Need Holiday Gift Ideas? Check Out These Alternative Gifts.

Have you and your loved ones agreed to give gifts that make a difference this year? Do you know someone who would appreciate a gift that helps others? Check out these ideas for alternative gifts.

Make a donation.

If your loved one doesn’t want a tangible gift, consider the issues that are important to them and make a donation to a nonprofit related to one of those issues. Are they concerned about wildlife? Consider the World Wildlife Fund. Are they interested in fighting slavery? You might want to donate to International Justice Mission. There are countless nonprofits doing good work, so do some research and find an organization that you know your loved one would support.

Note that some organizations allow you to enter the name of the person you are honoring when you make a donation online, but others do not. In my mind, that isn’t a big deal. I simply let the gift recipient know that I made a donation to a particular organization in their honor, even if I couldn’t officially register the gift as such with the nonprofit.

Give a heifer or shoes or…

Some organizations offer you the opportunity to make a donation that feels a little more specific than “I donated $x to [NAME OF CHARITY] in your name.” In a few cases, such as Soles4Souls, you really are giving a very specific item to someone in poverty. In the case of Soles4Souls, you would either bring shoes to a drop-off location or order them through Zappos for Good. (If you are dropping off shoes as a donation in someone’s name, I suggest buying new shoes rather than donating gently used shoes.)

But in most cases, you are really just making a donation to the organization in a cute way by supposedly tying it to something. For example, I could “give a heifer” in someone’s name by making a $500 donation to Heifer International, but the organization would not necessarily give a heifer to a poor family with that money. Instead, they would use the donation in a way that would best meet the needs of the people they serve. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. The gift is symbolic. But you should understand this about such charitable gift catalogs before you make your donation.

Purchase a t-shirt, bag or other item that benefits a nonprofit.

If you know that the gift recipient would like a tangible gift but would also like to support a nonprofit, consider purchasing an item from the organization’s gift shop. In many cases, the item you purchase will have the name of the organization on it. Preemptive Love, which I mentioned in a recent post, is just one of many organizations you can support through the purchase of clothing and other goods.

Give a gift that supports job training for those who need it most.

While all jobs provide some sort of training or valuable experience for employees, some social enterprises focus their employment opportunities on those who face significant barriers, such as people who were formerly incarcerated. Some organizations, such as Women’s Bean Project and Thistle Farms, sell goods online. You can also find local organizations, such as restaurants, that you can support. If you’d like to pursue that route, you might want to Google “social enterprise restaurant [your city’s name]” and then let the gift recipient know that you will be treating them to a meal at one of the restaurants that you discover through your search.

Give a fair-trade gift.

Rather than purchasing an item made overseas by people who work long hours for very little pay, consider giving a fair-trade gift that allows families to earn fair wages and pursue a better future. Fair-trade shops, such as Ten Thousand Villages and SERRV, sell items such as clothing, housewares, toys, and more.

Purchase gifts from an artist or small business.

So many of our gifts come from major retailers. People with artistic careers (or side jobs) and owners of small businesses could really use our support. Would any of the people you are giving gifts to appreciate artistic prints, books, or tickets to performances? If you know someone wants a game, can you find it at a small, independent store rather than a big-box retailer? What if, instead of looking for inspiration at a major online site or by wandering through a national chain store, you checked out a local shop instead? In this way, you’d be giving two gifts: one to the recipient, and one to a person who is struggling to make a living in the face of Goliath-sized competition.