Annals of Online Innovation: Introducing “Giving Beast”

Good ideas are contagious. First the Huffington Post gives us HuffPost Impact and now The Daily Beast has launched a new initiative called the Giving Beast.

What is the Giving Beast (besides a super name)?

It’s a compilation of stories, photo galleries and videos that show you what’s going in the world of positive change, as well as a hub for advocacy and the promotion of great ideas. Giving Beast urges you to “Take Action. Make a Difference.” Current feature stories include UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message about climate change (and don’t forget to sign up to help stop climate change with 350.org this Saturday!).

Here are some of the other stories and pictures you can see at the Giving Beast:

Appalachia in Crisis: Inside a Health-Care Tent City
Mean Streets: Haunting Photos of America’s Forgotten Cities
In the Shadow of Violence: A U.N. Exhibit of Women in the Congo
Keep a Child Alive Benefit Concert
Death in War: A Soldier’s Impromptu Funeral
The Secret World of Oil
Howard Buffett’s Food Fight
Demi’s Sex Slave Crusade

The Giving Beast also features a very handy Philanthropy Cheat Sheet (scroll down a bit, and it's on the right) that tracks major cause-related news and initiatives.

The really cool thing about this website is the way it combines pop culture and a commitment to service and positive change. So no need to feel guilty about reading the gossip about your favorite celeb – because you will also be getting a message about how to make the world a better place.

Many of the stories also include a place where you can donate to the cause of your choice: The Tory Burch Foundation, the World Food Programme, CARE, the Barefoot Foundation, the Liya Kebede Foundation and Free the Slaves are up now.

Here’s a video of Liya Kebede, the World Health Organization’s Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Healthcare. It's one of the many inspiring videos you can find on Giving Beast.

Let's spread the word and help give HuffPo Impact and Giving Beast plenty of traffic. It would be great to see this sort of content going up at other major online platforms.