Seattle area furry convention Rainfurrest has issued a call for entries for this year's charity anthology. [tip: earthfurst]

The group is looking for G–PG short stories of 5,000–8,000 words under the theme "Steam Punk, Weird Science/mad science". Draft submissions are due by February 2.

Proceeds are to go to the upcoming convention's charity. Contributing authors will receive a copy of the book.

2011's entries were collected in Stories of Camp Rainfurrest, with stories by Gene Armstrong, Sorin, Garret Biggerstaff, Daniel and Mary E. Lowd, Ryan Hickey, Kandrel, May Kay Biggerstaff, James Stringer and Trey Jackson, illustrations by Balto and Sarah Alderate, and a cover by WerePuppy.

A set of four auctions featuring work by 60 artists has been launched to support Belgian fursuiter Cookie, who organizers say has been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

Each auction contains the work of at least 20 artists, and has a minimum bid of $250.

There are many ways a journalist can cover a local event, add a little humor, and still leave the reader with information and some chuckles. However, in its coverage of a campaign to promote giving homes to animals in shelters, one NBC employee became completely enamored by the first image that popped into her head from the name of the campaign, and ran with it until all useful content of the coverage was forgotten in the slew of 'edgy' comedy.

Fifty artists have banded together, offering gifts in kind to organizations aiding victims of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. [tip: Banrai]

Their work is to benefit Direct Relief International, Doctors Without Borders and the Japanese Red Cross, and is being sold via group auctions organized by Quaylak and JakeJynx.

The first auction was launched last night and ends Monday. The second began a few hours ago. Three more are to be posted in subsequent days. Artists wishing to join in can do so until Friday.

Update (11 Apr): The third, fourth and fifth auctions have been posted.

One of our own greatly really needs our help.

SportyPup, a fur from Macon, Georgia, needs surgery due to a bad valve in his heart. This condition is called Valvular Heart Disease, and if not treated will cause heart failure. The surgery will cost $40,000, but he needs $16,500 up front, just to be able to have it.

The longer Sporty has to wait for the surgery, the greater the risk is of heart failure. The hope is to have enough to be able to have the surgery later this month in Asheville, North Carolina, but only if the doctor sees that the amount needed will come in quickly after.

Sporty will be 31 in March. Besides being a furry and occasional fursuiter, he is also a father of a 3 1/2-year-old boy named Koda.

Anthrocon has announced both its 2011 charity and guests of honor.

Joining attendees will be Peter S. Beagle, author and screenplay writer of The Last Unicorn, and Andy Runton, creator of Owly.

The convention's charity events will raise money for the ToonSeum, a cartoon art history museum just a block away from the convention.

UK furs – and a major software company – have shown their appreciation for Huskies, Malamutes and Samoyeds in a big way at this year's RBW.

The London-based convention raised £6396.90 (~US$9922) for Sled Dog Welfare, exceeding ConFuzzled's £6200 donation earlier this year, despite attracting only 216 attendees.

The figure includes a donation from Bariki's employer, Microsoft UK, which matches yearly fundraising of up to £7500 per employee, totaling over £250,000 this year.

Even without the match, the sum donated was £1330 higher than in 2009.

An adult portfolio promoting condom use and safer sex is in development, and seeks artists willing to donate their effort.

The Wrapped Up! project is reminiscent of the Yiffy Guide to Safer Sex, a flyer distributed at conventions since 1996. Current contributors include A Blue Deer, Electrocat, Longinius, Naira, Naraku, Rorschfox, Shirik and Statik.

The portfolio is organized by RealZero, who intends for it to be printed by Rabbit Valley and sell for around 20€ (~US$25). Prints are also on sale at Inkbunny. All profit is to be donated to AIDS/HIV-fighting organization UNAIDS.

SkippyFox (Vin) has launched an editable index of Anthrocon fursuit tag owners. The site comes less than a week after the 1000th and last tag was won by "^..^James" for $1600 during an intense bidding war at last weekend's charity auction, at which $5650 was raised.

First distributed at Anthrocon 2006, the tags were presented by the Dorsai Irregulars as a means to track migratory patterns. The popular items spawned several imitations; but some fursuiters felt demeaned by the dances required by certain DI and refused to participate.

As of closing ceremonies, plans had not been made for a replacement project for 2011. Dorsai representative Rene Gobeyn vowed to "get even more drunk than last time" during their traditional room party to come up with fresh ideas.

UK furry convention ConFuzzled 2010 went out in style this weekend, raising £6,200 for the Wildlife Heritage Foundation.

The final auction item was a piece of tablecloth art by guest of honour TaniDaReal. Starting at £50, the price rose swiftly, fueled by a bidding war between ConFuzzled staff member Colifox and U.S. fur Beshon, ending only with the latter's bid of £2,000 (US$2,962).

The 'Tanicloth', a tablecloth drawn on my German artist TaniDeReal, sold at ConFuzzled for £2000

In 2008, the British furry convention ConFuzzled raised £1,600 for charity. In 2009, ConFuzzled raised £2,000 for charity. Today – less than an hour ago – ConFuzzled smashed that record with only one item.

The item, a tablecloth with artwork by guest of honour TaniDaReal had a starting bid of £50, which quickly exploded into the hundreds and then the thousands. In a bidding war that lasted several minutes between staff member Colifox and American furry fan Beshon, the bids finally jumped from £1,800 to £2,000 and ConFuzzled history was made for the largest bid paid for any item in an auction.

As reported on the Journal Sentinel's blog, Milwaukee Bucks mascot Bongo successfully dunked a basketball while doing a backflip from a 16-foot ladder.

Perhaps more impressively, Chelsea F.C. mascot Stamford and Millwall's Zampa the Lion ran the London Marathon, each raising over £10,000 for charity. [freakylynx/furrymedia]

Midwest Furry Fandom added $10000 to the $5193 raised for Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation by Midwest FurFest 2007 attendees

Furry philanthropy took a step back in 2009, as donations fell 15% in a tough economic climate. However, the fandom still has something to be proud of: $490,000 raised for charity at furry conventions in the past decade.

Over $112,000 was donated by Further Confusion, with Midwest FurFest ($92,000), Anthrocon ($87,000) and Mephit FurMeet ($71,000) not far behind — not counting MFM's donations to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

At first, the top three events covered the majority of annual donations, but now others give more than half of it. And while most money still comes from North America, international furs are joining in, including cons in the UK, Germany, Australia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Read on for a chart detailing the decade's charitable donations.
Update (24 May): Includes figures for RCFM 2007-9, WPAFW 2009, ConFuzzled 2008-9 and Conifur '01, '03, '04.

Morphicon is currently in dire need of charity donations of art and memoribilia. Our proceeds this year will go to Ferrets Unlimited: a volunteer no-kill shelter which finds homes for abandoned ferrets, and which provides a permanent loving home for those for whom an adoptee can't be found. See Ferrets Unlimited for more information on our chosen 2007 charity...

Anthrocon has selected local no-kill animal shelter Animal Friends as its 2007 charity.^[1]

The shelter will benefit from the proceeds of Anthrocon's annual charity auction, which raised $5,845 for the Western Pennsylvania National Wild Animal Orphanage last year (the charity's total revenue was $8,400).^[2] Representatives of the charity will also be available as in the dealers room.

Animal Friends, founded in 1943, places over 2,500 dogs, cats, and rabbits into homes each year. It is located on Camp Horne Road, ten minutes outside of downtown Pittsburgh.^[3]