Modesty Is The Best Policy!
The folks at Modest Needs have got it right. In their own words, "Modest Needs is a website dedicated to the power of the very simple idea that changing one person's life for the better DOESN'T require a great deal of money. All it takes is a willingness to ACT on the desire to help others, as we can, with what we can."

A guy named Keith Taylor (who says he is "a professor of medieval literature, drama and film at Middle Tennessee State University") founded Modest Needs on March 21, 2002. He says that "every month until I die or the Internet becomes obsolete, I will set aside $500--about 12% of my current gross monthly income, plus what once was my cigarette money (Yes, I quit smoking for Modest Needs!)--to help individuals meet small financial needs that they simply cannot afford to pay on their own."

Keith would like lots of us to join him in this effort. In the few short months Modest Needs has been up and running, they have funded 177 projects and raised about $45,000.