Can’t think of the perfect gift for that “hard to shop for” person or the one who already has everything? Perhaps you want to promote a less materialistic tradition and participate in the season of giving in a more meaningful way.
Consider giving an environmentally or socially conscious gift by donating to charity on behalf of someone else. A certificate provided by the charity, or one you make yourself states the amount donated and ideally what the money will be used for, i.e. fifty Christmas dinners, twelve warm coats, or preserving an acre of rainforest.
You can even tailor the gift or charity to the person on whose behalf you are donating. For the teacher: a donation to a non-profit that provides educational materials, teacher training, or the building of schools in poverty stricken areas. For the avid cyclist: an organization that provides bicycles for transportation to people in remote locations. For the animal lover: a gift to an animal rights or preservation group. For the health care professional: a donation to a medical relief charity, or one that provides mosquito nets to malaria affected regions. For the gardener: a gift of seeds, agricultural training, or irrigation equipment to disadvantaged rural populations. With so many needy people worldwide, there’s a charity to satisfy everyone’s interests.
To get you started, here are a few online organizations to check out.
Alternative Gifts International
The global mission of AGI is to send authentic, life-giving gifts to a needy world–gifts that build a partnership with people in crisis and that protect and preserve the earth’s endangered environment–to nourish and sustain a more equitable and peaceful global community.
How AGI works; Choose a gift from 38 life-sustaining, worldwide projects to honor family and friends. Select a gift card for your honoree and tell us what you want it to say. The card will be mailed to your honoree with an insert describing your gift.
AGI wants you to know that for the cost of a hair cut you can provide one children’s book shared by hundreds in a year in Mexico. For the cost of a CD player you can provide one day in-hospital stay for one patient in Egypt. For the cost of a 30 minutes massage you can buy one share of environmental solution in Haiti. For the cost of an iPod video you can provide education for one child for one year.
With your donations, Foundation programs support children, families and the environment. Programs include: developing online curriculum for teachers, contributing to camps that host underprivileged or ill children, hurricane relief, recycling programs and Trees for Troops.
How would you like to give a camel, goat or donkey for Christmas? Talk about going Biblical! Among other unusual gifts, from outhouses to attorney services, Oxfam provides life-sustaining livestock to impoverished rural families.
A charitable donation this Christmas season is a wonderful way to share the spirit of love and hope. It’ll make you feel good, make the person you’re donating on behalf of feel good, and best of all, fulfill a need for a worthwhile cause.
Happy inspired giving.