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2009
Gift Guide
 The
Art of Giving Donation Gifts
It’s
a suggestion often made and rarely followed: Consider making
a donation in someone’s name as a Christmas gift. It’s in
the spirit of the season. It’s small, it’s quick, it’s perfect
for the person who has everything, and you don’t have to go
to the mall for it.
And yet we rarely do it. Why? Unless someone has gone out
of their way to ask for it, it’s hard to feel certain that
a donation will really, truly, bring more than theoretical
joy as a gift. But it can. There are many ways to make a donation
a gift they’ll remember.
Make
it specific. I still remember that when I was a kid, long
before I became a community gardener, or learned anything
about the politics of land use and Manhattan real estate,
my parents gave me a donation gift of one square inch of a
New York community garden in my name, presumably for a group
trying to raise money to save their garden from development.
Even at such a remove, and even though I’m sure it was legally
not really shared ownership, the “I’m a part owner of this
cool space” gimmick sufficed to make me excited about it.
Heifer International (heifer.org) is a master of this tactic,
with a full gift catalog, from which you can choose specific
livestock to be donated to families in impoverished countries.
“A basket of chickens and rabbits” just has more of a ring
than “a $50 donation.”
For the guilt-ridden (or merely highly conscientious) people
in your lives, purchase a carbon offset, being sold by the
Adirondack Council (adirondackcouncil.org). Three tons less
CO2 in the air than there would have been could
be a load off someone’s conscience. (Just don’t give it to
someone who will take it as license to buy that gas guzzler
after all.)
For the libertarian who scorns all this bleeding-heart liberal
charity stuff, meet them halfway with a loan in their
name through kiva.org. Epitomizing “a hand up, not a hand
out,” Kiva takes the successful microlending model of the
Grameen Bank and puts it in your hands: No bank will make
a $25 loan to help a woman in Latin America start a business,
but with a Kiva gift certificate (kiva.org), your recipient
can, creating a portfolio and choosing specific people (all
working with established lending partners) to lend to.
Make
it local. We all love the work of certain national million-
dollar-budget advocacy organizations that are fighting the
good fight, and try to add our drops to their buckets when
we can. But to give a gift with more a personal, “I made a
difference” punch, go for smaller groups or campaigns that
are super-local to your gift recipient and likely to be something
they will encounter in their regular lives, and feel good
that someone helped it happen in their name. For a few examples:
a group working to save or restore an old historic building
on their street (Grand Street Community Arts, Historic Albany
Foundation), a fund drive to buy and preserve a precious piece
of open space they once roamed (Friends of Camp Little Notch,
friendsofcln.org), or the development of a new rail trail
running by their backyard (FORT, mohawkhudson.org). To bring
the lending idea local, donate to the lending pool of the
Capital District Community Loan Fund (cdclf.org)—a renovated
house in your recipient’s neighborhoood or business your recipient
patronizes was probably helped by the fund.
On that note, nearly everyone in the Capital Region knows
someone who shops at, is a member of, socializes at, or otherwise
relies on the Honest Weight Food Co-op: For them, a perfect
gift would one of the “building blocks” the co-op is using
to raise money for its move to the new larger space that will
allow this venerable community institution to keep holding
its own. They cost $25, $50, and $100. Added benefit: In seven
years, they’re redeemable for $30, $60, or $120, respectively,
in co-op goods. A gift that comes back for a second round!
Blend
it with perks. Giving doesn’t have to be entirely
its own reward. Memberships, especially to arts organizations,
come with a host of tangible perks that make your recipient
feel special and appreciated all year long. Memberships at
local musuems, for example, come with a host of benefits:
free admission, special member events, discounts, and cross
admission to many other museums. For families with kids, consider
membership to Children’s Museum of Science and Technology,
for example (cmost.com). For the VIP who likes to hit the
receptions and sneak previews, consider the New York State
Museum (nysm.nysed.gov). Theaters also have similar deals.
‘Tis
the season of giving—why not hit the “do good” and the gift
lists at the same time?
—Miriam
Axel-Lute
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