Each year I try to create a list of gifts that are not only super cool, but also make a difference in the world when you buy them. Unlike buying $300 worth of gifts at Target, why not buy some gifts that do more in this world. Buy gifts that benefit adoption,
Here's what we have for 2011:
If you would like to serve our city here in Austin, or donate to a ministry here in Austin then the FOR THE CITY NETWORK has it all laid out for you. Head over to their webpage to find out how you and your family can serve, donate items, or give money to help organizations around Austin that are doing great things.
This is one of my favorite places to buy gifts for loved ones. In fact I just might have bought a certain special friend a bracelet from Noonday! This organization started as a fundraiser for my friend Jessica's adoption (they just recently brought Jack home) and now it is a full blown company that does great things to assist women around the world. You can even host trunk shows and help assist many people in bringing home their children via adoption!
I have these sandals and LOVE them and these bracelets I've been eyeing!!
I have one of these purses and love it. I've seen this ministry first hand and it is legit and you will get a great purse with the name of the lady that made it on the inside.
COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL GIFTS
Compassion is an organization that we love and support! We sponsor 2 kids through their sponsorship program, Aaron's been on numerous trips with them, and Aaron speaks on behalf of them whenever he gets a chance. Here's a way that your family can give a bit more this year and give specific gifts to people. This is a fun way to give gifts in people's names. What a great card to slip into a Christmas card, telling your loved one that in their name you donated $ for a goat!
For $75 you can give a family a pig, that will have 16 piglets a year! That will help a family keep an income throughout the year because of your $75 gift!
World Vision does the same thing and has so many fabulous opportunities to put your money to great work around the world!
For $100 you can give a goat and two chickens that will help a family with not only income, but also food!
I keep hearing about these watches and I just might need to get me one! They are super stylish and I imagine would go with just about anything I wear since they aren't too fancy, and I'm not too fancy! You can read their story on their website and see what organizations they support.
Two moms started this organization that is set out to lessen the number of orphans in the world! They have great appearal that you'll love to wear and will help out orphans all over the world!
Love 41 gives 100% to Africa New Life and they have lots of super cute stuff in their store!
Tabitha's Hope employes tailors in Africa to make beautiful homemade bags and linens.
Come Together has tons of stuff that is all fair trade products. Look at these handmade copper bells. I would love this! I bet your friends would too!
INTERNATIONAL PRINCESS PROJECT
I keep hearing about this organization and I think I might just buy my new jammies this year from them. I mean why buy them at Old Navy when I can get them here and they'll not only be unique, but make a difference in the world!
PUNJAMMIES™ are made by women in India rescued from forced prostitution seeking to rebuild their lives. Proceeds from the sales of PUNJAMMIES™ provide fair-trade wages, savings accounts, and holistic recovery care. Please support International Princess™ Project as we bring hope and a voice to those who have none.
At Hand & Cloth, women gain job skills, develop into leaders and entrepreneurs, and experience Biblical values lived out. Working together, the women stitch kantha, a traditional two-sided blanket made from repurposed vintage sari cloth.
Heather also contacted me on facebook and told me about her adoption fundraiser. She's selling Organic Ugandan Vanilla Extract. Here's what her website says:
If you’re like me you might not have even known that Uganda exports high quality vanilla beans. I was excited to learn that Ugandan vanilla contains a notably high vanillin content of around 2% (up to 3.2% is found in the highest Ugandan grades) whereas Madagascan vanilla, currently the most well reputed and recognized origin, generally averages about 1.8%.
I LOVE cooking with vanilla. This would make a great stocking stuffer or great teacher gifts!
I don't know much about this organization, but it was refered to me by another friend. Here's from their website:
Global Girlfriend was created by Stacey Edgar in 2003 to help women worldwide gain economic security while providing you unique products and a simple way to help women in need. Our fair-trade boutique offers a line of trend-setting, women-made, fair-trade products including stylish apparel, accessories and gifts with one purpose — helping women in need help themselves. We believe passionately that economic opportunity for women holds the promise for real change in the world; because when women have an income, they reinvest in themselves and in their children's health, education and nutrition, building stronger families and communities over time.
They have tons of options and it looks like you could do lots of shopping there! Like this super cute apron! I have an apron and I love it.
GIGI HILL BAGS by Lauren Shingleton
Lauren sent me a message on facebook and told me that her and her sister donate 10% of all their profits to Reece's Rainbow, which is an organization that helps families adopt children with down syndrome.
This list is so minimal … leave your link below and spread the word about what you have on your site that makes a difference!
In northern Uganda, there are many women and girls who are forced into the sex-industry due to lack of food and provision for themselves and their children. Many are Acholi teenagers displaced by war, but a number of them are refugees from Congo who came to escape rape and violence.
So we started loving them and inviting them to our counseling support group…
Zion Project is an international faith-based organization created to heal and empower war-affected women and girls in Africa. Imani is our jewelry business we developed in response to the need for employment for the women we serve.
Unique hand crafted jewelry made with 100% recycled paper. Ethical, eco-friendly and cute as can be!
Use this code: XMAS 2011 to get 20% on all orders of $50 or more!
Beautiful jewelry and all the proceeds go to Hope in Ethiopia, a partnership to care for orphans and widows in Ethiopia.
Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions. I have one other organization that I love: Light Gives Heat: http://hope.lightgivesheat.org/shop
I love their Flavour of the Month program. It’s a great organization helping the women of Uganda.
Such a good list! I love krocketkids.org and 31bits.com.
Hi Jamie-
Thank you so much for compiling this list and for advocating for SO MANY! I am going to list these on my blog (that I have not updated in FOREVER) as well. A special thank you for adding Africa New Life, Love 41, Tabitha’s Hope and Hello Somebody to your list.
We have a special match going on right now with Africa New Life that will make SUCH an impact in Rwanda. A dear friend of ANL has committed to give $1,000 to ANL for every child we get sponsored from now until December 31st to complete the 300 children we registered in a community in Rwanda called Bugesera. We have around 100 kids to go at the moment! The link for our child sponsorship page is: http://africanewlife.org/sponsorship/
Many blessings, friend. I would so love to sit down over coffee in Austin when I get home from Rwanda mid-December if you will be in town? Love to you and yours.
Great list! I am going to include them on our website too. I know there are so many people who want to puchase gifts that give back.
I’m totally going to share a link to this page so that friends of mine can see all the great ideas you’ve listed for gifts that give. LOVE it!!!!!!
Another good one is http://www.tinybigmarket.com they sell just a couple things from families in nicaragua. Great cause and site. They have videos of the families that make the items.