As we've always said here in the Kindness community, Americans are a charitable bunch. And now there is hard data to back that up.

According to the annual Volunteering in America study released today by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Americans volunteered in large numbers in 2010, with 62.8 million adults serving almost 8.1 billion hours through organizations. Not only were the numbers high, their efforts had impact with services being valued at nearly $173 billion (using the Independent Sector's estimate of dollar value of volunteer time).

While the overall national volunteer rate dipped slightly from 26.8% in 2009 to 26.3% in 2010, the number of hours volunteers served remained approximately the same at 8.1 billion hours, indicating many volunteers committed more hours to service, the agency says.

The next generation of givers also stepped up to the plate last year, as well. Generation X volunteers (born 1965-1981) devoted more time to service in 2010 than they ever have before, giving more than 2.3 billion hours -- an increase of almost 110 million hours over 2009.

Other key findings from the report:
Teen volunteer rates have stayed consistently higher from 2002 to 2010 than they were in 1989, possibly reflecting the spread of service-learning in schools across the country, the influence of parental volunteering and the rise of technology that makes it easier for teens to find volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer rates for young adults (ages 20 to 24) tend to be lower than teenage volunteer rates, but the national volunteer rate tends to increase with age until midlife. The peak years for volunteering generally tend to occur from the mid-30s to early 40s.

The volunteer rate then declines as volunteers grow older, but the decline in volunteer rates in older adulthood has become less severe over time. Some researchers believe this reflects the fact that more Americans are staying healthier longer and that volunteering has become a more recognized strategy for staying healthy in older adulthood.

For the full report, visit http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/.

UPDATE: GQ just announced its finalists in the annual "Better Men Better World Search." According to the magazine, these men embody what it truly means to be a gentleman thanks to their charitable work, volunteerism and community
involvement.

Now GQ needs your help in deciding which of these outstanding men should win the ultimate prize.

To learn more about the finalists and to cast your vote, head to http://thegentlemensfund.com/vote.

Here are the finalists:

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Are you using social media to address a social problem? Interested in attending one of the hottest conferences around? Then I might just have the perfect thing for you.

SXSW just announced its SXSW Interactive Scholarship 2012 program. New to the program this year? In addition to non-profit leaders, the program is expanding to offer any individual -- grass-roots organizers, individual citizens and civic-minded entrepreneurs -- who are using new media to address community problems the opportunity to attend the conference for free (a $950 value).

Interested in nominating someone or, even, yourself? Submit a compelling 300-word essay that addresses this question -- "Who is using technology or new media to do the most innovative work for good within their community?" -- by Friday, Aug. 26. Be sure to focus on why the nominated person is effective at leveraging new technologies and media to help make a difference in a community. Entries will be judged on innovation, impact and clarity.

SXSW and CauseShift will then review and narrow the applicants down to five lucky scholarship recipients to be announced on Monday, Sept. 19.

To apply or for more information, visit SXSW.com. Good luck!

It's no secret that many Americans are still struggling to meet their basic needs these days. But luckily, there are some fantastic but little-known organizations out there working hard to address these needs.

I recently learned about several of these organizations and their good work as a judge for Tom's of Maine's third-annual "50 States for Good" program, a competition that awards over $100,000 to small to medium-sized non-profits.

After the difficult task of having to whittle down the group of applications to 20 finalists, it's now up to you to decide the winning six organizations.

What's at stake? Five organizations will receive $20,000 in funding while the top vote-getter receives $50,000. Sweet!

To cast your vote, visit www.50statesforgood.com. Voting ends on September 13, and the winners will be announced in October 2011.

Good luck to these following 20 finalists!

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With whispers of a possible return of a recession, at least a few folks got some good news today.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) announced that five new charitable organizations will be receiving grants from the Social Innovation Fund, a government-driven initiative that co-invests in programs that have evidence of real impact on communities in need.

The five awards totaling $13.9 million will fund the initial two years of each grant. But given the fund's unique model which requires that each federal dollar be matched dollar-for-dollar by the grantees, $49.3 million (including $35.3 million in private funding) will ultimately be generated to support the growth of these five non-profits.

"The Social Innovation Fund demonstrates that the federal government – working with nonprofit organizations, private philanthropies, and others – can create innovative solutions for community's toughest problems," said Robert Velasco, II, CNCS's acting CEO, in a news release. "Together with the grantees from last year's inaugural class, these five new grantees will both drive impact in the communities they serve and benefit the nonprofit sector as a whole."

