On Giving and Caring: Conscious Consumerism

There is more to the spirit of giving than the act itself.  From putting a little extra thought into where you make your purchases to choosing a charity, there are innumerable ways to expand the spirit of giving far beyond the recipient.  So, just in time for Cyber Monday, here it is:  Your Urban Earthworm Guide to Conscious Holiday Giving:

GIFTS

Stuff vs Experience

What do the people in your life truly need? Is more stuff really the answer? This holiday season, consider giving experiences as gifts. This is no small request, as I think you’ll find. People are accustomed to giving and receiving STUFF, tangible, material, stuff. But most of us have more stuff than we know what to do with, and science and religion both tell us that what we really treasure, what truly brings us joy is experience.

Have you ever watched The Story of Stuff? It is an extraordinarily eye opening little video, and at only around 20 minutes it is very well worth the watch. And it may just change your thoughts on giving stuff this year.

Consider all the ways you can give experiences this year – and I’m not talking about giving gift cards!  Host a cooking party or wine tasting party for your friends.  Take your significant other to see their favorite sports team or to a concert.  Play golf with your brother (Heaven knows I wish I could).  Babysit for your friends so they can have a date, a spa day, a nap!

What is your favorite holiday memory?  Is it getting that bike you wanted, or is it learning to ride that bike and going on rides with your family?  Is it buying ornaments or is it decorating the tree with your loved ones?

Give coupons for you time.  Host.  Visit.  Help.  Even loved ones far away can receive gifts of experience.  Buy you health minded buddy some yoga sessions or send her to a cooking class.

Gifts of experience are the way to go, this holiday season and into the future (trust me, I know these things).  And as an added bonus, there is no waste left, only wonderful memories and maybe some pictures.  There’s no clutter, just love.

But sometimes a material gift is in order.  And for those times, use these tips to make the most out of you holiday giving.

Ordering Online
There are the obvious considerations when it comes to ordering gifts online: the environmental cost of shipping, packaging materials, and the source of the goods. These are pretty easy to grapple with.

Buy local as opposed to buying online if possible to avoid the shipping and packaging issues (as well as costs). Of course, sometimes online shopping offers the better option (especially if you’re going to have to ship the gift anyway).  If you are buying online, try to consolidate your online purchases into a single shipment. Shop small businesses online when possible. And keep in mind that you can “shop local” from afar by ordering gifts online from small businesses located near your recipient. For instance, last year I ordered a plant for my mom from local shop just down the street from her job.

It is so easy to do a little extra good with your online purchases; there’s no reason NOT to.  All you have to do is purchase your online gifts from a site that gives back.  Whether that means buying gifts from the store of a charity you support.

Then there are sites where you can shop a large selection of goods from various places with a portion of proceeds going to charity.  I wrote more about this in Don’t Send Flowers.  I recommend shopping The Animal Rescue Site, The Hunger Site, or The Rainforest Site stores – all part of the Greater Good Network.  Click these sites every day to send advertiser proceeds to charity (it takes less than 3 minutes).

There is also GoodShop, where part of your purchase proceeds go to charity and GoodDining where your dinner gift certificates can earn charitable donations.

Really, there is just no reason not to.

Buying In Person

Shop local – and I don’t mean your local Wal-Mart (or even Target).  The goods to be found at smaller local shops are of such better quality and are so much more unique than the mass produced garbage at the big chain stores, plus the shopping experience is so much more enjoyable, and your shopping dollars do so much more for your local community.  Plus, if you’re able to talk to the owner of a given shop, oftentimes you can get special deals, make specific requests, or find out about treasures that might be perfect that you otherwise would never have known about.

Hand-Made Gifts

The obvious benefit of hand-made gifts is the frugality and personal touch, but consider also the green potential.  Recycling, Reusing, Repurposing.  Those glass sauce jars you (er, we) have sitting around?  Give healthy read made soup mixes or mini terrariums.  There are literally hundreds of ideas out there for these projects, and as a bonus making them can be a great activity with your kids, spouse, or friends.  Holiday gift making party, anyone?  Check out this list of 101 Green Handmade Gifts or the source of all ideas, Pinterest.

CHARITABLE GIVING

It is a sad fact that charitable giving is expected to continue to decline this year.  The economy is still recovering from the recession, and many people are struggling.  This is more reason to give!  If you can’t afford to give money, consider donating your time or unused possessions.  Have you ever seen someone overjoyed to receive a shower curtain and rod from a local charity?  I’m certain that most of us can find something we can spare.  Growing up, we really didn’t have much, but we could usually find something to share.

