THINKing

How About Giving Charities A Holiday This Year?

Despite a recession, Americans spent more on holiday shopping in two months in 2008 than they did all year on charitable giving. Holiday retail sales for November and December 2008 in the general merchandise category totaled roughly $460 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Charitable giving for 2008 declined to $307 billion from $314 billion in 2007.

Don’t get me wrong - I am pro-capitalism. But I think that Americans should be giving at least as much to charity as they are spending on holiday gifts. So, we started a program called Holiday For Charity in 2002, and once again My Creative Team is promoting the program that provides some simple ways to help the less fortunate.

The number one thing you can do is ask friends, family and business associates to donate to charity instead of buying you gifts. Here’s why: a lot of people would donate to charity in someone’s name but they don’t feel right doing it unless they have that person’s approval. So, give them your OK and help someone who needs it more than you need a Christmas gift.

Here’s how Holiday For Charity works:

1.     sell the holiday gifts you receive online at eBay’s GivingWorks, and donate the proceeds to charity

2.     register and shop at iGive.com, whose merchants donate a portion of each transaction to the charities of your choice

3.   offer to do volunteer work in lieu of buying holiday gifts

4.     donate directly to charity in lieu of buying holiday gifts for clients and customers