How Charitable Giving Works

Ecommerce makes charitable giving more convenient, but not how you might think. Oh sure, there are electronic payment options at virtually every charitable giving website out there, but there’s one unique option out there that has changed the way we think about charitable giving.

One of the great struggles for all of us is separating our need to give back with our desire for material items, especially as the economy slowly recovers. However, according to several organizations and think tanks, charitable giving was on the rise in 2011, and 2012 is filled with expectations and hope.

According to the American Association of Fundraising Counsel, in 2010 Americans gave more than $290.89 billion to their favorite charitable giving organizations, which was up 3.8% from the previous year. $211.77 billion of that was given by individuals and households, which was 73% of all charitable giving dollars. This figure is further borne out by the National Park Service, which says that 80% of their own philanthropic giving comes from individuals and bequests. The remaining amount comes from corporations and foundations.

And just as there are many different charitable giving organizations, the web also features a plethora of ecommerce sites that make shopping online far preferable for many than getting out to traditional brick-and-mortar stores and markets. No fighting traffic, looking for a parking spot or braving inclement weather only to find that the store doesn’t have the item you’re looking for. By shopping online, you can easily browse for what you’re looking for and compare prices. The item you want is always in stock and oftentimes customers can finds some great deals on line that aren’t available in the physical stores.

Gifts that Give have managed to combine charitable giving and online shopping into one experience, making it easier for people to both shop and give at the same time. On the website, you have access to thousands of name brand, high-quality gift items in as many gift categories as you can imagine, many of which can’t be found in stores.


Best of all, you’ll get to take advantage of what makes Gifts that Give special in the marketplace: the ability to attach a charitable giving contribution to your purchase. For every five dollars spent, Gifts that Give will designate a dollar toward the charity or special cause that you choose. There are literally thousands of those to choose from as well, from national organizations like the American Heart Association to charities and organizations serving your own community.

What would make a better gift for someone you care about than one of the unique, high-quality items offered by Gifts that Give as well as the knowledge that a portion of the purchase price for that gift has been “payed forward” to a worthy cause?

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Finding Gift Ideas - The History of Valentine’s Day

In finding gift ideas for your special someone for Valentine's Day, it may help to understand the history of the holiday. Valentine’s Day wasn’t created by greeting card companies or florists. Gift giving has a long and rich tradition that spans across cultures. Valentine’s Day and its gift ideas evolved from one of those traditions into what we celebrate today. 

The holiday dates back to the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, a three day rite that centered around the Lupa, the she-wolf who legend says suckled the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Sacrifices would be made to the gods and young men would run through the streets of Rome with makeshift whips fashioned from the skins of the sacrificed animals. Women and young girls would line the streets hoping receive a lash from one of the whips which was supposed to guarantee fertility and reduce pain during childbirth. (This is not one of the gift ideas we suggest!)

It wasn’t until the 14th century, however, that the holiday began to be associated with love and romance. By that point, Pagan feasts like Lupercalia had been replaced by celebrations of Christian figures and saints. The Catholic church chose to honor two martyrs who were known as Valentine in place of Lupercalia, which really put a damper on some of the more. . . earthy gift ideas that had been going around.

It was poet Geoffery Chaucer who made the first known association of Valentine’s Day and love when he wrote about birds choosing their mates on St. Valentine’s Day (hence the term “lovebirds” as well). Birds are nice gift ideas, but a bit messy.

The ensuing Middle Ages were a time when courtly love was celebrated and St. Valentine’s Day became the centerpiece. It is believed the first Valentine gift was given by the Duke of Orleans, imprisoned in the Tower of London,  who wrote a poem to his wife in honor of the day, referring to her as his “sweet Valentine.” Little did he know he was giving birth to the greeting card industry, and all the gift ideas that followed.

Flash forward to Victorian England where, with the creation of mail delivery, it became customary to send Valentine’s messages to others. These would often be handmade and embroidered with ribbon and lace. Later, factories emerged to make these gifts. Additionally, gift ideas such as chocolates and flowers would accompany the message.

The American contribution came in the form the greeting card. Apparently Americans weren’t creative enough to come up with their own Valentine’s messages and gift ideas, so they outsourced it. Greeting card companies would create a romantic message contained within a card that could be bought and sent.

Through colonization, Valentine’s Day became popular the world over and is practiced in similar forms throughout the world.

So if you’re thinking that coming up with gift ideas for Valentine’s Day is difficult, just remember, it’s a lot easier now than it used to be, and Gifts that Give can help you with your choices. Not only do we offer some high-end designer gifts, we give 20% of your purchase to your favorite charitable organization. So, $1 out of every $5 is given as a charitable gift to the nonprofit of your choice. And I’m sure that special someone will greatly appreciate the card, flowers, and other gift ideas rather than a goat or a lashing from an animal skin whip.