I heard a story on NPR this morning that stated that the average age of a donor to charity this year is 65 years old.  My aim is to change that.

Tinkling Bells, Santa Hats, and Bigotry

Now, when I talk about charitable giving, I am NOT talking about dumping change in the Salvation Army bell ringer’s red tin.  The Salvation Army has refused assistance to gay couples unless they break up and go straight, Muslim families who refuse to attend “Christian Bible classes,”  kids who can’t prove their immigration status, and more.  The meaning of charity is truly lost on this bigoted, hate-filled organization, and I will not allow a cent of my money to fund hate this holiday season or ever.  Read more about the Salvation Army’s “mission” here.

Choosing a Charity

The Salvation Army issue should be your first hint that you should look into your charities a little before making your donation. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of charities for every cause you can think of, and some are better than others. The main things you want to look for are the transparency of the operation, the percentage of the funding that goes to overhead, and the good that is actually done by the charity – as well as being on the lookout for any hidden agendas like with the bell-ringers.

There are a number of non-profit organizations that compile all this data and rate charities for you, making the research step a whole lot easier. I also love visiting the sites because you can find out about new charities you may not have known about. Probably the largest is CharityNavigator.org, which considers all the above listed factors without overly penalizing companies who invest in significant programs (thereby putting more money toward overhead). In addition to Charity Navigator, you can research charities at the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance (give.org), the American Institute of Philanthropy (charitywatch.org) and GiveWell (givewell.org). You can also find information on the charity’s website.

Maximize Your Gift

When it comes to charities, I can be a very indecisive and eclectic person.  There are so many wonderful charities and important causes.  I want to give to them all!  Heck, that’s why I practice Ethical Eating rather than just being vegan or something – I want to do the most good I can.

Giving a little to a lot of charities, however, may not be the best way to give.  While it may be true that “every little bit helps,” a lot still helps more.  Choosing one or two causes – and one or two charities – that you are particularly passionate about and giving larger gifts to those charities has the potential to do much more than could be done with many very small gifts to many charities.

While it may be hard (it certainly is for me), choosing just a couple charities to be an avid supporter of does much more good for those charities than simply being a vague supporter of many.

You might also consider making a repeating gift.  Instead of just giving one lump sum during the Holidays, consider making monthly donations.  Overall, you’ll probably be able to give more, and many charities really depend on repeating donations to know what sort of budget they have to work with and to get them through times of year when giving is less “popular.”

Some of my charitable donations are taken right out of my paycheck every month before I even see it – something I love, and money I don’t even miss (whereas I might be more aware that it was gone if I were writing a check).

Giving of Yourself

Not everyone has money to spare, or maybe you feel the money you have to spare isn’t as much as you have to give.  Maybe you want to experience a more personal connection to your giving.  I don’t know of a single charity that would turn away willing and enthusiastic volunteers.  Giving of your time can be more valuable and more fulfilling than giving money alone.  And if you’re like me, it can be a way to give to more charities without shrinking your financial donations.

We routinely volunteer with Family Promise, a charity that helps families who have lost their homes, while my financial donations go to animal welfare charities.

Do you have a special skill that you could donate?  A carpenter would obviously be an ideal volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, but those skills could be used at any number of charities – repairing animal kennels, fixing things in women’s shelters, etc.  If you have a talent for crafting, there are innumerable kids charities or homes for the elderly that would be happy to have you.  If you’re sociable, perhaps visiting hospitals or nursing homes.

Any skill can be donated, you may just have to get a little creative with it.  But there are few things more fulfilling than giving of your time.  And volunteering is a perfect way to develop:

SPIRIT OF GIVING FROM AN EARLY AGE

 

 I want giving and volunteering to be a way of life for my kids, not just during the holidays, but year round.  Including kids in volunteering and charity can be easy and fun.  My kids had a blast when we took out kayaks to clean litter out of the river.  They also enjoy playing with the other kids when we do Family Promise.

This year, the Religious Education (think Sunday School) class at our church is putting together boxes for operation Christmas Child, which is another fun opportunity for kids to really get involved in giving to others and to learn more about the different circumstances in which some people live.

No matter how or where you choose to give this year, have a wonderful and fulfilling season.  And please keep in mind those who have less and ways to give more.