Give a Gift
 |
| veticaultralight.tumblr.com |
As a college student, buying
Christmas gifts on a budget can be a challenge. Every year, I struggle to think
of creative gift ideas that are both useful and affordable. Fancy gifts are expensive,
do-it-yourself projects end up in the garbage and simple stocking stuffers don’t
always show your family and friends how much you appreciate them. At this point,
my mom has plenty of merchandise from the school bookstore and my dad has
enough golf gear to last a lifetime. I’m taking a new approach to the annual
holiday gift-giving and I challenge you to do the same; give a gift of charity.
Donating to a charity is the best
way to justify spending a little extra money during the holiday. Find a cause that’s
important to your family or friend and search for a credible charity
that supports that cause. Websites, like www.charitynavigator.com,
make finding the perfect charity easy. Charity Navigator allows you to search using
key words, topics and location. It rates charities based on the percent of
total expenses spent on the programs and services it delivers. It also provides
tips for making informed donations. Giving to a charity in someone else’s name can
be an extremely meaningful gift. Donating to a cause that aligns with the
person’s beliefs and values requires a great amount of thought and generosity;
the two characteristics necessary for an amazing gift! And if you’re a college
student, like myself, every donation matters regardless of the amount. Give
what you can, whether it’s $20 or $200.
I believe donating on behalf of a
loved one is an excellent alternative to the holiday mall madness. However,
it’s not for everyone and some people may appreciate a donation more than
others. Be sure you know the person well enough to make a donation that truly
matters to them and do your research to find the best charity. No more coffee
mugs and golf balls, from now on, I’m giving my family gifts with a purpose.
I feel like after buying gifts the past 22 years has made it seem like I have bought my family members everything their possibly is. For my moms birthday this year I donated to an elephant sanctuary on her behalf and she loved it. This idea of donating to charity is a great idea and it helps change lives.
ReplyDeleteI always struggle with what to get my friends and family for the holidays. The idea of donating instead is great! It's a lot less stress and you don't waste your money on something they may or may not use.
ReplyDeleteExcellent idea, Shannon. I don't have much money to give (like literally none at all) but anything I should give should go to those who cannot afford anything, not to another ONU shirt for my family that they really don't even need.
ReplyDelete