Unique Charitable Gift Ideas for Christmas

Give a Charitable Donation as an Original Gift this Christmas

Oct 16, 2009

Give a gift that makes a difference this Christmas with these unique charitable gift ideas that are eco-friendly, tax deductible and will help to change lives.

Christmas should be a time for giving and enjoying quality time with family and friends, but all too often, it turns into a season of high stress and last minute panic gift buying.

Why not do something totally different this year by giving charitable gifts to loved ones and close friends? A charitable donation is tax deductible, eco-friendly (no expensive wrapping paper required) and donations are also perfect as unique corporate gifts for clients.

This article features two non-profit organizations, Universal Giving™ and Project Concern International, which offer different ways of giving charitable gifts that truly change lives.

Give a Charitable Gift Donation

Many people give money to charity on a regular basis perhaps through an annual donation or in response to an appeal after a major crisis. But there is a new way to give monetary gifts that go direct to the person or project in need; simply find a cause worthy of support and make a charitable donation via one of the following non-profit companies:

Universal Giving™ - an organization with a vision to "create a world where giving and volunteering are a natural part of everyday life." As a non-profit company, they work with a variety of NGO’s running projects worldwide. Gifts can be as little as $10 which buys a mosquito net to help save one of the 3000 children that die of malaria each day in Africa; or $20, a sum which can divert $1600 of surplus medical supplies to poor countries like Bolivia or buy much needed garden tools for a family in Cambodia. Give $100 and clothe a family of four in Peru or save someone’s sight in Africa with a simple cataract operation.

Charitable gift recipients are sent an eCard telling them of the gift made on their behalf. A gift registry can also be set up if givers would like their friends and family to reciprocate.

Project Concern International - a non-profit organization “dedicated to preventing disease, improving community health, and promoting sustainable development.” Choose from one of the many gifts of health, nutrition or hope that can found on the Project Concern website. $100, for example, can buy a llama for a poor Bolivian family to carry crops to market or help to build a tank to supply a whole village in Nicaragua with clean water; just $20 can immunize a child against deadly diseases common in third world countries; and $50 can buy a flock of nine hens to provide nutrition and an income (through selling eggs) for a poor family in South America.

Gifts can be ordered online or processed over the phone together with the eCard informing them of the charity gift made.

Charitable Donations Make Unique Corporate Gifts

These non-profit organizations also feature micro finance projects where mini loans can be made to those in need. They are perfect for larger sums of money such as the budgets available for corporate gift buying. While these gifts are meant to be repaid by the small entrepreneur receiving the loan, in practice most loans are donated to another recipient; a great way for a charitable gift to keep on making a difference.

Unique Christmas Gifts

Give an original charitable gift donation this Christmas, which will give pleasure to both the person receiving the “present” and, more importantly, the people in need who will benefit from such a beautiful gift that offers hope of a better life.

The copyright of the article Unique Charitable Gift Ideas for Christmas in Non-Profit Management is owned by Helen Smeaton. Permission to republish Unique Charitable Gift Ideas for Christmas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.