For starters, there’s the CauseWorld application that allows you to check into stores within [...]]]> The iPhone has a devoted following throughout a diverse cross-section of society, largely for its many practical applications that cost mere pennies to own.  And now it’s becoming a staging platform for social entrepreneurs and philanthropists to do good all around the world.

For starters, there’s the CauseWorld application that allows you to check into stores within your vicinity, gain karma points for your virtual visit, and turn those karma points into sponsor donations where you choose the recipient from a list of about 25 social, animal welfare, and environmental causes. You can even do this from the comfort of your home for nearby stores, and without buying a thing. Although the number of points you earn may be higher if you actually walk into one of the sponsor stores, and scan barcodes on designated products with your iPhone camera while there.

The other philanthropic application that’s gaining popularity is TippingBucket. The premise here is that a social startup project of TippingBucket’s choosing is promoted for a certain time period, say two weeks, with a particular funding goal, say five thousand dollars. As the clock counts down, individuals donate at least a dollar – yes, one little dollar – and the tally is updated with each drop in the bucket. When the deadline is up, one of two things happens. If the bucket has been tipped enough to raise the full funding goal, the pledged money is collected by PayPal or credit card and goes directly to the project. If the bucket remains partially empty, none of the transactions are processed, and TippingBucket begins again with another project. The current project is aimed at raising money for harvesting solar energy to power electricity and provide heat for Bolivian children in freezing schoolhouses 13,000 feet above sea level. By the way, if you don’t have an iPhone and want to participate, you can go to www.tippingbucket.org and experience the thrill of donating mere pennies at the chance of making a huge difference in someone’s life. Never has there been a more worthwhile reason to surf the net or play on the iPhone each and every day. ~ Samara Iodice

I recently loaned several hundred dollars to a friend, never really thinking she’d pay me back within the time period she had promised. In fact, I wasn’t even sure she’d pay me back at all. Much to my surprise, she did, and I was forced to reexamine my faith in people. I realized that, over the [...]]]>

I recently loaned several hundred dollars to a friend, never really thinking she’d pay me back within the time period she had promised. In fact, I wasn’t even sure she’d pay me back at all. Much to my surprise, she did, and I was forced to reexamine my faith in people. I realized that, over the years, my expectations of the human race had plummeted. I dug within my heart and head to understand why this could be so, and I just couldn’t unearth an explanation. All I knew was that my belief system had been challenged and I was forever changed from this simple transaction. So changed, in fact, that I started looking for ways to lend other people money. Now, I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but the joy I felt in helping my friend was overwhelming. I remembered back to when I was in her shoes. Just out of college, struggling to make ends meet, lots of talent to go somewhere, but not enough rank to be paid justly. I knew that several hundred dollars would have made a world of difference to me at that time, by easing anxiety that robbed my life of joy and vigor. I suddenly wanted to help anyone I could by offering this small service. This is how I found Kiva. I had heard about microfinancing before, but was never quite ready to take the plunge…mainly because I feared the risk too much. But this time, with my new-found faith in people, I didn’t fear the risk. Or at least, the risk did not overshadow the joy I felt in giving. So, I found a couple female business women on the Kiva site who I thought had great ideas and huge amounts of self-respect – despite their unfathomable poverty -  and I gave a little to each. I’m excited to see how each venture turns out. I want these women to succeed, and part of that success involves taking responsibility for their debt. I truly believe in these women, even though I’ve never met them, and that trust feels even better than loaning the money. ~ Samara Iodice