What if you don’t want to buy something material for your friends and family for Christmas? Are there gift-giving options that support worthy causes and make the world a better place?
Whether you’re short of funds or feeling altruistic, there’s a heap of choices out there.
Donate Money
Take a look at Kiva, this not for profit group provides micro loans to people in third world countries. Here’s how it works – you donate money, a small loan is given to someone who really needs it, they repay it over time and then you can loan the money to someone else. Micro loans of as much as $25 can make a huge difference to someone trying to create a small business and become more self-sufficient.
www.kiva.org
Another website that allows you to help people out is Kickstarter. Help fund someone’s creative project whether it be in the fields of music, film, art, design or publishing.
www.kickstarter.com
Help Australian documentary filmmakers get their projects off the ground through the Australian Documentary Foundation. You get to choose which issue your money is directed towards and then filmmakers create documentaries on that issue.
www.documentaryaustralia.com.au
Support Local Arts Companies
Buy a friend a subscription to a local arts company – the theatre companies, ballet and opera all have season subscriptions that allow someone to see every show that the company puts on. Early career venues like The Blue Room can be quite affordable, send your friend off to see theatre for the next six months.
Spare Parts Puppet Theatre has an ‘Adopt a Puppet’ program, you choose a puppet from their vast collection and the donation helps make more puppets and shows for children and adults to enjoy. You can support the local film industry by purchasing a chair at the Film and Television Institute’s cinema, you don’t get to keep the chair but they do a plaque with your name on it on the armrest.
Give an Experience
One of the cheapest and most personal gifts you can give is your time and attention. Create a card for the recipient with the gift of a walk along the beach at sunset or their choice of radio station in the car for a week, give your loved one a day off from all the housework or offer to babysit someone’s kids for free for a day.
Make a friend a note-book of all your favourite recipes including that secret family recipe that your grandmother gave you.
If your friend can play a musical instrument, write out the score to a song you both love. Do you have a skill you use in your workplace that could help your friend? If you’re an accountant offer to help them with their next tax return, if you’re a policeman offer to complete a security check of their house.
Graeme Watson
***
