I give to those who give to me. I listen to a lot of Soma FM and I know that if someone doesn't give them something, they would cease to be. On The Edge, a 6-hour Industrial radio program on high-school run KNHC (worth looking into on its own: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KNHC http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=200...) was a vital part of my "scene" in my 20s so I had no problem chipping them $100 a year... until I realized I was more useful as on-air talent during the pledge drives. So for 24 hours a year I made that station an additional $5k or so for about six years.

I give to those whose voices need to be heard. I paid Bartcop (www.bartcop.com) $20 a month from 2003 until 2009. There are political organizations that would much rather have that money, but Tammany Hall was brought down by satire, not protests.

Finally, I give where I cannot help, and do not give where I feel I've done my part. I paid to put a social worker through grad school. It was one of the most miserable times of my life. As a consequence, I feel no need whatsoever to give the Salvation Army a dime. I "gave at the office" ... $40k worth.