Holiday Gift Guide for Social Entrepreneurs 2008

Nice blog post, Jill. Interesting holiday ideas that cross a wide spectrum. I just launched this company Jute & Jackfruit (www.juteandjackfruit.com) which offers only socially and environmentally conscious products, too--namely clothing, jewelry and handbags. Check out what we have going on for the holidays-- including recycled soda bottle and cap bags, candy wrapper bags and organic cotton sweaters all made by women artisans, fair trade AND very stylish. Read about our artisans on our blog too at juteandjackfruit.net.

I like the reclaimed metal earrings by Ana (http://tinyurl.com/6nph4g) and the candy wrapper bags "Nahui Ollin is a fair trade company making bags from candy wrappers diverted from landfills with Mayan men and women. Each designer handbag requires between 1 - 5 days, uses 150 - 4,000 wrappers and is handmade." And, I will add, I have attempted once to fold the candy wrappers and my DYI attempt look nothing like these and would have taken 1-5 weeks had I attempted more than three wrappers. (http://tinyurl.com/6ytqtw)

Don't forget our good friends at World of Good, www.worldofgood.com, (Hi Priya!) who works with our Skoll Entrepreneur friends at TransFair, www.transfairusa.org, to certify great companies, like the ever essential DagobaChocolate.com, makers of fine organic dark chocolate (pardon me while I wipe the drool off the keyboard).

Turns out Transfair is running a unique holiday "Gifts of Fairness" event that might appeal to your social entrepreneur colleagues: http://tinyurl.com/6mawmv

And eBay has some great fair trade items too, but you might have to do your own due diligence to make sure they are all that they say they are. I recently discovered http://stores.ebay.com/Elesar-Exotics with their recycled tin can chameleons. Nifty.

Ok folks - time for you to add to our ethical shopping venue list! Please comment here!

Maybe because I'm trying to pare down and not have so much stuff - I just give donations in people's names ... that's a gift that has 100%. Now, with kids - that's hard. I'm trying to teach them that it is also to better to give than receive and that giving should be giving time or donations.

Finally, matching gifts are leverages. I love what this giving stimulus program from Columbus Foundation n particular, please mention and link to your blog post on Charitable Giving Stimulus Package http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2008/11/the-economys-impact-on-giving-a-s timulus-package-and-some-tips.html

I can't imagine a better gift to give a Social Entrepreneur than helping their fundraising be successful. So are there ways you can you help double up their fundraising? As Beth suggests, providing a "stimulus package" or incentives to donate may be the key to this fundraising season. People may be more motivated knowing that they're donation will be worth twice that to the nonprofit.

For those of you who wonder if a matching grant is worth all that much, consider this experiment discussed on BetterPlace blog (http://tinyurl.com/5udbr5) that found "The existence of a matching gift did matter very much, Thus 2.2 % of people who received the match offer made a donation, compared with only 1.8% of the control group, resulting in a 20% gap between the two responses. But surprisingly, the size of the match didn’t have any effect on giving."

Here are some matching donation opportunities I have discovered, please post your matching gift challenges here!

Forge, in their transparent effort to make their organization sustainable as well as impactful, has had a family foundation has come forward to offer $10,000 once they have raised $20,000. www.socialedge.org/blogs/forging-ahead

Root Capital shared in their recent newsletter that "thanks to a generous donor, you can double your contribution! We have set the goal of raising $25,000 through our Web site by December 31. During this time, every donation given to Root Capital through www.rootcapital.org will be matched dollar for dollar, helping us to raise a total of $50,000."

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation will fund 50% of these projects if someone like you provides the remainder. http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/search.html?matchingId=29

The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation will fund 50% of these projects if someone like you provides the remainder. http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/search.html?matchingId=15

If you choose to help complete these educational projects, the Hille Family Charitable Foundation will double the impact of your choice by matching your donation. http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/search.html?matchingId=16

Thanks to funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, DonorsChoose.org will fund 50% of these projects if someone like you provides the remainder. By completing any of these projects, you will double the impact of your donation. http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/search.html?matchingId=36

And that's just a few! See all the matching grants here: http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/search.html?sortBy=2&matchingId=-1

And then you can narrow down by region, grade, or even subject if you or your social entrepreneur has a soft spot for a specific educational effort.

We offer an especially important gifting option for holiday season this year. Our 100% tax deductible CharityChoice Gift Cards are recipient-designated to over 100 major worthwhile causes. This allows you to merge your gift-giving and philanthropy budgets. www.charitygiftcertificates.org

Thanks Daniel, Great addition. I like that you give your recipient the opportunity to designate the gift amount to as many as three charities from a list of over 100 nationally recognized charities - including some of my favorites - Heifer International, Mercy Corps and Second Harvest.

The personalized gift certificates that can include a company logo are a great way for companies to give an eco-friendly and socially responsible gift to clients and/or employees this holiday season.

Couple questions: Is there a way for nonprofits to apply to be added to the list of eligible nonprofits? Are there any similiar websites in the UK or elsewhere globally?

I think giving charity as a gift is an extremely important holiday giving alternative to provide for funders and social change enthusiasts. Giving to organizations in the name of others is one of the most practical ways we can take social action and raise awareness about a particular social problem.

One of the more interesting giving campaign I've come across is Ashoka's (www.ashoka.org) Give the Gift of Change campaign. You can actually give memberships to your friends and family (plus Ashoka sends them a set of social entrepreneurship postcards and a GOOD magazine subscription). You can give the gift here: http://www.ashoka.org/membership.

Sarah - Thanks for sharing Ashoka's holiday efforts! They and our friends Echoing Green (whose gift guide is mentioned later in this discussion) are joined also by The CASE Foundation who brings together their Giving Guide complete with Staff Picks! http://giving.casefoundation.org/givingguide/home

Another blogger, Qui Diaz, really went to town and created an extensive list of 50 ways to get your Give on (and included the Social Edge Holiday Gift Guide for Social Entrepreneurs - woohoo! thanks for the shout out): http://mashable.com/2008/12/17/digital-charities/

Rock on my friends, that is one list that doesn't stop giving. Keep it in mind year-round for birthdays and other giving occasions.

Great topic, Jill!

While tangible expression of appreciation and ritualistic decoration are both important aspects of the holiday season, I personally feel that what we inherently crave is building non-financial assets.

Maybe we don't tend to think about it that way, but when we say we want to have family time, make memories, spend time with good friends catching up (or connecting via holiday messages), bake with our children, or "give back" to our community via warm food or reading books in the library, what we're doing is contributing to social, knowledge, or an emotionally or physically healthy environment.

My gift guide suggestions are easy: figure out what developmental goal the people in your life who you would give gifts to are striving towards, and help them reach it.

Jill mentions specific books or audio casettes or videos. One of my favorites is The New Financial Order: Risk in the 21st Century, by Robert Shiller. Another is Stumbling on Happiness, which is about errors in the way we think.

Books are great for those whose focus might be to attain knowledge in those areas. Someone meeting physical goals may enjoy a walk with you; others who want to revitalize their social life might appreciate a baby sitter. In other words, gifts of time and energy can be far more highly prized than another financial item, they do grow the asset base of the world, and they don't need to be delivered in December... just pledged.

Of course, some gifts are ritual exchanges, with a bit more gravitas but not unlike a Facebook Poke. A lot of good "social confirmation" gift ideas are already listed here, but I'd add the new make holiday gift guide, http://blog.wired.com/geekdad/2008/11/makes-holiday-g.html.

Great ideas Jessica, and a good reminder that to help someone have a great new year, support and knowledge can be much more valuable than material things (which tend to accumulate and clutter anyway!)

The Make guide reminds me of other do-it-yourself gifts, and in particular, the TreeHugger gift guide for the do-it-yourselfer which features a very cool item - the BionX: "Almost any bike

whether standard, recumbent, trike or folding -- can be turned into a electric power boosted vehicle with a Canadian-made BionX system." Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/644jhl

Any other do-it-yourself, or eco-friendly gift ideas??

Until There's A Cure, which has offered HIV awareness bracelets to support vaccine research and advocacy for 15 years, now offers several bracelets carved from recycled materials in Namibia: two styles of recycled PVC cuffs, and a recycled bronze cuff. Both feature a depiction of an AIDS ribbon, and sales of these bracelets fund a variety of projects in areas of Africa ravaged by HIV infection. These bracelets are beautiful gifts for the recipient and the funds raised through their sales provide care, nutrition, and education to the villages which produce them. Until African Art Bracelet: http://until.org/african.shtml

Fantastic cause, Kelly. Thank you for sharing the site and the handsome eco-friendly bracelets that raise awareness while raising funds.

For those of you looking for more ways to help, Changing the Present has a selection of gifts that help fight and raise awareness for HIV/AIDS including "$10 will buy school supplies for one child affected by HIV" offered by Partners In Health, a Skoll Social Entrepreneur organization. See the whole list: http://www.changingthepresent.org/hiv_and_aids/gifts

Oxfam offers a $35 HIV testing and education "gift" http://tinyurl.com/6msean MustHaveGifts in the UK offers a HIV awareness pack for £15 http://tinyurl.com/5mkw3l

And EnLITEned gifts offers immunity enhancing gift boxes and baskets for friends who may be managing with HIV themselves: http://www.enlitenedgifts.com/hiv.html

What other causes and social entrepreneur ventures are near and dear to you? Let's list the ways we can support their efforts. Comment here!

"The One Water project has branched out to launch a new product - condoms, to be sold in the UK with profits going to preventing and treating HIV in Africa. In the same way as the profits from bottles of One Water go to building water pumps in Africa, all the profits from One Condoms will go to HIV and AIDS projects. ...The condoms are being sold in Co-op food stores across the country as well as student unions and www.ethicalsuperstore.com. A pack of three will retail for around £3.29." http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/news/detail/index.asp?id=778

Jill,

Great post. Just wanted to add the Epic Change Gift Shop (http://shop.EpicChange.org) to your list of gifts that do good.

Also, to the list of gifts for fellow entrepreneurs, I would add:

-Rest (Entrepreneurs need rarely-available downtime to sustain the passion and momentum that supports our efforts. I wouldn't trade my job for the world, but know I'll do it better next year if I take time off to reflect. Vacation, massage, a home-cooked meal - that's what I'll want this holiday.)

Thanks so much for the post!

Hi Stacey, Thanks for sharing Epic Change. I like the holiday cards with the tiny handprints, and after reading Kelly's post about Until There's a Cure, I was particularly struck by the description of the "Pius is Hope" candle:

"Pius is a six-year-old boy whose mother, Anna, thinks he just might be president someday. At his school in Tanzania, his teacher Selena says he’s consistently the top student in her kindergarten class. To his mother who struggles with HIV, and who lost her husband to the disease, and to a country gripped by poverty, Pius represents hope. By purchasing this candle, you are investing in his education, and the future of hundreds of children like Pius who have the potential to change the world."

Beautiful candle and beautiful boy.

I love all of these suggestions and have even marked down a few as I continue my holiday gift buying this season! Thank you for the great recommendations.

May I also recommend www.World-Shoppe.com for fair trade (and many eco) gifts? It's a Web site I launched in 2004 (and re-launched last week with a new look!) as a volunteer project. It carries fairly traded and handmade gifts from several developing countries as well as some items from the U.S.

All of my gifts for the last several years are tied to a cause - either from groups like Heifer International or WomanCraft (a social enterprise in Chicago - www.WomanCraft.net) or 100% fairly traded gifts. Most of us still celebrate the holidays with gifts - so why not support causes we believe in?

My clients this year are getting gifts from a variety of non-profits. Now I'm going to the Toms Shoes site to buy the hubby his holiday gift!

Happy holidays, everyone!

-Megy Karydes, Founder www.World-Shoppe.com

Hi Megy, Nice job on www.World-shoppe.com. As Stacey pointed out above - REST is a great gift for social entrepreneurs and your cozy quilt hand dyed in beautiful colors from India would be a gentle nudge in the right direction: http://tinyurl.com/5v8wfc

My favorite, though, is the jute soft walled recycling bin from Bangladesh - it is very attractive and far better than plastic recycling bins. I could see these decoratively placed around the living room or making a statement at independent coffee shops. http://tinyurl.com/5ewuf7

And speaking of being eco-friendly, I have long thought that Starbucks or Peets needed to create a ceramic cup exactly like the paper cups so the lids could fit. And lookie what I found! From AplusRstore.com, it's the "I Am Not A Paper Cup" Ceramic Cup complete with silicone lid that looks like the real thing. Only question - I'm still not sure if it is microwavable, but it is "dishwasherable". Or you can make a real statement against waste and our disposable culture with these ceramic crinkled cups. http://tinyurl.com/6g58w4

Anyway, it's another fun site to browse for the "design-aholic" in all of us. You can even get the kids thinking global with the World Map placemats http://tinyurl.com/5jquda

Great feature. Just wanted to add GlobalGiving Gift Cards (www.globalgiving.com) to your list - we've had a great response to them over the past few years. The recipient can "redeem" the card to any of more than 500 great causes in themes ranging from education and health care to microfinance and the environment. We've found that parents and grandparents enjoy giving them as gifts to kids to teach them about philanthropy (and social entrepreneurship...)...and they're tax deductible to the (US) giver. GlobalGiving now has a presence in the UK, too, with benefits for UK givers - http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/

Hi Joan, Thanks so much for jumping in with a description of Global Giving and its availability in the UK too. I love that Global Giving allows children to make a personal connection with a project and follow along as well, seeing the impact of their donation.

In a similar vein, I had my kids give out two loans on Kiva.org and they each chose the person they wanted to help. I also like the WWF adopt an animal donation/gift for kids. How can you go wrong with the adorable Blue Footed Booby plush? (http://tinyurl.com/6g58w4) And teaching kids to care for animals may be a good way to get them to care for the planet and people too.

Free the Children, http://we.freethechildren.com/, knows the power of children helping children - check out their site for how kids and school groups can adopt a village. For even more ideas, Beth Kanter recently wrote about how to teach kids to give http://tinyurl.com/6249r7

Here you go - more great ideas: http://www.echoinggreen.org/blog/holiday-gift-guide-2008

Features bold books, nutty granola, and luxurious adult & kids clothing and home accessories comparable to cashmere but made from yak down from Tibetan herders on the Himalayan Plateau. Now you won't have to shave the yak yourself - think of the time savings!

Yes, the Shokay Yak products are a total time saver ;)

Jill, thank you for such an inspiring post. It is wonderful to see so many individuals and organizations sharing ideas and products that are changing the world.

I wanted to share one such organization connecting communities through beauty and design. Arzu, meaning "hope" in Dari is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization empowering Afghan women through a unique model of social development.

Founded by Connie K. Duckworth, retired managing partner at Goldman Sachs, Arzu supports women and their families in Afghanistan by providing sustainable income, education and health care through the sourcing and selling of handmade rugs. In 2008, Ms. Duckworth was awarded the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in recognition of her contribution to this field.

By connecting women weavers to a global marketplace, Arzu helps Afghan families break the cycle of poverty and better contribute to their communities. Combining traditional handmade beauty with contemporary design, Arzu rugs represent a commitment to social awareness and an appreciation for unique design with a conscience.

Each rug is created with hand-carded, handspun wool dyed with natural plants and fruits. With collections that range from delicate and intricate floral motifs to sharp and bold designs, Arzu rugs satisfy a variety of decorative styles making a perfect gift for the special people in your life.

Visit www.arzurugs.org to view the Arzu Rug Collections or for more information call 312.321.8663 or contact designservices@arzurugs.org.

Thanks Devon for sharing Arzu and the story of Connie's support for these talented Afghan women artisans. I encourage folks to visit their site arzurugs.org and learn more about their great work providing "sustainable income to Afghan women by sourcing and selling the rugs they weave. Arzu helps weavers and their families break the cycle of poverty by providing them above market compensation and access to education and health care."

You also must visit their site to really see the beautiful rugs (words do not do them justice) - whether you prefer Tribal, Traditional, Modern or other intricate designs, you will enjoy paging through these beautiful creations.

Not only are they great for homes, but they could be purchased for corporate headquarters

they demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility and they can even be unique centerpieces for special client gatherings- which is a really innovative program - find out about Arzu Signature Rug Events here: http://www.arzurugs.org/pages.php?pageid=65

There are great altenative gift catalogs supporting development including those produced by Heifer International, Oxfam and Lutheran World Relief to name just three. One of the newer catalogs, called Beyond the Box and created by World Neighbors, can be found at www.wn.org/gifts.

Symbolic gifts are great! They educate and enrich. The guinea pig card at Beyond the Box is beyond adorable (but don't tell my kids about the market aspect - the fertilizer aspect - ok, but please don't mention the market).

My symbolic gift? I just bought an excellent $10 pixel - want to see it? http://www.stoppovertynow.org/ My pixel is on the baby's mouth! It is a handsome pixel, don't you think? Help expand my pixel by buying the adjacent pixels and mentioning Social Edge in your comment. For only $10 a pixel, you can help Grameen Bank stop poverty now!