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Gift Ideas for Valentine's Day

Fresh gift ideas might be hard to come by with Christmas just past, but Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. The importance of selecting just the right gift to express your affection for that special loved one is still something many consumers worry about. Valentine's Day gift ideas should reflect that connection with the most important people in your life.

First of all, whether you’re one half of a young couple or seasoned Valentine’s veterans, think outside the box with Gifts that Give. Twenty percent of the cost of any purchased gift goes to a charity of your choice. So not only will your gift recipient love his or her present, he or she will enjoy the peace of mind that comes with helping others.

Gifts that Give has everything you need to find the perfect gift for your sweetheart. Whether you want to honor her with the age-old gift of perfume or want to be a little more adventurous with some designer candles, soaps and bath salts, you can find many name brands at Gifts that Give.

Of course, jewelry is one of those can’t miss gift ideas. And with Gifts that Give, you know you can fulfill her Valentine’s dreams with jewelry from her favorite designers. Knowing she has something for herself to enjoy, plus getting to donate to a charity of choice, means a satisfying Valentine’s Day for everyone.

Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity for women to let their men know how special they are. Gifts that Give also has a prolific section of men’s gift ideas.

Is your guy a techie? Does his smartphone or mobile device seem surgically attached to his hand? What about picking out a designer case for that electronic device? It tells him that that what's important to him is important to you, and allows you to at least have the contraption fashionably clothed instead of all scratched up without a cover.

Many men are into sports. A nice golf accessory organizer shows you care about what is important to him and helps him keep track of tees, divot replacers and the like. Or, you could improve his fashion sense with some sports-related gift ideas: a watch, tie clasp, or even cuff links of his favorite baseball team would be an ideal gift.

This year, why not go all out for Valentine’s Day? Instead of simply contributing to the bottom line of the greeting card and chocolate companies, get thoughtful and give back with Gifts that Give.

Charitable Giving Gift Ideas

Charitable Giving always sees an increase during the holidays. It's the end of the year, so nonprofits are sending out their fundraising letters, asking us to support them. We help them as much as we can with our charitable giving, supporting our favorite causes and the ones we hold most dear.

You could give to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in a friend or family member’s name. Another option is to support the Sierra Club or the Nature Conservancy, because you want to leave the earth in better shape for your children.

So wouldn't it be great if you could support your favorite cause with more than just your charitable giving and volunteering? What if your holiday shopping could support your charitable giving as well?

Gifts that Give is the way you can give to charitable organizations while you shop. We donate 20% of your order — $1 out of every $5 — to the nonprofit of your choice as soon as you place your order. And you can get your shopping done at the same time.

There are more than 1.2 million charitable organizations, nonprofits, and causes you can support through your gift buying. Not only that, but you can browse through top name brands, like Riedel glassware and wine decanters, Jay Strongwater jewelry, and even Michael Aram home accessories. Other brands include Toss Designs, Anna Weatherly, Picnic Plus, Trésor, and Pearhead.

The way it works is this: You make a purchase on GiftsthatGive.com, and we give 20% of your purchase to the charity you choose. You can register as a VIP to take advantage for additional VIP benefits, or just check out as a guest. Then you tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter about GiftsthatGive, and help them with their own shopping.

You can even create your own Gifts that Give fundraiser page on Facebook. Steer all your friends to that page, and as they make their own purchases, your chosen charity will receive $1 of every $5 in charitable giving as well.

To top it all off, your charitable giving dollars are tax deductible. Any charitable giving amounts more than $10 can be applied toward your taxes the following year. The same goes for your friends — they get the same charitable giving tax benefits.

So if you're looking for designer name table linens, technology accessories, gorgeous designer bags, jewelry, or high-quality glassware, we've got it. We even have stuff for the men in your life (Edwin Jagger shaving kits), your kids (PluiePluie raincoats and rain boots), and even your pets (great dog sweaters and collars from Fab Dog). 

If you want to handle your holiday shopping and charitable giving at the same time, check out GiftsthatGive.com and find great gift ideas for everyone on your list.

Charitable Giving Gifts that Give Back 20% to Charity

Charitable giving that gives back 20% to charity?  Really?  How do they do it?


