Join Sean Penn, Frank Farrante, Joan Baez and a host of other celebrities to raise needed funds for Haiti. Vivanista sat down with Event Co-Chair and comedian-extraordinaire, Frank Farrante, to find out more about this fun and fabulous event.

Success: You Wear It Well, learn about the Annual Gala to help raise money for the Dress for Success organization from Andrew Freeman.

Social Impact, Social Good, Social Media, these were all popular topics of conversation at both the Care National Conference and Summit Series in Washington D.C. last week.

There is nothing sexier than a man who is active in giving back to the community… So at Vivanista, we’ve scoured some of our favorite emerging cause-based organizations and the young philanthropic heart-throbs who created them.

Keeping Sustainers involved in charitable volunteer organizations is difficult. Find out how two gals in the Junior League of San Francisco launched a sustainable fundraiser that is produced by Sustainers. The 2010 Awards Luncheon was sold-out and raised over $50,000 for the JLSF Endowment Fund.

Most of my memories of charity auctions I attended with my parents while growing up blur together, but what I do remember was loud, fast-talking auctioneers, “going once, going twice, SOLD,” and that the men always did the bidding. As times have changed and women gained more buying power, the last bastion of gender bias in philanthropy is waning – at least in major cities on the coasts. Recently, I noticed that the majority of bidders at live charity auctions I’ve attended this past year have been women.

Here at Vivanista we continue to be impressed by the wide and deep range of passionate organizations empowering women. When Great Nonprofits brought it to our attention their May campaign would focus on increasing awareness of those nonprofits that best serve and empower women we wanted to get involved.

On May 11, 2010 leading humanitarian organization CARE gathered some of the most influential women from around the world to urge lawmakers to improve the lives of women and girls globally.

This venerable San Francisco tradition, a lavish two-day fundraiser, benefited the Edgewood Center for Children and Families and its programs that support Bay Area children and families in crisis. The Fair was attended by hundreds of San Francisco’s young and socially active business and civic leaders.