Flickr Photo by Joe Lanman Last week, I wrote a post asking "How Can We Make Charitable Giving A Year-Round Habit?"  I'm not the only blogger to wonder after the holiday season of giving, what can we do on a regular basis to give back as One Ping Only describes in this post.   So, I went through the calendar identifying holidays and seasons when you might give to a particular charity. 

This past week has been about the lightest blogging week ever.   I've had time offline, with family, and just relaxing.  It's also that time of year when you think about setting personal goals or making resolutions for change.  I've been thinking a lot of those, mostly internal - personal improvement and professional goals for my work, blog, and professional learning.

Beth's Birthday Cause I was listening to a story on Marketplace on NPR this afternoon with Tess Vigeland and Chris Farrell who reviewed their 2008 financial goals and graded themselves on their accomplishments.  Chris Farrell set a 2008 goal to make his charitable giving a monthly activity, not a mad rush in December.  He confessed that didn't meet the monthly goal, although he did a lot of research and giving in December.   Given the economy and its impact on nonprofits and fundraising,  it got me thinking that making charitable giving a habit beyond the holidays is a good thing. 

My Son's Adoption Announcement Almost ten years ago, as my husband and I were preparing to travel to Cambodia to bring home our adopted son, Harry, I created an adoption announcement that was combination of different cultural icons.  I scanned a 1930's birth announcement depicting a stork carrying a baby, inserted my son's photo in the bundle, and substituted western houses for Cambodia's Angkor Watt.   This sort of "mash up" is how we've celebrated our own traditions, while integrating customs and ideas from Cambodian culture.

Photo by Chrstopher This week's massive Ponzi scheme by Bernard Madoff has made a tough economy even tougher for a number of charities and Jewish philanthropies. At least foundations have closed their doors and major losses have been reported by foundations established Steven Spielberg, Elie Wiesel, and Sen. Frank R. Launtenberg.