Top 30 Charity Trends in 2008 H1

There’s nothing more exciting than seeing brilliant innovation in the charity world. 

That’s why we’re so excited to reveal this killer gallery of the top 30 charity trends and innovations. 

This is one of many features in our new FREE Micro Trend Reports section.

Top 30 Charity Trends

1. Shockvertising - Does It Work? Jury Still Out (GALLERY)

Can displaying a shocking, disturbing image be worth it to the public good? Shockvertising is reaching new highs, or lows, depending on your opinion.

Industry experts say public-service ads are becoming… [More]

2. Charity Galas for AIDS - Life Ball 2008 (GALLERY)

From former US president Bill Clinton, actresses Sharon Stone and “Sex and the City” siren Kim Cattrall to Supermodel Linda Evangelista and hundreds of scantly clad models and attendees: only the 16th… [More]

3. Crystal Gem Bottles for Charity - $1 Million Bombay Sapphire Revelation (VIDEO)

Karim Rashid designed five elegant bottles in the shape of enormous jewels for the Bombay Sapphire Revelation Collection. Gerrard designed the diamond and sapphire caps, Baccarat is the crystal, and the… [More]

4. Heidi Klum Donates Oscar Dress - Heart Truth Campaign

The month of February is American Heart Month and Diet Coke has teamed up with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to raise awareness of this disease that is one of the top killers of women in… [More]

5. High-Tech Savings & Donation - Credit Card Pig Bank (GALLERY)

The Credit Card Pig Bank concept is a logical evolution of the ole’ saving piggy bank or donation box. It allows you to swipe your credit card into the adorable pig and voilà, a pre-determined amount… [More]

6. Cards That Give to AIDS - Hallmark (PRODUCT) RED Collection (GALLERY)

Now when you send a card, you can choose to help people suffering from AIDS in Africa. Hallmark has just launched a new collection of 150 products, cards, gifts and gift wraps under the label (PRODUCT)… [More]

7. Cancer Survivor Branded Booze - Cleavage Creek’s Charity Wine

Mother’s Day is coming up and Napa’s Cleavage Creek Cellars will celebrate this day by releasing the 2006 Reserve Chardonnay and the Secret White wines which are two of their world class wines. The bottles… [More]

8. Charitable Street Art - Tanqueray Style Sessions (GALLERY)

Tanqueray has sponsored a high end auction of street art in a charitable project called Tanqueray Style Sessions.

The events, which combines fashion, street art and music, are taking place in April and… [More]

9. Diamond Studded Toy for Charity - $140,000 Hot Wheels Bling

Commemorating its 40th year, Hot Wheels has created a $140,000 coupe designed by jeweler, Jason, of Beverly Hills, CA. The 18k white gold car is encrusted with 2,700 diamonds weighing 23 Carats. The car… [More]

10. Tees for Trees - Carlos Miele for the Rainforest Foundation (GALLERY)

Want to plant trees to help the planet but don’t have time to go and dig in the dirt? The good news it, you can support the cause while keeping your nails clean with one of these adorable Tees for Trees… [More]

11. Awareness Through Fashionable Celebs - Tommy Hilfiger, Aly & Aj for MS (GALLERY)

Tommy Hilfiger and teen pop duo Aly & Aj have teamed up with the Nancy Davis Foundation for MS to promote MS Awareness Month in May.

Aly & Aj model vibrant orange We ♥ to Erase MS T-Shirts, exclusively… [More]

12. Microlending Credit Cards - KivaB4B Doubles Grants

Kiva.org has been cited several times in Trend Hunter because the microfinance site is just so awesome! The latest from Kiva is that they partnered with Advanta Bank, one of the largest issuers of credit… [More]

13. Pandas for Tragedy Relief - YOKA SC for China Earthquake (GALLERY)

adFunture collaborated with eight global brands to create a special edition YOKA, a vinyl panda figure, to help raise money in support of the victims of China’s recent earthquake.

