I know I'm a little late to this thread, but I wanted to put a plug in for another charity organization that I've used with my kids to offset the commercialization.
markmakers.org
I thought the site was very visual and although it doesnt have as many choices as some other similar sites, it was very easy for the younger kids (5 and 3 at the time) to really see and compare how they 'spent' their donation. There are a few charities that might require some, shall we say, uncomfortable explanations, but that's been the case on every similar site I've seen.
I've also always involved my kids in making their own donation to Heifer Project as well. It's one of the main uses for the charity money they save from their allowance. My DD6 last year even went so far as to raid a substantial portion of the money she had set aside for spending to be able to pick the donation she wanted. Very concrete examples and the specific stories can be used for a variety of education opportunities as well.
