The Absolutely Easiest Way to Give - iGive

I can't imagine any easier way for an everyday person to give than iGive.  It takes about two minutes to sign-up for iGive and once you do, whenever you shop at a participating retailer a percent of what you spend is donated to the nonprofit of your choice. 

I have been trying this out for the last month and have been so impressed with how many retailers participate.  Once you register, the moment you go to a participating retailer's page you will automatically see they are a participant, in fact, you can even tell when you do a google search on any retailer.

What this means is as you go about your normal shopping with retailers like Nordstrom, Gap, Nike, Patagonia, Shutterly, Hotels.com and hundreds more, a percent of what you spend goes directly to the cause you care about. 

I designated Direct Relief International, but there are hundreds to choice from and you can even designate a non-profit not listed.  All you have to do is spend the two minutes to register.  Ok, so right now, start the year off right and spend the two minutes and shop away.


P.S.  I also tried out another similar site, Good Search, which I only found annoying.  The sign up process imploded and now I get way too many emails promoting their partners and special deals to me.

Holiday Volunteering with Kids

The kids are out for two weeks and I am wondering how I am going to get them to do anything that doesn't involve a technological device or isn't fighting with their siblings.  This is a great time to take advantage of some easy ways to be philanthropic with your family that doesn't involve any more shopping.

Baking - not only can you bake cookies and have a stand to sell them to raise money for a cause your child supports, but what about bringing a plate of holiday cookies you make with your kids to your favorite non-profit to say thank you to the staff who work so hard all year long.


Unity Shoppe - the great thing about spending time volunteering at Unity Shoppe is little kids can do it, too.  They have projects sorting cans goods or stocking the shelves.  Above is a photo taken of my kids with some friends doing this a few years ago.  You can see how young my little one is.


Card Making - have your kids make general holiday or new year cards and deliver them to a retirement community, transition house, etc.  You can also always make cards for Dream Foundation who is always in need of a supply home made cards.  They have a specific size they like and a few words of well wishes they prefer not be used, like "get well soon," so give them a quick call before starting.


Music playing - have your child practice the piano or violin by going to a retirement community and having them play for the guests.


Reading/Coloring - have your kids go by Storyteller to read a holiday story to the kids or bring some coloring pages with holiday images your kids can color with the kids.

Cooking - this is a little more daring, but one family told me they assemble homemade burritos and then pass them out to homeless people, especially down by "the work wall" area.

If you have any ideas of your own, I'd love to hear them!

Giving and Holiday Shopping

It's that time of year, so how can I not publish a list of ways to integrate causes into your holiday shopping. 

KIVA gift cards which can be printed in under 5 mins have been my go to gift this past year.  I also have ordered from the 12 Small Things website.  I'm always happy to hear of anything I missed or sites you particularly like.

This page is available any time of year on my blog under the "Giving for Gifts" tab at the top.

Happy Shopping!

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Gift Cards for Charity 
from Washington Post
I like the idea of a charitable gift card because the recipient gets to shop for where the donation actually goes.  The article mentions two good sites that they feel offer well vetted options:

Global Giving
Tis Best


Nicholas Kristoff's Suggestions 
from New York Times
Any suggestions from this well known international aid journalist are bound to be worthy


Causecast
This site tells you what you can get for what dollar amount.  For instance, $14.00 buys you school supplies for a former child slave in Ghana or $25.00 for immunizations for a child in Haiti.  Also, includes lots of options in the U.S.


Change.org
I like how this charity gift giving guide is organized by the recipient's area of interest.



KIVA
I have wanted to give a microloan as a gift for years and have yet to do it.  This is the year!  I like this gift for two reasons.  One, the recipient gets to shop for the loan they want to give.  Secondly, when the loan is paid back, your recipient gets to loan the money again, and again.

Note:  In another post on this blog there are several negative articles regarding microfinancing, but I am standing behind it's value when done ethically and with integrity.


 12 Small Things
To purchase physical gifts from fair trade/socially responsible vendors check out this site.  It was suggested by a friend of mine who is hired by foreign governments to increase the business of fair trade items to benefit their local communities. 

Global Goods Partner 

My friend, mentioned above, was also hired by this company to do trainings with women in some of the countries this site supports.

Trade As One
I liked this site because it gives you background on the communities benefiting from your purchase. It not only has a selection of nice gifts, but also alternatives to items you buy for yourself probably not fair trade, like soccer balls.

Nest 

A beautiful site and is a nonprofit organization that empowers female artists and artisans around the world. Using a unique combination of interest-free microfinance loans, mentoring from established designers, as well as a market in which to sell their crafts, Nest helps its loan recipients create successful small businesses.

Global Exchange Fair Trade
You can google "fair trade gifts" and get numerous suggested.  This was one that looked particular good.