The participating… [More]

14. Fashion For Human Rights - Darfur Organization Spoofs Louis Vuitton, Gets Sued

Danish artist Nadia Plesner is getting sued by Louis Vuitton for using the name and logo of the French fashion house in a defamatory fashion line. Plesner, who runs the Simple Living campaign in support… [More]

15. Celebrity PSAs II - Will Ferrell & Jennifer Aniston for Burma (VIDEO)

“With great power comes great responsibility,” and that is true for holding celebrity status as well. Hollywood A-listers have a huge influence on people, so it’s great to see stars like Will Ferrell use… [More]

16. PCs in Support of AIDS - Dell Joins The (Product) RED Campaign

There have been many companies(Gap, Converse, American Express, Apple) who have signed on with (Product) Red, now Dell as of January 31st will make their Products “Red” in support of AIDS in Africa.… [More]

17. Million Dollar Dresses - Alberta Ferretti Gown for AIDS (VIDEO)

I Cannes not stop dreaming of the French Riviera, especially with all the media coverage. Now on top of celebrity siting and movies reviews comes news of a million dollar gown that will be sold in Cannes,… [More]

18. Cups for Cancer - LiveStrong Travel Mug (GALLERY)

If you don’t have your own Livestrong bracelet, it’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ve seen one. Based on that assumption, you’d know right away that this skinny travel mug is branded with the logo for… [More]

19. Firing Bald Employees - Woman Shaves Head for Cancer, Loses Job

A Canadian woman lost her job as a waitress at Nathaniel’s restaurant because she shaved her head to help raise $2,700 for a local cancer research fundraiser! What shortsighted and intolerant management!… [More]

20. Viral Spoof Creating Change - Unilever Reacts to ‘Dove Onslaught(er)’ (by Greeenpeace) (VIDEO)

Long ago, Trend Hunter brought you the Dove Evolution ad, which features a normal women transformed into a billboard model.  The commercial is striking because you can observe how much change takes place.… [More]

21. Hosting Your Own Funeral - Lululemon Founder Travels in Coffin

Lululemon founder Chip Wilson will join with the city of Vancouver to celebrate the fact he is not dead yet by hosting his own funeral party, the Chip’s Not Dead Yet Memorial Mile.

The head of the innovative… [More]

22. Celebrity Charity Events - Kelly Clarkson Stamps for Idol Gives Back (GALLERY)

Kelly Clarkson performed for charity in the Idol Gives Back Foundation show. The event, which aired yesterday, seeked to raise awareness and funds to benefit six charities:The Children’s Defense Fund,… [More]

23. Blood Donations for Gas Money

As gas prices soar, people are changing their driving habits to save a few bucks. At least one woman, Jessica Busby, is changing another habit - her blood donation frequency. To afford gas, she is riding… [More]

24. Browser Charity Celebration - Firefox Celebrates 500 Million Download with 500 Million Rice Grains

Firefox celebrated surpassing the 500 million download mark with a campaign to raise 500,000,000 grains of rice in one day to help feed the world’s poor. 500 million grains of rice is enough to feed 25,000… [More]

25. Just By Searching the Web, Raise Money For Charity - GoodSearch & GoodShop

This is definitely cool! GoodSearch is a service that utilizes Yahoo’s search engine to earn money for charity.  There are hundreds of charities already in their database, but if your favorite is not there,… [More]

26. Fashionable Micro-Lending - Benetton’s Global Campaign to Support Birima (GALLERY)

Benetton has launched a global campaign in support of micro-lending program Birima which is based in Senegal. It seems micro-lending or micro-credit programs are suddenly becoming ubiquitous and trendy… [More]

27. Sponsor A Hippo Roller For An African Community - Hippo Roller Project

What is a Hippo Roller? It’s a simple, yet great idea to help those in developing countries who must carry safe water to their homes. The Hippo Roller is basically a plastic barrel with a handle. The barrel… [More]

28. Free Hair Cuts For The Poor - 4,000 Barbers Clean Up Indian Children

While it’s hard for most of us to image, not everyone can afford to have their hair washed and trimmed, and that includes children. In eastern India, a new initiative is seeing around 4,000 barbers volunteer… [More]

29. Book Spoiler Auctions - Harry Potter Prequil for Charity

Harry Potter fans are desperate to find out more about the prequel, the latest piece by J.K. Rowling which reveals the life of Harry and his troup in their pre-Hogwarts days, and the events that led up… [More]

30. 7 Green Credit Cards + HSBC ecosmart MasterCard

It seems each week another credit card company is offering eco-incentives. This week it was HSBC ecosmart MasterCard was unveiled.

Other eco-friendly credit cards on the market include:
Bright Planet… [More]