Gifts that Give, Inc. is unique.  In a nutshell, at www.giftsthatgive.com, the company runs a business that relies on its customers to tell their friends about Gifts that Give, and in exchange the comany donates the savings in advertising cost to the cause of the customer’s choice.  They make “passing the word” easy by providing tools on their website to let you tell your friends about this unique avenue to provide high quality gifts for charitable giving.


Choose a charity, purchase a product from companies, such as 

Jay Strongwater
Anna Weatherley
Kim Seybert
Vietri
Jonathan Adler
Lilly Pulitzer
Jellycat
Trumpette
Michael Aram
Simon Pearce

$1 out of every $5 goes to any cause of your choice.
It is that easy.  www.giftsthatgive.com

Gifts That Give Supports Different Organizations

Gifts that Give is an organization that allows shoppers not only to buy great, high quality gifts for their friends and loved ones, but also gives them the opportunity to select a charitable cause to support through their purchases. Gifts that Give donates one dollar for every five spent by the customer. That money can then be earmarked by the giver for one of many organizations associated with Gifts that Give.

And once you select the right gift idea for your family member, friend, or other loved one, you can share that with others as well. Right on our site, shoppers can link to Gifts that Give through their Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail accounts to help friends and family take advantage of this great opportunity.

Finding the right gift idea for that special person in your life doesn’t have to be a struggle. With Gifts that Give, you can touch their heart with a wonderful gift and also with the knowledge that the gift "paid it forward" to help someone else.

We offer 25 different categories totaling over one million causes to choose from. These range from legal defense funds, to social services, to medical/research based charities.

Are you in education or is it an issue near to your heart? Choose from over 10,000 different charities that help in this area. Some organizations might even be local to you as Gifts that Give enables charities from all across the country to participate. A simple search on the site will tell you whether your community has something available to support.

Have you lost a loved one to cancer? We sponsor over 900 different local and national cancer research charities. Or what about the arts? There are over 7000 different causes that help promote the arts in communities all across the United States.

Maybe you’d like to help a larger organization like the American Red Cross. You can do that too. You can donate to the national organization or one of the 17 different chapters from across the country registered with Gifts that Give.

Even animal lovers can donate to their favorite organization, as we offer over 1800 different opportunities to support causes as large as the Sierra Club or as small as your local animal shelter.

What’s really great about our program is that you can also share your passion with others. When you help a cause, you can post that information through Gifts that Give on your Facebook or Twitter page and tell others about the opportunity to support.

If you’re tired of the hyper-commercialization and materialism that has become associated with the holidays, Gifts that Give is the perfect solution. By purchasing your holiday gifts through our website, you refocus the holiday on the spirit of giving and helping others.

Gifts That Give to Charity

Buying gifts that give to charity is one way you can find special, meaningful gifts for the important people in your life, as well as give something extra to a charity of your choice at the same time. In this time of giving, it's possible to help those who need it most, just through the very act of holiday shopping.

Now that Thanksgiving is fast approaching, the beginning of the gift-giving holidays are following closely behind. But many people are becoming increasingly tired of the annual struggle to find meaningful, quality gifts for their friends and loved ones, and avoiding the crass commercialization that has come to mark what’s supposed to be a "season of giving."

That's why finding gifts that give can give us some extra special meaning this holiday, so that when we give high-quality special gifts to our friends and family, we also give something extra to people who truly need it. That's what it means to find gifts that give.

The organization, Gifts that Give, offers a wide variety of causes to support. Shoppers can choose which cause or charity they would like to have their money go toward — supporting legal causes, education, cancer research, wildlife conservation, education, and many more worthy charities — and then support those charities through their purchases.

For every five dollars spent by a shopper, Gifts that Give donates back one dollar to the cause of the shopper’s choice. So with a purchase of $500, a shopper would be donating $100 to a cause that helps others. Isn’t that what the spirit of the holidays is all about?

You can support a charity or cause that you feel strongly about, or you can support the favorite charity of your friend or loved one. Attach a special note and tell them they have supported their charity just by receiving their gift.

Gifts that Give also offers an assortment of high quality gift ideas. You can choose from over 100 different high-quality brand names, finding gifts normally only found in high-end catalogs or exclusive department stores. You can even get others involved in helping out. During the checkout process, Gifts that Give offers you the opportunity to link your Facebook or Twitter account to publicize the cause you’re supporting, and urging your friends to support them as well. By doing this, you could be raising thousands of dollars for a worthy charity, all with the click of a mouse and the purchase of a few gifts.

So if you’ve grown tired of the commercialization surrounding holiday gift giving, Gifts that Give is your answer. Give that special someone a high quality gift they will actually appreciate. And by using Gifts that Give, you can help someone else along the way as well. Because that is the true spirit of the holidays.