, reports The Chronicle, thanks to the efforts of a 2006 UNC graduate who has created SEEDS (Social Entrepreneur and Enterprise Development for Students) to encourage entrepreneurial collaboration between the two universities. Read more.

"Find your passion and give," says Patsy Woods Martin, director of the Austin, Texas, "I Live Here, I Give Here" initiative, which aims to move the city to the top of the nation's charitable giving list by helping community members better understand local needs, reports KVUE-TV. Read more.