Give a Gift That Heals the World

Even if your list is done, I urge you to give at least one gift like the below (even if it's a gift to yourself!) Makes a perfect last minute gift, which can be done in a few clicks while at home.    

Give to a cause that is close to their heart - or that they would appreciate being done in their name.  If they don't send an email asap to your recipient, or even if they do, it's nice to print out a screen shot and a certificate you made yourself to wrap and present, or mail. 

TIP: Don't UNDERESTIMATE your power to create a huge ripple effect, even if in a small contribution, even if it's from only one gesture. One person CAN make a difference. You give this donation in the name of a friend, and it it gives to another person, group or village, who then make a difference in the lives of their families, friends, communities and countries, and who knows, maybe one or three of those people go on to do big things in the world! 

Here's small sampling. Let's go!

The International Rescue Committee is serious about what it does, keeping tabs on the biggest humanitarian emergencies and all major continents of the globe. Your donation goes where they feel it's most urgent.  I gave to this too.  Have a global impact -- Donate to IRC HERE, and it will be doubled. 

The Heifer Project gives animals to people all around the world to promote sustainable advances in their lives. Buy anything from a hive of bees, a pig, llama, chickens or geese, a cow, trees in in the name of the person you are gifting. This is, as it says above, the most important gift in the world.

There are so many ways you can help (you can even get your employer to do matching funds if so moved). Here are just two pictures of their many programs. THIS IS THE BEST!

Go Green -- literally! Buy a tree --or many-- for a dollar each in a person's name, and even choose the region of the country or the world that you'd like them to be planted (At times they offer places you can plant them where they are trying to come back from a natural disaster). Your friends will receive a nice announcement about it too.

You'll get a charitable tax deduction, the planet will get oxygen producing air filters, the animals will get shade, a food source and shelter, and the soil will get nutrients and be secured by their roots. Pretty good for a dollar! Just press where it says is this a gift for someone. Click around on the menus before choosing what you want to do. Visit American Forests to donate. And you can give a tree in memorial as a gift that will grow and grow for decades to come.  They have a doubling fund through 12/31 as well. 

The UN Refugee Agency has been in my social media feed a lot, with people like Meryl Streep and Ben Stiller putting their voices and reputation behind it and it helps this cause get noticed. This year, so many refugees and those displaced by war are facing winter without what they need as they are trapped in refugee camps. Children, grandparents... They provide warm clothes and food, and help rebuild shelters if storms destroy them among other things. It's COLD out there, we are so lucky. I gave.  Donate HERE - 100% tax deductible, and doubled by a matching fund.

Donate in someone’s name as a gift to Amnesty International,  a powerful force - a voice for rights of people everywhere, against political imprisonment and torture. racism, gun violence and so much more -- it's not possible to put it in a few sentences. Please visit their site and learn. You can take action and/or Donate.  They too have a matching fund so anything you give will be doubled!

Doctors without Borders delivers medical need around the globe when it's most needed. Their ability to respond quickly to medical humanitarian emergencies is crucial to saving more lives. Unrestricted funds allow them to allocate their resources most efficiently and where the needs are greatest.  Honor someone with a gift HERE.

Empower PEOPLE  around the world with as little as $25! How many coffee's do we buy in a week that easily totals that?  Kiva gives you the chance to make a loan to people in over 70 countries so they can start businesses, go to school, and change their lives. Support a borrower of your choice. When you give a Kiva Card, you give someone else the chance to make a loan to a borrower who inspires them. When that loan is repaid, they can lend those funds again and again to make an even bigger difference. It's truly the gift that keeps on giving!

Kiva connects millions of people around the world through lending to make the world a better place. Every day, hundreds of loans are funded to help borrowers start and grow businesses, send their kids to school, switch to clean energy, and more — all with a nearly 99% repayment rate. Just go to Kiva.org, find a story that speaks to you, and do a little bit of good!

TIP: If the organizations above don't send an email asap to your recipient, or even if they do, it's nice to print out a screen shot and a certificate you made yourself to wrap and present, or mail. 

There are so man you there. I hope this has sparked some ideas, and if you don't see what you are looking for, just Google! But please, consider donating!