More from the Rankings Department: we're a very literate and pretty generous city. more ›

If you've been thinking about giving to a charity or non-profit but haven't gotten around to it yet this year, there's no better day than today -- it's Give to the Max Day. more ›

It's that time again! WAMU, home to many a local broadcasting treasure, is again asking its listeners for cash. As we did last time around, we thought we'd grade the crop of gifts offered to particularly generous donators. more ›

Earlier this week, we reported that the Office of Campaign Finance's interpretation of laws regarding donations to partisan organizations by Councilmembers clashed with a complaint made by the D.C. GOP, which argued such donations were against regulations. But that doesn't mean that OCF won't be proceeding with an investigation. more ›

The D.C. GOP may not have the best of luck when it comes to getting someone elected to office, but it's certainly on a roll when it comes to calling out elected officials on their shenanigans. more ›

The Stadium Club plot thickens: a co-owner of the strip club -- which was allegedly built in part with city grant money meant to help house people with HIV/AIDS -- was one of the largest donors to Team Thomas, the under-investigation nonprofit run by Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. more ›

Earlier this month, we posted a call for volunteers for a collection effort conducted by the D.C. Central Kitchen at the conclusion of the Summer Fancy Food Show. Some 150 people ended up pitching in -- and it's a good thing, since the Kitchen needed every ounce of manpower they could get. more ›

The District's NPR outlet, WAMU, is currently asking its listeners for money -- and given the frequency with which the station uses its airwaves to solicit donations, you may be considering tossing some cash their way. While helping to keep hard-working reporters at work and Diane Rehm's voice on the Washington airwaves is arguably its own reward, we were curious about this year's gifts -- you know, the knicknacks that the station hands out. Do they stand up next to the PBS golf umbrella, the unanimous champion of the pledge drive giveaway? Let's find out! more ›

Yesterday, we (among several others) shared the story of Robert Kasmir, the George Washington University athletic donor who was honored for a five-figure donation during halftime of Saturday's game against Dayton -- then summarily booted from the game after jawing at the referees during the second half. And now, thanks to the miracle of video technology, we can enjoy Mr. Kasmir soaking in his moment in the limelight. Soak it in, man. more ›

Waiting for "Superman" (read our review here) may have been snubbed by the Academy for its politics, inspiring Ryan Kearney to tote a cardboard Michelle Rhee around Sundance. But we're certain -- despite the lack of an Oscar nomination -- that there are still plenty of people in this city who will want to pick up a copy of the film on DVD. If you do, According to the Examiner, the producers of the movie have teamed up with DonorsChoose.org to donate $25 to a project of the purchaser's choice when you buy the DVD. There are plenty of Washington school projects to donate to, like helping Martin Luther King Elementary get an overhead projector or chipping in for bilingual learning supplies at Tyler Elementary. more ›

Following Giant's bah humbug decision to severely limit the Salvation Army's Red Kettle bell ringers time outside of their grocery stores, the charity has seen a significant drop in donations this holiday season. Salvation Army spokesperson Ken Forsythe says bell ringers raised $270,000 this year compared to $667,000 last year. Yup, that's a 59.5 percent drop. more ›

Here's your chance to enjoy a holiday classic and do some good for the community at the same time. The National Symphony Orchestra is partnering with Capital Area Food Bank during its performances of Handel's this weekend (December 16 to 19). if you attend the performance — and even if you do not — you are encouraged to bring cans of food to the lobby of the Kennedy Center Concert Hall between Thursday and Sunday. We already tipped the NSO's performance as likely to be the most interesting one of a work that is performed way too much for its own good. Rinaldo Alessandrini, known for his fast-paced, hard-edged recordings with the Italian early music ensemble Concerto Italiano, will conduct, and he has four soloists of considerable promise. As reported before Thanksgiving, the Capital Area Food Bank has been hit by a double-whammy this year: the combination of much higher demand and far fewer donations. Give what you can! more ›

Not to depress the whole lot of you, but this story in USA Today -- about how the United States Post Office is receiving more letters to Santa from children asking for basic needs instead of toys -- is one of the most melancholic news blasts I've read in some time. more ›

For this editor, the presence of Salvation Army bell ringers manning change tins outside of supermarkets and retailers is just as much of a sign of the upcoming holidays as turkey, tinsel, lights wrapped around lampposts or maniacal traffic on those days when every single person in this city is trying to get out of town. But NBCWashington.com reports that those bell ringers might not be around as much this season, at least not outside of one major D.C. grocery chain. Giant Foods has apparently instituted a new policy which will slice the amount of time charitable groups can solicit outside its stores. This holiday season, you'll hear bells at the Giant on only six days in both November and December, and for just four hours on each of those days. Previously, the Salvation Army and other groups were able to collect donations ten hours a day, six days a week throughout both months. Why the change? Giant said that they don't want the bells to "hinder their [customers'] shopping experience." Nothing in the NBC story about whether Giant's statement actually included a "bah humbug" or not. more ›

The D.C. Central Kitchen had several of its vans vandalized last night, and, understandably, many people were flabbergasted. Why would anyone want to vandalize vehicles belonging to a group whose wide-ranging missions include job training, feeding the less fortunate and supporting better nutrition among children? more ›

It would appear as if someone is placing calls to D.C. residents under the guise of a police charity in an attempt to swindle them out of money. An emailer on the First District police listserv claimed that a man called their business yesterday and requested a (very specific) $50 donation to something called the "D.C. Police Post". This isn't the first time we've heard of this scam -- back in 2008, two men were charged with attempting a similar fraud in Montgomery County. To be clear, MPD does not solicit charitable donations directly from citizens. If you receive one of these calls, police recommend you attempt to get a name of the caller, name of the organization, phone number, 501C3 non-profit number and where the organization is charted and double-check that the organization is a registered charity before you supply any kind of personal information to a cold caller. more ›

To follow-up on our post from earlier today that featured photos of DCPS's annual prom dress boutique, some commenters asked if there was anywhere else they could still donate gently used prom dresses. The answer is yes -- local non-profit Once Upon a Prom is still collecting dresses prior to its big prom dress giveaway planned to take place at Eastern Market on May 1 (which will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Donations are being accepted at ZIPS Cleaners locations through this Saturday (in D.C. there's one at 4418 Connecticut Avenue NW). Just be sure the dresses you donate are in good shape. Students wishing to participate in the giveaway need only show up with a valid high school ID; one dress per person. more ›

Back in June we told you about the awesomeness that is the Girls Rock!DC summer camp, which will teach young local ladies how to play rock music and form bands. The camp itself runs from August 11-15, and culminates with a performance showcase on Saturday, August 16 at the 9:30 Club (sorry, all camp spots are full at this time). You can be sure that DCist will be there to rock out with the girls next month. more ›