Help Ethan Siegel shave his head and raise money for charity

Have you seen Ethan Siegel? He's the blogger behind Starts with a Bang. The guy has got a lot of hair!

And he's offering to shave his head if 100 unique commenters each give at least $10 dollars or 4 hours of their time to the charity of their choice. What a great way to give people a little kick in the butt to do something good.

Ethan's post reminded me that I still hadn't completed our promised giving for the Silence is the Enemy project. Alice and I promised to double the amount we were paid for clicks in the month of June. We gave half of that money to Doctors without Borders (MSF) and pledged the other half to local women's shelters. Yesterday, I made that promised donation, and then I doubled it again, in honor of Ethan's hair.

If you got a few minutes and some extra cash or no cash and some extra time, please consider giving to the local, national, or international charity of your choice. And please go above and beyond your normal charitable levels, because those charities are really hurting these days. In my community, the news tells me that charitable giving is down 1/3! And the need is greater than ever.

If you are looking for a charity, I urge you to consider one that works in your local community - maybe an advocacy group for victims of domestic violence, a homeless shelter, the animal shelter, or land trust. But if you are looking for something with a broader reach, here are a few of my favorites: Doctors Without Borders; MercyCorps; Heifer International; DonorsChoose; Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN); and the Nature Conservancy.

And when you've made your donation, don't forget to tell Ethan about it.