The giving circle members said they were impressed that Pathways doesn't just house the homeless but that it also tries to address their problems over time so they don't become homeless again. The giving circle's $2,000 donation can help Pathways set up two homeless people in their own apartments, according to Linda Kaufman, the charity's chief operating officer.......

Charities are always looking for new ways to raise funds, and for some, reaching out electronically with social media tools like Twitter and Facebook is a perfect match. For example, the American Red Cross' successful text-messaging campaign raised tens of millions of dollars for Haiti. It spurred charities' interest in the use of social media, but nonprofits are finding that some of these new fundraising methods ......

But even before the Haiti quake, nonprofit groups around the world were using social media to connect those in need with others eager to help. From tracking election-related violence in Kenya to raising funds for mosquito nets in developing countries, social media tools have become a critical component of social change efforts worldwide..........

Charitable giving declined last year, along with the economy. But it didn't go down by as much as some people had thought, according to a new report out Wednesday. Charitable giving in the United States dropped 2 percent in 2008 from the year before. Even so, people gave more than $307 billion, which begs the question..........

The nation's homeless population appears to be on the rise, although those numbers are hard to count. One homeless man is trying to educate people about homeless issues with a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter account. Eric Sheptock is 40 years old. He's been homeless on and off for the last 15 years. He's clean-cut and trim - from so.....