Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday: Here are the organizations I support (and you should too)

You know Black Friday and Cyber Monday... did you know that tomorrow (Dec 3) is "Giving Tuesday"? Many charities receive most of their donations in December as people rush to donate before the tax year is over. These donations determine if in 2014 they'll be able to grow or will they have to cut back.

I'd like to highlight three charities that I think are having a huge impact on our world and encourage you to donate too:

1. USENIX Annual Fund. You probably think of USENIX as the organization that hosts the LISA conference. It is so much more. However what I'd like to point out is that they are on the cutting edge of keeping academic publications "open access". Academic papers should be published and made as widely available; not hidden behind a paywall. Making that happen is expensive and they need your support. Donate today.

2. The FreeBSD Foundation. Many of the innovations that spread out the all Unix and Unix-like systems start in FreeBSD. The Foundation's fund-raising efforts are essential to keeping FreeBSD free. As the Project grows, so do the costs. By donating to the foundation, you are helping us fund and manage projects, sponsor FreeBSD events, and provide travel grants to FreeBSD developers. You are also helping us represent the Project in executing contracts, license agreements, copyrights, trademarks, and other legal arrangements that require a recognized legal entity. Donate today.

3. Lyon-Martin Health Services. By making a donation today, you are making sure that Lyon-Martin can continue its life-saving mission of caring for women, lesbian, and transgender people, regardless of their ability to pay. I appreciate that so many of my readers support LGBT rights and when I post something related to that on Facebook I am impressed by the number of "likes" I get from people I don't even know. Well here's an organization that is in the trenches doing the hard work of providing services that transform lives. Donate today.

Please consider donating to these causes. Even a minimum donation goes a long way! For example the FreeBSD Foundation is trying to increase the number of donors (a requirement by some grant-making organizations), so donating the minimum will not cost you much but will help them greatly!