10 Signs of America's Love Affair with Good Causes

Nonprofit, philanthropy, social change, charitable giving, volunteering -- these words are jumping around the media universe like newly heated kernals of popcorn in a hot skillet.

No longer hidden on the newspaper's back page or in the society section, charitable giving and good causes are beats of their own for bloggers, social networkers, TV newscasters and script writers, movie makers, and radio commentators.

Those images, articles, videos, and shows are drawing viewers, readers, and listeners, as well as sponsors, like never before. That's because so many of us, even as we dig our way out of a bad recession, are in love with good causes. Maybe coming so close to the economic cliff has focused us on what matters most.

Just consider these recent signs of the rising status of doing good:

1. Volunteerism and service are buzzwords, fostered by the example of Barack and Michelle Obama and legislation that directs stimulus money into National Service programs such as AmeriCorps.

2. Not to be outdone, the entertainment industry plans to incorporate volunteering in their programs for seven days beginning on October 19. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that during this period, "Images of people doing good will fill America's television screens, appearing on morning shows, soap operas, hospital dramas, cop dramas, situation comedies, reality shows, late-night talk shows, and local news programs." USA Today says in a new article that more than 90 TV shows will feature volunteer mentions or story lines.

3. USA Today has also just published its third bonus section with the theme of "Sharing in the USA," plus launching an online community, "Kindness: New Ways We Give and Volunteer."

4. The Huffington Post is working with Causecast.org to give a higher profile to social-change stories on its site. Read one of its "impact" articles and you'll encounter a box that lets you know how to get more info, help, volunteer, or donate.

5. Twitter just added a healthy list of nonprofits to its infamous Suggested Users list. The lucky organizations, such as Kiva and CharityWater, are seeing very large increases in their followers as a result.

6. Blogworld, the premier conference that attracts the stars of the blogosphere, has, for the first time, included a track on nonprofits. One panel is titled "Making America Less Invisible: Homelessness in America," featuring Mark Horvath of InvisiblePeople.tv. The conference also ran a preconference contest so that a number of nonprofit organizations could win free admission to the conference.

7. The second America's Giving Challenge, an initiative of The Case Foundation, Facebook's Causes, and Parade Magazine, has just exploded across the social media world.

8. Social change rock stars are being created with their own fan bases and press following. Think of Bill and Melinda Gates, philanthropists attacking global problems; Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, who have started a movement with their book, Half the Sky; Paul Farmer, whose work was detailed in Tracy Kidder's book, Mountains Beyond Mountains; Bill Clinton, whose recent Global Initiative was webcast for all to watch; and Muhammad Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work on micro-loans for the poor.

9. Social entrepreneurism (how young is this term?) attracts creative souls, such as Jacqueline Novogratz of the Acumen Fund, and Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka, who turn business concepts into tools for doing good.

10. Corporate Social Responsibility is no longer a duty done out of a back pocket, but is, instead, strategized, maximized, and mainstreamed, while Cause-related marketing provides the consumer with a dizzying array of ways to contribute to causes, from AIDS to breast cancer research.

When I started working in nonprofit, getting public attention for a cause was very hard work, and mostly done in the shadow of virtually everything else that captured the spotlight. Today, it is not easy, especially with the sheer number of causes competing for attention, but it is also a pleasure to be able to find so much information in so many places about social problems that need to be addressed and the stories of those who are working on those problems.

Is this a perfect storm for all things charitable? What are the forces that are creating it? Is it real? Is it good? Will it go on or will people tire of it? Will it make the world a better place? What makes this moment a great moment for embracing good?

Please add to our list or point readers to additional resources. Tell us what you think in the comments.

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