One of the things that motivates me to "do stuff" is the idea of being able to try to make a difference in some way. One of the things I'm starting to look into is starting a foundation.

In some years, I hope to start giving a significant portion of my income to various charities.  My wife Debbie would effectively run it and my children would learn the value of supporting organizations that are making a difference in the world.

There are some useful articles on-line such as:

http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/starting_nonprofit.html

http://www.suntimes.com/business/savage/31000,cst-fin-terry-166.savagearticle