You probably know about the Discover® More Card (the same card that was once called the Discover Platinum card), “the card that pays you back”. Each month, a full 1% of your purchases are given back to you in the form of “cashback”. And every quarter, you’re able to sign up to receive a full 5% cashback on things like gas, hotel expenses, home improvement stores, restaurants, movies, and more.  The cash you get back is saved for you on the Discover Card site until you “cash it in”.

Most people may not realize that the money you earn from the Discover Card cashback can be donated directly to charity. Specifically, you have options to donate your cashback bonus to:

Children’s Miracle Network
Children’s Miracle Network is a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children’s hospitals. Sponsor organizations, media partners and countless individuals unite with Children’s Miracle Network hospitals to help sick and injured kids in local communities. Donations to Children’s Miracle Network create miracles by funding medical care, research and education that saves and improves the lives of 17 million children each year. To learn more go to childrensmiraclenetwork.org.

Junior Achievement®
Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and free enterprise. Volunteers throughout the U.S. and 97 countries bring the real world to students and open their minds to their potential. Your Cashback Bonus helps educate the world’s youth for a brighter tomorrow.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in their fight to find a cure for diabetes and its complications. Use your Cashback Bonus to help fund research and provide support for those in need.

Make-A-Wish Foundation®
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. Use your Cashback Bonus to make a difference in a young person’s life.

Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront provides emergency assistance and morale to U.S. troops, to the families they leave behind, and to wounded warriors when they return home. The organization leads more than 4,000 volunteers in 31 chapters nationwide. Since its inception, Operation Homefront has provided critical assistance to more than 45,000 military families in need.

In fact, Discover will donate an additional amount to the organization listed that gets the most contributions.

Apply for the Discover® More Card today! and earn cash that you can use to help a great cause. In fact, you’ll make more money for your charity than if you had a cause-related card, which typically donates 0.3% to 1%, not 1% to 5%. And unlike with other cause-related cards, the money you donate is fully tax-deductible.

Mardi Gras is tomorrow (February 24). The name Mardi Gras, of course, is French and translates to “Fat Tuesday”. It’s the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent begins.

In Ireland and the UK, the day was known as “Pancake Day”. Why? It’s because rules prohibited the eating of dairy products and rich foods during Lent, so people would make pancakes to use up all the eggs, milk, butter, and sugar they had in the house.

If you stop into an IHOP on February 24th, 2009 from 7 AM to 10 PM, they’ll treat you to a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes in celebration of Pancake Day. During this day, they collect donations that go to children’s hospitals. They’ve been doing this since 2006 and has raised nearly two million dollars. Their goal for 2009 is to raise $1 million for the Children’s Miracle Network.

 Take someone to an IHOP and enjoy a centuries-old tradition while helping kids who need your help.