Research Foundations

• Charitable foundations that fund scientific research contribute to the fight against diseases, like cancer and AIDS. If one of these causes speaks to you personally, or even if you know someone afflicted with such a condition, consider finding a foundation that supports medical research. Susan G. Komen for the Cure, for example, is the worldwide leader in fund-raising for breast cancer research. In that case, you could decorate the party in shades of pink, the color used most prominently by the foundation.
  
  

Animal Rights

• If you are an animal lover, donations to an animal rights advocacy group may suit your interests. Groups like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) protect the interests of animals around the globe. The ASPCA, for example, provides and supports services like animal health services, therapy animal training, grief counseling, spay/neuter clinics and pet adoption centers. If your friends are fellow animal enthusiasts, have everyone bring their pet to the party so the animals can have a good time, too.
  
  

Foreign Aid

• Your birthday donation can help people around the world when you donate to a foreign aid organization. Water.org, for example, is a nonprofit organization that works to provide clean water in communities that currently do not have access to it. By creating solutions to the water crisis, it helps supply people with clean water that is safe for drinking and sanitation. Your friends can get a gift in return -- when they buy a water bottle from Water.org, for example, 100 percent of the profits are used to support those in need.
  
  

Children's Charities

• Whether or not you have children, donating to a children's charity can give you the satisfaction of having helped a young person in need. For example, the Make-A-Wish Foundation gives children with life-threatening medical conditions the opportunity to have their wishes granted, while Save the Children works around the world to provide children in need with food, education and medical resources. Donating to causes such as these, especially if you have children of your own, can give you the peace of mind that more children have been given opportunities in your name.