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Gifts That Give Twice

Gifts That Give Twice

Maybe your child already has a mountain of battery-operated toys gathering dust in the family room, or you want to help teach them some awareness this holiday season. Charitable gifts have gained popularity in the last few years, and can be an altruistic replacement for everything from department store wedding registries to corporate wine and cheese gift baskets.

How it works: you simply make a donation in someone’s name to a charity of your choice, and the recipient gets a notification – perhaps a colourful card spelling out the donation details, or a small tree to plant in the yard. You don’t need to make a whopping donation to make it meaningful, and a charity gift doesn’t have to replace every last toy on your child’s wish list. Here are a few tips to make giving the gift of charity easy:

Make It Fun

Find a charity that your children can be passionate about. A typed letter thanking you for buying 1.8 acres of rainforest may not make sense to a small child. However, their very own sea otter or silver fox will make for a unique gift kids can get excited about. Many animal charities have “Adopt an Animal” programs. When you make a donation, your child “adopts” an animal, meaning they’ll receive interesting updates, photos and information on the critter you’ve chosen.

Make It Relevant

Donating to a children’s charity is the perfect way to help your child learn more about kids halfway around the world. Choose a charity that provides medical care or education to children, or adopt a third-world foster child so your child can exchange greetings and photos with them throughout the year.

Make it Work for You

If you haven’t warmed to the idea of giving a donation to charity instead of a brightly-wrapped gift your child can tear into, why not choose a present that donates a portion of the proceeds to charity instead? Pick a charitable gift for your child that relates to their hobbies or interests, like the Rachael Ray muffin tin for your little baker. A portion of the proceeds go to her charity Yum-o!, which teaches families to cook, feeds hungry kids and promotes cooking education and scholarships.

See Also

Or Opt For a Fair Trade Toy

Fair trade has become a bit of a buzz word in the past few years, especially among imported items like coffee and clothing. When you buy fair trade items, third-world producers are paid a fair wage for their items, helping them build a sustainable business and make a decent living. You can find beautiful educational fair trade toys for kids from various countries around the world, from Zimbabwe dolls to Peruvian animal finger puppets. Check out these fair-trade kids toys at Ten Thousand Villages.

Before you whip out your credit card to buy a charity gift online, look into the organization. While most charities are legitimate, unfortunately there are scams out there, and even more so around the holidays. Find important information on charities through the Better Business Bureau, or search recommended charities at Charity Intelligence to find out how much of your donation actually goes to charity projects compared to administration or corporate salaries.

Erin Stringer has been a freelance writer for over 10 years, and her work has appeared in various online and offline publications. She enjoys writing about all that Vancouver has to offer. Erin is a VancouverMom.ca contributor. Have some great article ideas? Find out how you can become a contributor.

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