How to Gift a Donation to Give a Charitable Gift

How to Gift a Donation: 3 reasons charitable gifts are a great option, and printable donation cards.

Whether you’re trying to buy for someone who has it all, shop for someone who doesn’t want more stuff, or spend the season according to your own conscience, gifting a donation may be a great option.

This post is all about how to gift a donation for Christmas – or any holiday, really – successfully, simply, and thoughtfully. There are free printable downloads at the end, too! BONUS!

Ultimately, when gift-giving, the goal is to thoughtfully let someone know that you are thinking of them, and want to do something kind for them; that you value them. So, consider showing someone how much they mean to you by following just a few guidelines when you gift a donation.

First, here are 3 reasons why to gift a donation instead of buying someone a little (or even big) something.

#1 People feel good about giving

Yes, it feels good to know that someone thought of you, and that someone took the time and energy to pick something out especially for you, but it feels even better to give to those with less! Am I right?

We are especially aware during this season of how very fortunate most of us are – of how much we have, in comparison to many, many others. Let’s face it, if you’re reading this on an electronic device, with your personal wifi, from a safe, dry, and warm place, with food and/or drink handy… you are better off than oh, so many.

Tip #1: Giving a gift of a donation does not have to be any less personal or thoughtful than a traditional gift. Spend some time really thinking about what the recipient will appreciate most.

In fact, the way to keep a donation from being a goody-two-shoes approach to holiday giving that feels self-righteous, showy, or perhaps even lazy, is to choose a charity that is meaningful to the recipient.

Consider just some of the donation options:

Making a donation to a domestic violence women’s shelter, a humane society, a soup kitchen…
Buying chickens for a rural South American village
Sponsoring a child
Supporting a local cause where your recipient devotes their own time and money
Donating to a youth organization, or special needs camp
Donating to a religious order or organization
Supporting a disaster relief fund
Supporting their alma mater, or a local community organization that their kids enjoy(ed)
Funding research on an illness, or an endangered species…

…the options are endless. Which means that you will be able to find something perfect for your special someone.

When you gift a donation, both the giver and the receiver feel great about giving! You are giving the gift to someone of blessing others. Can you even imagine a more thoughtful gift?

#2 When you gift a donation, it’s a great teaching moment for children.

How often do we try to teach our children that the holidays are about giving, not receiving?!??

Well, when you gift a donation, you are sending this message loud and clear, through actions, not words.

These gifts are ALL about giving. After all, your recipient isn’t even receiving anything tangible. This is an amazing opportunity to show the meaning of gift-giving: Our gifts are NOT about anyone receiving stuff, they are about spreading good will.

In our home, we make donations as gifts for Christmas for each of my children’s godparents, their grandfather, our priest, and a few other special people in our lives. Since we’ve been doing this a few years now, we get the charitable catalogs on the mail around this time of year, but you can look up donation options online just as easily.

We take some time each year with the catalogs – usually one afternoon or evening – and with a budget, my children “shop” for the gift they would most like to give on behalf of these special people.

Depending on the age of your children, you can narrow the options down to a few, and then let them decide. Often, my children make a craft to go with their donation card for their godparents – a simple photo holder, a hand-made rosary, etc. The combination of the personal craft, and the lovingly chosen donation is perfect.

Tip #2: In my experience, the receiver particularly loves to hear that a child spent time choosing this gift, and if you can include in your note who chose it, and why, it really is a gift from the heart.

PIN IT!

#3 It’s simple.

When you gift a donation, you cut-out the shopping malls, traffic, hours running around, and general worry whether it’s the right size, shape, color, item… basically, the consumerist stress that comes with finding the perfect gift, within your budget, and in time for whatever deadline.

Instead, gifting a donation allows you to keep your eye on the goal of the season – hope, love, joy, good will, generosity…

Giving a donation is something that you can do immediately, from the comfort of your own home, while thankful for your slippers, and mug of hot chocolate. Gifting a donation fits within any budget, and with the free postcards I have here, you can be done with a whole lot of really thoughtful gifts without any traditional stressors of the season.

Gifting a donation is about living this season in alignment with the true value of the season. And that value isn’t always found in the aisles of a department store, or in Cyber Monday deals ;).

>Read More: 5 Great Reasons to Guard Your Time (this time of year, and all year long)

One Last Point…

If you’re still not quite sure about this idea, consider adding a small gift with your donation that is relevant to the donation. In fact, many charitable organizations now include this option in the form of stuffed animals, ornaments, or gift baskets, for example. Like I said, I often give a small craft from my children when we gift a donation, and a hand-written note is a must.

I’d love to hear from you… do you ever gift a donation as a Christmas gift? If so, what wording do you use? Are you considering a donation as a gift this year? What is your favorite charity to support? Please comment below.

Speaking of wording, here are the FREE printable “gift a donation” postcards. You can receive all of the styles for download, as well as printing instructions here. I’d love to hear how you used them… leave a comment below!

Love this? Don’t forget to pin it! Or, sharing it on facebook would be a huge compliment (and I’d love to see more people get back into the non-consumerist spirit of the season)!

Where to Next?

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