New Strategy for Charitable Gifts
A few years back, Emily Sagor’s extended family got bored with the practice of drawing names from a hat and giving a token gift to that aunt or this cousin. “It was somewhat unfulfilling because you would ask what they wanted, then buy that thing,” says Emily.
The new ritual is much more popular. In September or October, nominations are collected for charities about which family members care deeply. Each person who nominates a charity explains what it does. Then the family votes and the winning charity is announced. Checks flow to Emily’s aunt, who writes one big check to the organization in the name of the whole family.
Emily says the “winning” charities have included a hospice that sent a volunteer “to help my grandmother’s last few months of life.” This new holiday gift-giving strategy has produced some unexpected rewards: “Each year, we end up not only learning about organizations that are worth our attention, but we also learn more about each other and what matters to each of us,” explains Emily.
Cox, M. (2008). New Strategy for Charitable Gifts. Whose Birthday is it, Anyway? Ideas for a Christ-Centered Holiday 2008, 25.