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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

Community foundations are becoming an increasingly attractive option for many donors, surpassing independent and corporate foundation levels of giving with a record $3.6 billion in 2006 and an estimated increase in donations of 13.2 percent, according to a report released by the Foundation Center. Read more.

Amherst students will better understand the impact their actions can have both in their community and around the globe, reports the Amherst Bulletin, thanks to volunteer opportunities offered on campus through its new student Center for Community Engagement. Read more.

L'Itineraire, a charitable organization that helps the homeless re-engage in society, is the first beneficiary of Montreal's newly refurbished parking meters, which are being used to raise awareness and generate income for the city's nonprofit organizations, writes The Chronicle Journal. Read more.

Known for their activism in the 1960s, today's baby boomers aren't slowing down but are redirecting their efforts toward volunteerism and "harass[ing] the legislature," writes the Rocky Mountain News, noting that recent survey results reveal many will continue working and dedicating their time to local causes. Read more.

"If it's giving at your capacity, it is philanthropy," says Raising Change president and CEO Kathy LeMay, who has been working to help donors at all income levels connect to causes in which they feel invested and make a greater impact for a longer time, writes the Valley Advocate. Read more.

Which companies rank the highest for their corporate citizenship? Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine rates the leaders in areas such as community and diversity, employee relations, and human rights. Read more or download the 100 best.

Volunteering just two hours a week not only makes you feel good but can also make you healthier, reports the Corporation for National & Community Service, whose study finds that volunteer work can provide such health benefits as preventing depression and reducing the incidence of heart disease. Read more or download the report.

Promoting international volunteerism is a mandate of the United Nations Volunteers, writes Philanthropy News Digest, and Johns Hopkins University and the International Labor organization have formed a partnership to document volunteer engagement around the globe. Read more.

The Peace Corps isn't just for recent college graduates any more, writes The Seattle Times, and in an effort to attract a growing number of retirement-age volunteers, the Corps is launching an initiative to increase its base of 50-plus volunteers from 5 to 15 percent and tailoring programs to better meet the needs of older individuals. Read more.

Youth volunteerism is greatly spurred by familial influence, especially in households that discuss politics together, according to a new study by the University of Maryland's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). The study also identifies helping others as the top motivator for volunteers aged 15 to 25. Read more.

According to a new Independent Sector study, if you volunteered for a nonprofit in 2006, your individual time was worth $18.77 per hour, up from $18.04 per hour in 2005. Read more.

MySpace's social-networking/election-campaign site, the Impact Channel, profiles 10 presidential hopefuls, says Time magazine, and as the "most-trafficked website," it's well positioned to help candidates educate millions of potential voters. Read more.

The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy announced its 2006 awards, honoring such companies as GlaxoSmithKline, salesforce.com, and the National Academy Foundation for their "leadership, innovation, dedication, and partnership in corporate philanthropy." Read more.

Nearly 73 percent of U.S. adults agree that young people should serve their country, found a recent Harris Poll, but respondents believe that this service should be voluntary and more nonmilitary options in which young people can serve should be available. Read more.

A Wharton professor and two researchers examine whether corporate giving promotes profitability and find a positive correlation only in high-profile, high-competition industries, such as retail. Read more.

Hands On Network has created two new tools to help volunteers plan and implement successful service projects -- from narrowing your project scope to selecting the right projects for your community. Read more.

In collaboration with the Hands On Network, the cast of the daytime drama "Guiding Light" celebrated their 70th anniversary by presenting to a Biloxi family the first of three homes the cast and crew is rebuilding for residents affected by Hurricane Katrina. Read more.

The Philadelphia Examiner has named W. Wilson Goode its Citizen of the Year. The former Philadelphia mayor and current head of Amachi is a Purpose Prize winner and a Case Foundation Leader in Action.

Ten million new volunteers by 2010 may seem an ambitious goal. But, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service's latest research report, Volunteer Growth in America: A Review of Trends Since 1974, there's never been a better time to recruit volunteers. Not only is volunteerism at its highest level in 30 years (the rate of American adults who volunteer is up 32 percent since 1989), but the number of nonprofit charities has doubled. The corporation sees this combination as an "historic opportunity to seize the momentum and shape volunteer patterns for decades to come" and is banking on industry leaders to "create a tipping point for the volunteer movement."

The elections may be over, but it's not too late to handpick your very own "Fantasy Congress." Millions of sports junkies participate in fantasy sports leagues online, and now a group of college students has developed a similar program for political junkies. Instead of creating a team roster of professional athletes, Fantasy Congress lets players draft actual U.S. lawmakers and compete against others' teams.  The goal of the program is to create enthusiasm for the political process among young people.

