Holiday Gift Giving that Gives Back
Business!’ cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. “Mankind was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The deals of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!” ― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
There can be little doubt that the winter holidays bring to the forefront, gratitude for our successes, and generosity for those less fortunate. Businesses too, are impacted by this concept, often resulting in corporate gift giving – a large portion of which is charity-focused. The corporate holiday gift tradition of making a charitable donation in someone’s name has come along way. More than 20 years ago, a Seinfeld episode poked fun at the practice when George Costanza, in an effort to avoid giving gifts to his co-workers, provided them instead with a card stating “A donation has been made in your name to The Human Fund” (a fake charity he made up). Years later, the joke came full circle when a charity chose that name for themselves. But charitable giving isn’t a joke. In an environment of growing inequality, many companies take pride in celebrating the holidays by making donations on behalf of others. At its core, its gift-giving that gives back; the ultimate sharing of prosperity. At RealTime Productions, we know a bit about giving back because the practice has become fully-integrated into the events industry. With that in mind, we’re delighted to share with you some giving-back gift options for the looming holiday season. In years past you might have chosen a direct-donation gift – one in which money is donated directly to a charity – however the option of sending a physical gift, while at the same time giving back to charitable organizations has increasingly become a satisfying option.
Knack Modern Gift Giving
This site allows you to send a physical gift, while at the same time giving back to charitable organizations with a program, they call Shop by Ethos. You can either select a pre-curated gift option (reducing the number of decisions you must make), or you can create a unique option that supports the charity you select. So, don’t just send the same old gift basket to a client or employee, consider a gift that gives back!!
Gifts for Good
Like Knack, this site allows you to select your gift based upon which the cause you want to benefit. Their site organization enables you to filter your selection via cause, price, occasion, recipient and customization, making the selection process very efficient. If you want brand your gift, they have a concierge service to assist with that!
Toms
As the original One for One™ company, Toms has given nearly 100 million shoes to those in need. When you buy a product from Toms, they donate the same product to those that need them. But shoes aren’t all Tom offers, they also do sunglasses – who couldn’t use those, even in the Seattle Metro area?
Out of Print
If getting books into the hands of kids who need them is your thing, Out of Print transforms literary classics into apparel and accessories. With every purchase, a book is donated to a child in need.
Thistle Farms
Battling human trafficking is a tender issue for the events industry – one which has garnered an increase in charitable giving back at corporate events. If human trafficking is a passion of yours, consider gifting products from Thistle Farms. Every sale benefits women who have survived trafficking, prostitution, and addiction.
Nordstrom
Even luxury PNW merchant Nordstrom offers a variety of gifts that give back. Those wanting to share the gift of clean water might consider the S’well Milky Way Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle. For every purchase, a portion of the proceeds goes to UNICEF to help provide clean drinking water for people around the world. Here at RealTime Productions, we find it truly gratifying that the giving-back options have become so easy to use and focused on social values in addition to price point. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday impending, we hope you’ll consider a giving-back option for your holiday gift program.