Google hopes to deploy more engineers on Google.org's projects.

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Google.org wants competition for ideas and projects, and like Google's core businesses, plans to make future moves based on feedback from earlier investments.

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Others, like Donorschoose.org (strictly for education-based projects) are registered as a 501(c)3 organization so that donors receive a gift receipt for tax purposes.

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While working for a micro-finance non-profit in South Africa after graduating college, Beshara created dvelo.org to help charities group-fund donations for projects in developing countries.

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He will probably spend the big bucks at Google.org, too, since his brief involves financing projects between the levels "between the pilot level and a big commercial roll out, " where private equity often balks.

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This has led to a series of thrilling collaborative projects (they're documented at tedprize.org).

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You can find available microvolunteering projects on sites including Sparked.com and HelpFromHome.org.

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Open source purists may prefer to keep using DeCSS and to wait for the fruits of projects that are under development with LiViD and OpenDVD.org.

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Apple devices are already in great demand at DonorsChoose.org, which lets U.S. public school teachers list classroom projects and needed resources on its site.

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Earthwatch ( www.earthwatch.org) takes paying volunteers along on a wide variety of academic research expeditions, many of which include projects studying endangered species.

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