Youth as City Leaders is a place for young people from all across the country to meet up and speak out -- online. The National League of Cities urges youth who are active in the life of their city or town -- whether through a youth council, a community group, or individually -- to connect with each other via the YACL website. The website is a dynamic resource for youth who want to get engaged in public policy in their community and offers these young movers and shakers opportunities to connect online and share their stories through the YACL blog.

Some citizens are turning off their news channels and instead tuning into Oprah, David Letterman, or Regis and Kelly. A study by two political scientists argues that there is value in voters receiving information about political candidates from such "soft" news and entertainment programs. As Slate magazine notes, "Soft news helps the politically inattentive vote 'consistently,' i.e., for candidates who best represent their interests, compared with similar citizens who don't watch soft news." The study, which appears in the November Journal of Politics, concludes that "even a relatively small amount of factually and contextually accurate information received via an E-talk show is likely to enhance the ability of low-awareness voters to figure out which of the two major party candidates best represents their interests?.a little information may indeed go a long way."

With age comes wisdom, and the BreakThrough Award is recognizing organizations "that tap the passion and experience of people over 50 to improve society." Organizations eligible for the award include nonprofits and public agencies that use innovative approaches to engage this often-overlooked segment of the population to tackle societal challenges. Sponsored by Civic Ventures and funded by the MetLife Foundation, this is the inaugural year for the BreakThrough Award. Nominations are now being accepted for organizations that embrace the talents of this "vast and vibrant workforce."

You can now learn how to "Be the Change" from those who know best. This collection of first-hand accounts shares the experiences of hundreds of individuals who have engaged in volunteering. Published by Hands On Network, these inspiring stories highlight ways that individuals can make an impact on the world around them and, perhaps most important, encourage others to take part in volunteer efforts. According to Hands On, this engaging new book "highlights the positive experiences and impact that result from volunteer leadership -- when an individual decides not only to volunteer, but also to lead others in service."

You may have read on our website about the 2006 winners of the Purpose Prize, or viewed our webcast. Between now and Feb. 1, 2007, you can nominate someone over 60 who you believe is making a difference (or even nominate yourself) for the 2007 awards. Five winners will receive $100,000, and 10 winners will receive $10,000.

"Stories of Service," started as a project to record the experiences of WWII veterans, has expanded to give young people a chance to interview senior citizens who have served society. The program helps young people "to develop digital literacy, workplace skills, creativity, and positive civic values by promoting and honoring the contributions of older generations." A digital record of the contribution of each of the interviewees is preserved and shared online through videos about these local "unsung heroes."

If you were born between 1979 and 2001, you're part of a socially aware generation called "Millennials." A new study of these 78 million Americans reveals that 61 percent of Millennials feel personally responsible for making a difference in the world. According to the 2006 Cone Millennial Cause Study, the first in-depth study of its kind, some 20 percent (that's 15.6 million people) report volunteering on a weekly basis. And this generation has high expectations of corporations, too: 79 percent want to work for a company that cares about how it affects and contributes to society, and 69 percent consider a company's social and environmental commitment when deciding where to shop.

A new public-private partnership is linking up millions of corporate volunteers with some of the thousands of nonprofits who need them.  AngelPoints, a software firm with 2.5 million corporate volunteers in its database, has partnered with Idealist.org, which has 55,000 nonprofit organizations in its own database.  As the Christian Science Monitor points out, this partnership is "using the Web to track, manage, and analyze the impact these do-gooders have on this precious and precarious planet of ours."  These efficiencies are in addition to the emerging corporate trend of matching up employee volunteer opportunities with employee skills, to maximize the impact employees can have in the community.

A new report says volunteering among college students has risen sharply since 2001. College Students Helping America, released by the Corporation for National and Community Service, found that college student volunteering increased by 20 percent between 2002 and 2005, more than double the growth in the adult volunteering rate. It also found that 3.3 million college students volunteered in 2005 -- nearly 600,000 more students than three years ago.  Read the news release, executive summary, or the full report.

Six colleges and universities received top honors Oct. 17 for extraordinary community service -- three for aiding hurricane victims in the Gulf Coast. A total of 510 colleges and universities submitted applications describing extraordinary volunteer service to their communities and to hurricane victims in the Gulf region. The six winning universities received the first-ever President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The President's Award for Hurricane Relief went to Jackson State University, Louisiana State University, and Tulane University. Winners of the President's Award for outstanding community service were California State University, Monterey Bay; Elon University of North Carolina; and Indiana University -- Purdue University in Indianapolis.

More than 2.5 million youth volunteers from around the world took part in the seventh annual National and Global Youth Service Day in April 2006, to "focus the world's attention on the valuable skills and ideas youth have for the welfare of their communities and the development of their societies."  Youth Service America recently released the final report on the day.

The Millennium Campaign, the UN effort to reduce global poverty by 2015, has created an action guide to help youth advocate for the Millennium Development Goals.