Small businesses give generously to charity, with three-quarters of small-business owners in a recent survey saying they donate a percentage of their profits to nonprofit organizations.

On average, small companies contribute 6 percent of their profits to charity, according to the study, which was conducted by American Express.

The survey was based on interviews in August with more than 750 people who lead companies that have fewer than 100 employees.

Companies with the highest revenues were the least generous, with just 69 percent of companies that earn more than $1-million contributing a percentage of their profits to charity.

By contrast, 80 percent of businesses that earned between $250,000 and $1-million gave a share of profits to nonprofit groups, and 77 percent of companies that earned less than $250,000 gave to charity.

Female business owners tend to give more than ...

Amid the gloomy news about hiring freezes and shrinking job opportunities, John Burkhardt offers a hopeful note on the Future Leaders in Philanthropy blog.

Mr. Burkhardt, a professor of higher education at the University of Michigan, which has just started a new concentration for graduate students in college fund raising, says that jobs raising money for universities are “one of the fastest growing and most satisfying career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.”

While college fund raisers once worked mostly for elite, private institutions, now most public and community colleges are “getting into the game,” and overall the field is becoming more sophisticated, says Mr. Burkhardt.

Among the reasons why he thinks fund-raising jobs at colleges are so appealing:

• College towns are attractive places to live, and they are largely immune from economic downturns.

Amid widespread concerns about the economy, Americans are planning to cut their holiday spending but not their charitable giving, according to a new study. In fact, some Americans may actually increase their year-end giving, as they make donations on behalf of friends and family members in lieu of purchasing presents.

Seventy-one percent of Americans are trimming back on their holiday spending, according to a study conducted for World Vision by the polling company Harris Interactive.

But nearly half (49 percent) said they are are more likely to give a “charitable gift,” such as a child sponsorship, a tent, or a cow to help someone in need as a holiday present.

Eight-four percent of people in the study said they would prefer to receive a gift that would benefit someone else rather than a traditional present, such as clothing or electronics.

The study showed that Americans...

Last month, the Environmental Investigation Agency scored a publicity coup. The New Yorker magazine published a feature about the Washington charity’s efforts to stop illegal logging, filled with detail and intrigue culled from a year’s worth of reporting.

Now, the group is trying to turn that positive news-media attention into donations. Vincent Holmes, the charity’s donor manager, says the article has provided an “entree” with new donors, and given the group a reason to get in touch with past supporters.

“Because it’s so prestigious, it can be a nice door opener,” he says. “We get other media coverage but this article is really in a class by itself.”

Mr. Holmes says he is reaching out to foundations that do not accept unsolicited applications — but do support forest-protection efforts or other environmental issues — by sending a letter of introduction mentioning The New York...

Americans who are cutting back on their holiday spending because of the crumbling economy still plan to give to charity, according to a survey conducted for PayPal, the Internet service that enables people to make payments online.

In a survey of people who described themselves as holiday shoppers, 73 percent said they would make a donation before the year’s end, compared with 60 percent last year.

Seventy percent of those surveyed, meanwhile, said they intended to spend less this holiday season.

“In times like these, while people are spending less on gifts, the spirit of giving around the holidays is still very much alive,” said Cliff Hopkins, senior director of PayPal, in a press release.

Older individuals, and those with more money, were more likely to make charitable donations during the holiday season.

Eighty-three percent of people over age 45 said they would give,...

By any measure, Ashley Qualls is an expert online social networker. The 18-year old, who started a company that helps users of MySpace create customized profiles, has 80,000 “friends” on that Web site alone.

Now Ms. Qualls is using her online networking skills to raise money for nonprofit groups, thanks to a new company called SocialVibe.

The company’s Web site enables users of social-networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook to channel donations from corporations to the charity of their choice, simply by endorsing their charity and a company of their choosing on their online profile.

Ms. Qualls has helped to raise nearly $9,000 for Stand Up to Cancer, a charity in Los Angeles. Overall, SocialVibe has helped steer more than $150,000 to nonprofit groups since it was started in February. More than 400,000 people have signed up.

Users pick among 27 charities, including groups...

This holiday season, millions of Americans will contemplate what present to purchase for a relative or friend and then, out of ideas, they will buy a gift card. And each year, millions of people will forget to redeem them or spend only a fraction of their gift card’s value.

The amount of money that goes unspent each year from unused gift cards is staggering: $10-billion of the $100-billion spent on cards annually, according to some estimates. Now Plastic Jungle, a Web site that helps people sell or trade in gift cards, is hoping to channel some of that money to charities.

The company has started a fund-raising program that allows nonprofit groups to collect unused gift cards from any company, as long as each card is worth $10 or more, and convert them into cash.

The charities turn the cards over to Plastic Jungle, which gives the charities 70 percent of the total gift-card...

When the Chicago charity After School Matters planned its annual fund-raising gala, it expected that about 2,000 people would attend. But, in the week before the event, that number shot up to 2,600.

The reason? Sean Cannon, a director with Event Creative, a company that planned the gala, says people were drawn to the gala’s unusual location: O’Hare Airport’s new runway.

“It attracted a lot of people it wouldn’t have otherwise,” he says. “To be on the runway, that’s not something you’re going to get to experience again.”

The event also showcased young people enrolled in the charity’s after-school programs. Teenagers who participate in the group’s arts programs performed music, dance, and theater. Others who take the charity’s culinary classes helped prepare the dinner and made all the desserts. Teenagers’ artwork was also on display — and for sale — in the runway’s tents.

Each ...

Parents have an opportunity this back-to-school season to combine their shopping with philanthropy. The retail company T.J. Maxx is collaborating with Save the Children to help needy children succeed in school.

From August 14 to September 12, T.J. Maxx will give away bookmarks, featuring Save the Children artwork, to every customer. The bookmarks invite people to play an online “Great Book Adventure” game, making them eligible to win a $1,000 shopping spree. For every player, the company will donate a book to help children living in poor rural areas of the United States.

T.J. Maxx is also hosting an in-store donation program during the back-to-school season that will enable customers to make contributions to Save the Children.

How can fund raisers take advantage of the back-to-school season? What are some other examples of charities that are using this season to raise money?

“Jobless,” “broken,” and, of course, “change.” Based on which of those — and hundreds of other — words Barack Obama uses during his speech to the Democratic National Convention tomorrow night, a charity could stand to win thousands of dollars.

Two Denver businessmen have created an online bingo game for philanthropic convention watchers. Participants pay $10 for a bingo card that includes squares listing words from Mr. Obama’s speeches. They also choose their favorite charity from a list of 581 groups.

The Web site will capture Mr. Obama’s speech and match the words to the playing cards. The first bingo card to capture five squares in a row will be declared the winner, and money raised from sales of the cards will go to a charity chosen by the winner.

All of the money the game raises will go to the charitable organization, according to the http://obama-bingo Web site.

“With...