A no-excuses guide to making the world better, right now

So now -- if you have an internet connection, a credit card, debit card or a PayPal account -- and you realize the need... here's the good news: You can help out in a very specific, measurable way right now. No waiting, no lines, no checks, no stamps.

Just a couple clicks, a little typing... and you've made someone's life better.

1) Send mosquito nets

What: Mosquito netting (to cover beds at night to prevent bites from malaria-carrying mosquitoes)
Where: Africa
Why needed: Malaria is a leading killer of children in Africa, and kills a million people a year.
Organization: The United Nations Foundation
Donate now | Find out more

2) Give some tents

What: New tents (4-person size)
Where: China
Why needed: To help provide temporary housing to those whose homes were destroyed in earthquakes
Organization: Gifts in Kind International
Donate now | Find out more

3) Help the refugees in Darfur

What: Humanitarian missions for civilians
Where: Darfur, Sudan
Why needed: More than 700,000 people uprooted by ethnic and political violence
Organization: The International Rescue Committee
Donate now | Find out more

4) Support the measles initiative

What: Measles vaccinations
Where: Africa, including Madagascar
Why needed: This deadly disease kills more than 600 children each day
Organization: The American Red Cross
Donate now | Find out more

5) Feed the children

What:  "Red Cups" of porridge, rice or beans for hungry children via school meals
Where: 40 developing nations
Why needed: Poor nutrition leads to school absenteeism, diminished class performance and drop-outs
Organization: World Food Programme
Donate now | Find out more

And here are a few more ways to help others via the web:

• Kiva: Make microloans to people in developing nations
• The American Heart Association
• American Cancer Society
• St Jude's Children's Research Hospital
• CanadaHelps.org