As long as it's not a donation to George Costanza's The Human Fund ("Money For People"), a charitable contribution made in someone's honor is a wonderful gift. It reduces waste, helps someone/some turtle/some tree, and takes us out of our own life for a moment, as we realize how much we take for granted. It's amazing what an impact a small amount of money can have — and also how much more is needed.
The trick is, I think, matching the cause to the recipient. You want to pick a charity that they will be truly touched and excited to be helping, perhaps one they've given to in the past but don't currently have the extra funds for, or one that celebrates and protects something they love. A charitable gift is a chance to save the world a tiny bit, but it's also an excellent opportunity to show someone you really get them. You know and respect what's important to them, you love their values and passions, you're paying attention. Isn't that what we all really want?
Of course, it is possible to hit the nail a little too hard on the head. Several years ago, my dad was very concerned with the wolf situation. He has always been involved with conservation and animal rights, so when he heard about the wolf hunts taking place (in Yellowstone, I think, not too long after wolves had been reintroduced? My memory is fuzzy on the details!), he was greatly saddened. I felt the same, and decided that for his gift that year, I would adopt a wolf in his name. I signed him up, knowing a certificate, magazine, and tote bag would soon arrive at his door. But months went by and he never mentioned anything! My dad is not the type to not express thanks and enthusiasm, so I finally had to ask. He had received everything, but since he'd also adopted a wolf from the same organization, he hadn't realized it was a gift! What are the chances?! I was sorry that he must have thought I hadn't sent a present, but was proud to think I'd chosen pretty well.
Have you ever made a donation in someone's name? How did they react? Have you ever requested or been given a charitable donation? One of my very favorite comments came on my recent Idealizing The Unobtainable post: "Sunday I told my husband what I want for Christmas. I had waded through my over-stimulated senses and lists of lovely things I want and arrived at the fund account of my dear friends who are adopting. As much as my heart would sing when I look at a new piece of jewelry or a vintage something or other, my whole life is going to sing when I look at the faces of the two children she is adopting." Thank you for that beautiful sentiment, dear reader, and best of luck to your friends.
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I love this. My husband once adopted a lemur for me, a year later I ended up working for the organization that he adopted it from!
I have been doing this for many, many years and not only does it (selfishly) make holiday giving WAY easier , it is one of the most personalized and inspiring gifts to give those who you love. It truly in the spirit of 'goodwill towards men' (and women) and can even start a deeper conversation about community/humanitarian support.
I have NEVER gotten more thankful and heartfelt reactions to gift-giving than when I started giving in the form of charitable donations!
(P.S. we even did this as our wedding favors to our guests--we gave to the Alzheimer's Association in honor of my husband's maternal grandmother, who was unable to attend. Major props from my new mother-in-law !)
One of the gifts I am giving my boyfriend this year is I adopted a wolf in his name in Yellowstone Park, its kind of based on a joke that his band has a song about wolves, but now he has his own wolf running around, ha ha ha!
No, I would rather give myself than someone giving in my name because I perfer to be aonymous.
I would be grateful if someone donated to a worthy cause in my name, as long as my address would not be included. (I don't wish to be on a list of mailing lists that grows exponentially larger every week.) Even more appreciated, but understandably more work, would be to ask my favorite charities or give me a selection from which to choose.
I have been giving my niece and nephews Tis Best gift cards. They get to select the charities the money goes to and send me a message why they selected the ones they did. They really appreciate it and it helps us to stay close by discussing the things we think are really important.
What a cool way to get to know your niece & nephews!
I agree with LyonStill. I prefer to choose my own charities, and I definitely prefer to give anonymously. We get probably five to ten pieces of mail PER DAY from the charities my partner has donated to. It's all junk mail to us -- and a waste to the charities. He gives when and if he feels inclined not when he gets mail. I feel the same, but I'm not persecuted as much because I am more calculated in my approach! I also prefer to give cash to local agencies.
So to me it would be more of a hassle to have a charitible contribution given in my name than not getting a gift at all. Kind of an anti-gift, in fact. Meaning, this is another component of Knowing Your Recipeint! (Someone could give some cash to the local Humane Society and then write me a note saying they had done that -- THAT approach would be great!) (But not to the United Way! I don't support all their agencies, some of their policies annoy me...)
Years ago my cousin and his wife adopted a llama in my name, and while I always loved the things he had picked out for me in years past, I liked that he was encouraging me to think beyond myself and my wish list. Last year I bought a desk for child in his name (he's a teacher), and his face lit up. I know what I'm doing every year now!
Have done this many times. One time it was K.I.N.D (kids in need of desks) in Africa for my sister (who works with children) and my boyfriend. I haven't seen my sis in a while but my boyfriend loved it. For my other friends I give to very local (within walking distance to their house) charities. Those go pretty well too. One thing that bothers me is how few charities have no gift donation options. How is the recipient supposed to know I donated in their name? Seems like such an oversight.
This works only when you absolutely know that the recipient of the gift supports the charity. Not just the goal of the charity, but the actual organization. I was the recipient of such a gift once, to a religious organization that I do not like. The religion itself wasn't the issue, but the policies, practices and politics of the specific organization do not mesh with my beliefs.
I got junk mail from that organization for years. It was unpleasant. And yet, to a degree, I support the main goal of the organization.
The cynical side of me notes that the giver gets to take a tax deduction for the gift, as well.
I am giving a few people a charitable donation in their name-fostering an orphan baby elephant at Sheldrick in Nairobi. I get to pick a specific baby elephant for them and they are emailed monthly with updates, for one year. It is a great organization and they handle gift donations very well.
My family and I have been doing this for several years. For a while now we've had a tradition of getting each other something cheap and practical that represents the donation and trying to guess what it is from the symbolic gift - eg, one year I got my grandfather fishing nets for a fisherman in Laos and wrapped up a tin of tuna to go with it.
Last year, instead of making individual donations for each other and giving 'small' gifts like goats or schoolbooks, we set up a money box and all put in cash (or pledges on pieces of paper). By pooling our resources we raised enough money to buy a canoe: https://www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au/gift/185/canoe ... Everyone was really stoked to be able to afford something 'big' and it was really fun going through all the charity catalogues deciding what to buy together. :)
A really cool one to do is kiva because the recipients choose which people to lend the money to. My BF did this as a gift to my parents this year, and they thought it was really nice. They decided that they wanted to fund some starting businesses led by women and were able to do that.
The endless stream of mail that can result from a charitable donation is a real issue. I get about one packed envelope per day from various organizations I've given to in the past- I guess in my eagerness to help, I failed to uncheck a box? It's annoying to think of all the labor & paper that is being wasted, but it would be especially annoying if that waste occurred as the result of a gift. If anyone has any great tips for avoiding getting donation solicitations for the rest of our lives, please share!!
I think that Kiva (a micro lending organization) is a great idea, especially if you were planning just to give money to begin with. That way the person can decide whether or not they want to take out the money after being paid back or keep lending it to others in need. Although there is a chance you will not be repaid, I think over all at least helping someone with money you are going to give anyway is a nice gesture.