Ethical Christmas Gift Ideas: Making Purchases That Make A Difference
What is an ethical Christmas gift? It's an idea that is taking hold among people who are looking to view gift giving in a whole new way
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Ethical gifts are those that give back in some way. For some, an ethical gift is one that takes the form of a donation, but we like to expand that definition to include all of those gifts that give back, whether to a favorite cause, to a community or to a group of artisans.
Here are four innovative ways to give an ethical holiday gift this year:
1. Send "charity cards" as holiday cards. Instead of spending money on Christmas cards from a traditional retailer, you can buy them from a number of charitable organizations, including Unicef and the Red Cross. You can also look for charity cards in your own community.
Charitable organizations may use the sale of traditional cards to raise funds for their organization or they may allow you to make a charitable donation when the card is sold. By sending these types of cards, you are not only sending your holiday greetings, you are also letting people know your commitment to a particular cause. Visit the website of your favorite charity to find out if they offer holiday cards or charity cards.
2. Give a TisBest card. If you're not sure what charity your gift recipients support, consider a TisBest card. This card is purchased just like a regular gift card, but the recipient has the ability to select where to donate the money via the TisBest website.
The gift card is sent via e-mail and the whole process can take place online. If you want to present the recipient with the card at a gift exchange, print out the certificate and place it in a holiday card.
3. Give a Global Giving Card. The Global Giving website also provides gift cards that allow you to make donations in honor of your family and friends. This site helps people to support a wide variety of causes and projects around the world.
The Global Giving site allows you to browse causes by country or by theme. On the website, you choose the projects to support, make a tax-deductible contribution and then you'll get regular updates so you can see the effects of your donation. Give a gift card and your loved one gets to choose which cause they want to support.
4. Alternative Gifts International. There are still other options if you don't want to give cash directly. Organizations such as "Alternative Gifts International" make it easy to select a charitable gift that will help people all over the world. In the online catalog, you can choose an interest that you wish to support in the name of your gift recipient. You can donate to education, stopping hunger, reducing child mortality, gender equality, maternal health, medical services, environmental stability and several other projects.
Within each section there are many different areas you can donate to. For example, you can donate to build rural medical clinics in Bolivia or donate food to hungry families in Iraq. Prices of these charitable gifts vary from several hundred dollars to just $5 to $10. These gifts can make a real difference around the world, and even in the United States.
Ethical gift giving can help us to slow down, to feel as though we are in some way combating a sense of consumerism this holiday season, and it can help us to enjoy the spirit of the season, knowing that our hard-earned dollars are making a difference to someone, somewhere.
by: Jamie Jefferson
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