So many causes. So much need. So hard to choose.

Today is "Give to the Max Day 2010" in Minnesota. A project of GiveMN.org, the focused effort drives singificant contributions statewide (north of $5 million as of this writing at 6:30 p.m.) by allowing Minnesotans to give to virtually any registered charity or fundraising event through a single website. More than $4 million in matching funds certainly helps.

I gave to three organizations whose missions I either wholeheartedly support, or that have helped me personally.

Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota

In 1991, I was fresh out of college in a tough economy -- much like today's. Like many recent grads then and now, I cobbled together a series of part-time jobs, living extra lean while starting to repay a pile of student loans. Part-time work life meant no health insurance. Too old to stay on my parents', unable to afford open-market insurance, I crossed my fingers and went without.

Then I had an abnormal pap smear, indicating the presence of precancerous cells. I have a family history of early cancer diagnoses, so an abnormal pap was nothing I could ingore. So now I was stuck: No current insurance, and a preexisting condition.

Planned Parenthood helped. Their sliding-fee scale gave me access to tests, support, and treatment I could not have afforded -- or even accessed -- through many other healthcare organizations. 

I'm now fortunate to have both health insurance and the means to pay my part. And I continue to give to Planned Parenthood to support their ability to provide quality, affordable healthcare for women AND men.

Minneapolis Crisis Nursery

Every parent knows that moment when you don't think you can take one more moment of parenting. Whether it's an unhappy baby you can't console or other life stresses wearing your nerves raw, sometimes the wherewithal to be calm, to walk away, to take a deep breath seems unreachable.

The crisis nursery is there, offering 24-hour safe care for children up to age 6. 

Good friends have been longtime volunteers; my own family has helped the crisis nursery by repairing bicycles they keep on site for the kids. I'm now supporting them with funding so they can continue to help parents who need a safety net.

The Tree Trust

Between Dutch Elm disease, oak wilt, and the Emerald Ash Borer, our urban forest has taken a hit. Organizations like The Tree Trust rebuild it.

Through contributions to schools and organizations that wish to plant trees on their grounds and skill building training and experience for youth volunteers, The Tree Trust contributes to our urban landscape in both tangible and intangible ways.

If you have not already given, please make a contribution today through GiveMN.org. Matching funds are still availble.

This is the line at Sea Salt tonight. All of Minneapolis wants to milk these last days of summer! Two hungry kids, however, can't wait. Onward. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I've been seeing those shoes with toes -- the Vibram Five Fingers -- on lots of feet lately. I'm not shy about asking people their opinions, and most people seem to love them. (Although the jury is hung on whether or not they actually feel good for running.)

This morning, I decided to take a look at their site to do my own research. After a basic choose-your-region buffer page, I landed on the Five Fingers home -- and was confronted with a vehement, "we're mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore!"-style anti-counterfeiting message with its own subnav. In can't-miss-it red.

For comparison, I checked out two sites from brands that have fought street-corner sales for years: Coach and Rolex. While both address counterfeit products on their sites, they do so in a subtle, "operational" way: Coach invites customers to report counterfeit items to Customer Service, and Rolex confirms its authorized selling channels in a subtle, brand-appropriate way as the primary content under its Legal nav -- without mentioning the word "counterfeit." Both companies have aggressively pursued counterfeit claims before (remember Coach vs. Target?). Yet neither -- and I can't think of another example -- has marketed such a strong anti-counterfeit message direct to the consumer buyer.

They subtly reference the situation on their active Twitter feed, pointing to a FB note about the issue. However, through the SM channels, the tone is friendlier, more conversational, and directed at the consumer benefits to buying authentic product -- vs. the web tone, which first emphasizes the legal, social, and economic impact of counterfeits.

Which makes me wonder:

1. How will their customers respond? In "hell, yeah!" solidarity? In "thanks for the information" gratitude? Or in distaste? (That is, could this messaging strategy convey a confrontational tone that could bring an unintended negative-halo effect to consumer perceptions of Vibram Five Fingers' customer service and brand personality?) 

2. Have other consumer-products brands positioned such visible anti-counterfeit messages so openly and direct to consumer?

What do you think?

We do. With Loni Anderson.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Very cool Aesthetic Apparatus installation at MCAD. These are the misprints- a three-story wall of posters spilling onto the floor. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

They open the high line. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

My assistant has run out of Mojo. Lesson: "arrive early" to BluDot warehouse sale means 2 hours before doors open - not right at 9 am. Pretty much sold out by 9:15. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile