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Gifts that give: Your holiday gift to your mom or co-worker can also support a good cause(News Tribune, The (Tacoma, WA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Dec. 5--It's as much a holiday cliche as it is a tradition: You bundle up to brave the malls, chew up work time shopping online (but we won't tell!), wait on hold to order an item only to find that it's on back order, then end up getting everyone in the family gift cards at the grocery store checkout. It's all for the best, right? But a quick dig through your purse or wallet should give you an indication of how well gift cards are put to use: Americans are holding about a billion (that's with a b) dollars in unused cards from last year. But, if Oprah and Bono are any indication, there's a new trend on the block: gifts with a charitable twist. From golf balls to ornaments to stuffed animals, there are gobs of gifts that help protect the environment, defeat world hunger or fight AIDS. "In the last couple of years, everything that Bono has done, Oprah, Brad and Angelina. ... Raising the awareness of those issues helps a lot of organizations," said Karen Kartes of Federal Way-based charity World Vision. Brianna Evans, co-owner of Cake Apparel & Home store in University Place, said breast cancer awareness items are so popular at the store, they're sold out right now. "It's super-popular. Our main clientele is women, and women are really into supporting that cause," she said. The products are also popular at Macy's, which also carries holiday baskets and breast cancer-related merchandise. The items are popular because shoppers "can feel good that something they're doing for themselves, shopping, is also benefiting a cause that they care about," according to Kimberly Reason, a spokesperson for Macy's Northwest. But not all charitable gifts are created equal, and sometimes "very little money on the back end will end up in the charity's hands" with such "cause-related marketing," said Sandra Miniutti, vice president of CharityNavigator.org, a nonprofit site that ranks charities based on their effectiveness. "It can be really challenging because many companies are very vague," Miniutti said. She said it's most effective to donate directly to a charity, but branded charitable gifts help with a charity's brand recognition while allowing the recipient to show support. To help you out this holiday season, here is a sampling of gifts that give back -- along with how much of each gift will actually go to the charity and how effective the charity is with its money. There are hundreds of other charitable gifts, so check the box for tips on how to do the research on your own. One of the most effective ways is asking a charity directly, both Miniutti and Kartes said: Any reputable charity will have no problem sharing their goals, accomplishments and financial documents with you. * Charity rating based on independent analysis from CharityNavigator.org. For the hipster who cares (if you can find one) Product: Personalized Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars Hi-tops. Charity: Bono-backed Product (Red), which supports The Global Fund to fight AIDS through the United Nations Fund. Cost: $60. Amount to charity: 5 percent to 15 percent, depending on the shoe. Charity rating*: HHHI Buy at: ConverseOne.com or 1-888-792-3307. for the co-worker (who sits out of earshot) Product: The Easy Button, as seen in Staples commercials. Charity: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which promotes healthy child development through programs and activities. Cost: About $5. Amount to charity: All proceeds up to $1 million per year. Charity rating*: HHHH Buy at: Staples nationwide or Staples.com. For the baby who has everything (but a stuffed pig) Product: Pallu the plush pig. Charity: World Vision. Cost: $20. Amount to charity: $15. Charity rating*: HHHH Buy at: WorldVision.com or 1-888-511-6511. For the golfer Product: One dozen Nike golf balls. Charity: St. Jude Children's Hospital. Cost: $24. Amount to charity: More than 50 percent of the purchase price on all items in their catalog. Charity rating*: HHHI Buy at: shop.stjude.org or 1-800-746-1539. For the conscience fashionista Product: Ugandan Bracelet, made by Ugandan women. Charity: World Vision, a Christian charity, with headquarters in Federal Way, that aims to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice by working in communities across the world. Cost: $35. Amount to charity: $35. Charity rating*: HHHH Buy at: WorldVision.com or 1-888-511-6511. For someone who doesn't have room for a gift Product: A heifer to an impoverished family. Charity: Heifer International, which fights world hunger by providing poor families with livestock. Each recipient gives the first female offspring to another family. Cost: $500 per heifer, $50 for a share. Amount to charity: The full amount goes to purchasing the animal and training the family. Charity rating*: HHHI Buy at: Heifer.org or 1-800-422-0474. Evaluating charities If you want to evaluate a charitable gift on your own, there are several free charity evaluators online, including CharityNavigator.org. If the charity is new, it often won't have a rating. In those instances, follow these tips from Charity Navigator: 1In instances of natural disaster, give to reputable charities over start-ups created as a response to the event. With large-scale crises, a reliable, knowledgeable charity is important, according to the Web site. 2Ask for their 990 forms, which are filed by all nonprofit organizations. By law, they are required to provide the last three years' worth of documents to anyone who requests them. 3On the 990, divide the total budget number by the amount spent on programs and services. If a charity spends 75 percent or more of its budget there, it's probably sound, Miniutti said. 4Charity Navigator strongly recommends that you do not donate to charity telemarketers, and not just because they interrupt your dinner. Often, the operators work for an outside company that takes a cut of the donation. That means 20 percent or more of the money you give will end up in the telemarketing company's hands. Watch out: Miniutti said many companies that offer cause-related items for sale -- like breast cancer awareness vacuums or special edition designer T-shirts -- have a cap on how much they'll donate. In some instances, she said, the amount is very low and will be met after selling only a fraction of the branded items. That means some of the items may help raise awareness, but won't raise a dime. "They may only be willing to give a quarter of a million (to the charity), but they're spending half a million on advertising," she said, to make themselves look good. Check the label's fine print for maximum donation amounts. If it's not listed, go to the source. Niki Sullivan: 253-597-8658 [email protected] Copyright (c) 2006, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |