December 16, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
Rachel Sklar, an editor-at-large for the Web site Mediaite and a former editor at The Huffington Post, started the Web site Charitini on her birthday two years ago to encourage friends to donate “drinks” to charities.
Instead of buying Ms. Sklar an actual drink, her friends were instead encouraged to donate an equivalent amount of money to a designated nonprofit group.
Her example has since motivated many others to do the same. Celebrities such as Stephen Colbert and Will Smith have joined in the effort to support their favorite causes.
In the video above, Ms. Sklar explains how charities can best use birthday donations to raise money.
