It was scary as hell as I had no idea of the political persuations of the profs. I took a risk on one who taught a class which I thought was fair minded. The risk paid off. Not only was I exonerated, but I ended up being commended for my courage to take on such a topic in a unique way.
This was at a state university in one of the more liberal states in America. Maybe I just got lucky.
Bottom line is that if you want to do something charitable, donate time, material or money to a reputable organization which helps the people you want to target. For example, in my case, I have a soft spot for military veterans and trust the VFW.
Agreed on giving to a charity. A couple of ours include the local Union Gospel Mission, and another is specifically for street kids. The one for the kids is Christian, but also a lot of hands-on stuff. They offer job training, etc. They even opened up their own latte place (it is Seattle!) where the kids can get training, work, etc. Our church also helps with the homeless.
A smile and a nod and a quick prayer is all that the folks on the street get from me. Sometimes a bottle of water if out on the street on a hot day.