Give the Gift of Giving: Holiday Giving Suggestions That Appease Your Social Conscious

It’s that time of year again.  The days grow shorter as the year draws to a close.  For most of us, it’s a time to celebrate with family and friends and recognize the gifts of the past year.

This time of year often means taking a good hard look at thoughtful gift-giving.  Sometimes it’s business, often personal.  Finding the “perfect gift” seems to get more and more elusive.  For some, finances are tight.  With unemployment at record highs and the financial systems tumbling around the globe, there’s one gift I’d like to recommend that’s always appropriate, often unexpected and more customizable than you might expect:  the gift of giving to those in need.

If you know the recipient’s charity of choice, you might make a donation in their name to that charity.  If you’re considering a gift for business purposes, turn to your mission.  If your mission aligns well with a particular social organization, consider a donation in the name of your clients and send out a card to share your donation.  While not edible, the positive taste it leaves will last much longer than popcorn or chocolate.

Here are some of my favorite, very entrepreneurial-focused charities with a brief explanation of what they’re about.

Kiva – A “person-to-person micro-lending website”.  As the recipient of your gift of a specified loan amount (as low as $25),  I can choose a micro-entrepreneur I’d like my loan monies to benefit by viewing online profiles from around the globe.  At the end of the loan period, the entrepreneurs pay back the loan and the recipient can determine whether to cash it out or re-loan it to another entrepreneur or donate it to Kiva.  A quick browse of the site today shows I could loan $25 to Aisha, a mother of 5 living in Ghana to purchase textiles to sell.  Or loan my $25 to Murotjon, a 27-year old father of 3, living in Tajikistan to purchase seeds and fertilizer for his business.  Just a few out of the hundreds of micro-entrepreneurs listed on the site.

World Vision - If you’re looking for a “customizable” charitable gift, you’re likely to find it at World Vision.  They provide a card for your recipient that they’ll mail to you to give as a gift.  Or, if you’re a last minute person like me, you can also email the card or print it out on your home computer.  Your gift donations can “purchase” a huge variety of donations like:

• Art and Music Instruction for children in countries like El Salvador, Mozambique, and Romania. ($20)
• 2 chickens to provide children and families a lasting source of nutrition and income ($25)
• Maternal health programs in Afghanistan to provide training for midwives, prenatal and ongoing medical care for mothers and children ($25)
• 10 Fruit Trees to provide both needed nutrition and additional income to families in El Salvador, Myanmar, or Zambia ($60)

Just a disclaimer that World Vision is a Christian humanitarian charity organization.

‘Tis the season to be generous.  Remember, there are people who need both your gifts and your support.  What better way to show your generous spirit and help someone in need this holiday season?  Happy Giving!