Craig Newmark and his “team” — not the Craigslist team, but a new team that’s running a philanthropy site he’s launched — formally kicked off a site this week called CraigConnects.org. It’s “connecting the world for the common good,” focusing on seven areas where Newmark wants to make a difference.

          This is “a long-term effort, not a one-shot deal,” Newmark said in his “opening statement” on the site. “I’m committing 20 years to CraigConnects, focusing first on nonprofits and public service organizations that get stuff done on a sustainable basis.”

          Newmark, who launched Craigslist in 1995, has made millions from that effort but is still a pretty humble and straightforward guy — although he’s not quite as uncomfortable with the spotlight as he was, say, nine or 10 years ago when I first met him. He’s also spent the last few years working with several charities, learning about things that excite him (like peace in the Middle East and veterans’ rights), and talking about how he might improve the world. Now he’s taking his shot.

          The seven areas of support on CraigConnects:

          — Community building

          — Journalism integrity

          — Middle East

          — Open and accountable government

          — Service and volunteering

          — Technology for social good, and

          — Veterans’ issues.

          Not surprisingly for a San Francisco liberal “hard-wired nerd with symptoms I’m told border on Asperger’s Syndrome,” — his words, not ours — the organizations Newmark is supporting lean to the left wing. But they’re not knee-jerk, liberal causes per se, and some are a little surprising. The American Association of Retired Persons, for instance? Is that an organization? Or just a commercial enterprise disguised as an organization? That’s a question that’s been bandied about for years. (And for the record, yes, I’m old enough to be, and am, a card-carrying member. Gotta love those discounts!)

          Newmark doesn’t talk about how much money, if any, he’s contributing to the causes. We think that would be a strong plus for him. He says this effort is more about connecting people to organizations, rather than a charity itself. In addition to Newmark’s efforts with CraigConnects, there’s also the Craigslist Foundation, that’s connected to his eponymous site. (We haven’t checked out their latest filing with the IRS to see how much money was donated during the past year. Note to self: “Let’s make sure we get something on that in the 2011 AIM Group / Classified Intelligence annual on Craigslist.”)

         On CraigConnects, there are also a couple of video clips of Newmark, a few factoids, a picture of him way back when when he had hair, and a short autobiography that pretty much sounds like it was written by someone else. (In fact, he ‘fesses up on that one — see below.) From the home page:

I’ve been doing this for nonprofits, but much more informally, for maybe 10 years, applying a lot of what I’ve learned doing customer service for Craigslist.  Now I think it’s time to get deadly serious.

“I guess I got myself a ‘bully pulpit’ of sorts that I don’t really want or need, but it’s good for getting the word out about people of good will who get stuff done.  It’s a voice for the grassroots, the rank-and-file, for people who never had a voice until now.

“My strong gut feeling is that this isn’t altruism, at least not for me, it’s just what feels right.  Over time, we can figure out what works, find people who are better than me at this, and persist. And here’s where you can read more about the purpose of craigconnects.

“I’d appreciate it if you could help out – here’s a way to start.  Take a look at our Featured Nonprofit below or any of the other organizations I endorse and consider helping them.  If you have others to suggest, contact me.

“This site’s ‘Connect with Craig’ page is definitely the best way to reach me these days. But first, please know that this site exists primarily to help me connect and protect worthwhile organizations and efforts in certain specific areas I want to support. CraigConnects isn’t a fundraising or grant-making organization.

“By the way, CraigConnects is a big project and I’ve needed help with writing, organizing, etc. So if you notice that some stuff doesn’t look like my ‘style’ – well, that’s probably means some of my team had a hand in writing it.”