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JEREMY HOBSON: Well, consumers may be getting more confident. But so far charities aren’t the beneficiaries of that. This is the biggest giving time of the year. And so far estimates are charity donations will be down ten percent in 2010. But the drop isn’t being seen online.

As Marketplace’s Jennifer Collins reports, social media is generating new, easy ways to give.

JENNIFER COLLINS: Katya Andresen is with a company that manages donations to charities online. She says the two biggest giving days of the year are the last two days of the year.

KATYA ANDRESEN: A lot of generous procrastinators wait til then to make their gifts. That is perfectly suited to the online medium and a great time for nonprofits to invest in online outreach.

And they are. Causes.com manages campaigns for thousands of non-profits on Facebook. This year, it launched a feature that allows you to fund-raise for your favorite charity by getting your friends to donate to it — instead of buying you a holiday gift.

JOE GREEN: It’s actually a lot easier than going to the store and picking something out.

Co-founder Joe Green says this and similar campaigns have generated $9 million. And much of that is coming from unexpected sources.

GREEN: Charities tell us that the donors we bring them are donors they didn’t have before.

And here’s a tip for those new donors: if you get your donations in by the end of the year, you can take a deduction on this year’s taxes.

I’m Jennifer Collins for Marketplace.