Jill,

Thank you so much for sharing StopPovertyNow.org with your readers. The site has had tremendous response, thanks in large part to people like you helping us get out the word!

One small correction I need to make is that donations to the site go to Grameen Foundation, not Grameen Bank. Grameen Foundation was created to help share the Grameen philosophy and accelerate the impact of microfinance on the world’s poorest people. Although we are associated with Grameen Bank, we are a separate organization.

Again, thank you so much for sharing our site with your readers.

Rebecca Booker Online Marketing Officer Grameen Foundation

Some folks just shared with me Uncommon Goods which has a large selection of interesting and socially conscious gifts. I thought social entrepreneurs could especially use their Solutions Tube http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?itemId=16310 which encourages you to "Test Your Dreams" and to remember "The Solution Exists".

And we all know the power of positive thinking, but a little good luck can go a a long way so how about a little bottled "Good Juju"? Because, afterall, "What you say, what you do, it always comes back to you." Spread some good karma: http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?source=recent&itemId=15648

Cleanup soap is sold to raise funds for landmine removal and providing assistance to survivors of landmine explosions. It's really inexpensive at $8.00, and $2.00 from each bar sold is donated directly to NGOs engaged in the landmine cause. Great last-minute stocking stuffer!

Available at http://cleanupsoap.com

Thanks for sharing Benjamin and I agree the soaps would make a great stocking stuffer or addition to a gift basket. The explanation for the question "why soap?" is clever: "Soap can be molded into any shape, and soap diminishes and disappears with use. From this Hideaki created a very poetic metaphor for landmine removal - as the soap disappears, so do the landmines. Through its use, Cleanup enables people to participate in the campaign against landmines with a simple, everyday occurrence."

Roots of Peace also works toward the removal of landmines and making those once unusable lands into sustainable agriculture. How many square feet can you help clear? Buy their shirts ($10 goes to mine clearing): http://www.wildlifeworks.com/prod/product193.html Make a donation: https://rootsofpeace.org/contribute/index.php

What better gift for the up-coming year 2009 - the year of hope, than a 2009 Wall Calendar of Photos taken by children in Rwanda. Our Muskoka Foundation's partner, Through the Eyes of Hope, has trained these children, many of whom are orphans due to genocide/AIDs, to independently take quite powerful and artistically engaging photos. The calendar features 12 wonderful photos and also backgrounds/portraits of each of the children who took the pictures. 100% of the proceeds will go to education for the children, funds to help with supplies (paper, printers, cameras) and further training for the children. This is a great entrepreneurial venture for these children that we can all support.

Here is the link to our website and the calendar description/ordering info: http://www.themuskokafoundation.org/drupal/node/16 The info for the program is also under the PROJECTS tab of our website: http://www.themuskokafoundation.org

These would make great holiday gifts or for your own work/home space! Thanks everyone for your support in this children driven entrepreneurial venture!!!

Hi Alice, Thanks for the sharing the beautiful pictures taken from the child's eye view on the world. My favorites were the girl in the pink dress (Photo by Christine, Muyenzi Primary School, Mayange, Rwanda) which is also in the short video, and Kagugu Student (Photo by Emile, Kagugu Primary School, Kigali, Rwanda) which you can see on the extensive photo collection on www.eyesofhopeproject.com

If you like that calendar, you may also be interested in supporting photography projects with underprivileged youth through Global Giving:

"Provide a photography workshop for 30 young people of a Buenos Aires shantytown which will enable them to acquire the skills to develop self-confidence and improve their job prospects through art": http://www.globalgiving.com/pr/1500/proj1412a.html

"This project provides a safe space and advocacy platform for adolescent girls in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya to fight gender-based violence and discrimination. Photography Project: The main purpose of taking these photos is to simply use them in various discussions. We will also use the excellent photos to tell their stories through an exhibit to a wider crowd within and outside Kibera community. The major photo exhibition is planned for the coming quarter." http://www.globalgiving.com/pr/1800/proj1771a.html

What if you gave the gift of change to someone you really cared about? Ashoka is offering $35 memberships to support Social Entrepreneurs as gifts. Good magazine has joined the effort by offering a free year-long subscriptions to Ashoka members (if gift recepients have a US mailing address). If you are interested, check out ashoka.org/membership

And speaking of Ashoka, let's not forget Changemakers and their gift suggestions: http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/14688#comment-12188