The five new grantees include:

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By Iyana Whyte
Special for USA TODAY-Kindness

Comic book characters such as Captain America have long been revered as superheroes, but through a trip with the Harlem Educational Activities Fund (HEAF), I recently learned that we all can be superheroes, working together to solve problems around the world.

This summer, I traveled to Botswana with 15 other HEAF students on an annual Learning for Social Impact trip. HEAF is a comprehensive college preparatory and completion program for New York City public school students with great potential. In Botswana, I felt like I was at a home-away-from-home because I traveled with fellow HEAF students I have known for 10 years. Through the Learning for Social Impact program, we taught a class to Botswanian youth at Stepping Stones International about how to be active participants in changing the welfare of their communities by developing PSAs about the issues impacting them every day.

While preparing for the Learning for Social Impact trip, we discussed the cause and effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana. It saddened me to learn about the children who are orphaned or forced to become the head of the household at a very young age because their parents have fallen victim to the disease. When I traveled to Botswana with HEAF, I was encouraged to see that much has changed because of rigorous efforts to fight the effects of the disease in the community.

This fall, I'll start my freshman year at The Sophie Davis School for Biomedical Education where I plan to study medicine. Seeing firsthand how doctors have impacted the community in Botswana through work with AIDS groups, and recognizing that there is still more work to be done in Botswana and around the world, has solidified my goal to become a doctor.

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Eco-friendly cigarettes? One company is attempting to make that claim.

According to story that ran yesterday (Eco-friendly cigarette ads make tobacco foes fume), Natural American Spirit's new cigarette ads appearing in such magazines as Wired, Mother Jones and Marie Claire are attempting to make this claim.

Really? Yep, thanks to their use of "additive-free" organic tobacco and a whole other host of environmental efforts by the manufacturer, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co, these cigarettes are green, they say.

But (no surprise) anti-smoking activists aren't buying it.

"It's an egregious ad. It's trying to green wash a deadly and addictive product," says Vince Willmore of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. They are also the No. 1 source of litter, he adds.

If you're a company and you've committed yourself to a cause, chances are your consumers think you are only doing it to sell more product. According to the marketing firm MSL Group's recent Social Purpose Index study, which explores the state of consumer engagement with causes, 67% of respondents agreed with this notion.

[Related reading: Consumers are drawn to products with a charitable connection]

Campaigns like Natural American Spirit's probably don't help with this consumer skepticism, and rightfully so.

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The weak economic recovery has meant many companies have changed how they support good causes. Many cast off charities that don't match their business objectives and look at what skills, products and other services they can offer to help other non-profits as cash has become tighter.

[Which companies are making a positive impact on society? Our second annual Corporate Giving survey results has the answers.]

As part of our annual survey of corporate giving with The Chronicle of Philanthropy, join us here in the Kindness community today (Monday) at noon ET for a live online discussion about the outlook for corporate giving.

The pictures are staggering. More than 11 million people are at risk of starvation in East Africa, prompting the United Nations to declare a famine in parts of southern Somalia on Wednesday. An estimated one in 10 children are at risk, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

While East Africa is experiencing the worst drought in 60 years, Somalia is one of the hardest hit countries, due to decades of conflict. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have fled to neighboring countries of Kenya and Ethiopia, placing them at greatest risk of death due to malnutrition either during the journey or very shortly after arrival at refugee camps.

On Wednesday, the U.S. has pledged $28 million in aid while U.N. agencies have asked for $1.6 billion to help address this crisis. They've only received half that amount to date.

Interested in helping? Consider supporting one of these non-profit organizations listed below:

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By most accounts, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's recent North American tour was a great success. Not only did the Royal newlyweds wow the crowds with their infectious smiles, their charity work will make an impact, as well.

I recently caught up with Nick Booth, CEO of The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, via email to learn more about what inspires the couple's commitment to giving back and whether there might be any future trips to the U.S. already in the works.

Kindness: Was the Prince's Foundation Polo Challenge in Santa Barbara a success? (The event was estimated to have brought in more than $4 million for his charity; tickets went for $4,000 each.)

Nick Booth: Yes, the event was a great success in helping celebrate their (charity) and raise funds for both the American Friends of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry and the Santa Barbara Polo Training Center. Furthermore, it was a success for the Duke and Duchess themselves as one of the key aims of their tour to California had been to build on strong existing links between the U.S. and U.K. charitable sectors through some of their established patronages. The Foundation Polo Challenge, raising money for the American Friends of their Foundation, was an integral part of their visit.

Kindness: How much money was raised and where will it go?

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