Charitable Gift Giving

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Win 2 Free Tickets to see Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, AllStar Weekend in Southern California on March 20, 2011 to benefit City of Hope

February 10th, 2011 · Cancer

To be eligible to win a pair of free tickets to this concert, click the Facebook “Like” button on the right of this page, and then post a message with your favorite Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, or AllStar Weekend song (you’ll need to provide your email address but don’t worry–it won’t be published and it will never be used except to inform you if you’re the winner)

If you are a teen or tween or have one in your life, chances are you find yourself humming a Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, or AllStar Weekend song at random parts of the day without even realizing it.

On March 20, 2011, at the Universal Amphitheater in Universal City in Southern California, all three of these stars will be performing a benefit concert to benefit City of Hope, a phenomenal independent research, treatment and education facility located North of Los Angeles that is paving the way in finding ways to conquer cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. It is consistently named among the top cancer treatment facilities in the world.

To get your tickets, you can visit LiveNation.com or Ticketmaster.com. But hurry, tickets for any ONE of these acts sell out quickly, I’m sure that once word gets out that all three of them are in concert, tickets will be gone fast.

If you’re in or will be traveling to SoCal around that time, give the teens or tweens in your life the thrill of a lifetime. Here are the event details:

Sunday, March 20 @ 5 PM
Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City Walk
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608

I was contacted by Phil from City of Hope’s social media agency who offered to give a pair of tickets to one lucky reader of CharitableGiftGiving.com. Just click the Facebook “Like” button on the right of this page (if you haven’t already), and then post a reply to this blog post with your favorite Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, or AllStar Weekend song (I have to screen these to make sure you’re a true fan :)). I’ll pick a random winner shortly!

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Groupon Superbowl Commercials – Are they Using Charity for Crass Commercialism?

February 7th, 2011 · Conservation, Developing Areas


groupon super bowl adsEvery year, it seems every Superbowl advertiser wants to be The One that everyone talks about the next day. It’s no wonder, since advertisers can pay $2.5 million to $2.8 million for a 30 second spot. That’s $93,333 each second they’re on the air. So each year, advertisers get more and more outrageous. As a result, we’re subjected every year to commercials involving monkeys and people getting kicked in the groin.

It’s no wonder that Groupon decided to get into the game. They were one of the hottest Internet companies of 2010–so hot that Google offered to buy them, and they turned them down. I get their emails every day, and I routinely save 50% on great restaurants in New York (you can get daily email offers for dozens and dozens of cities around the US). Just the other day, I saved 50% on their phenomenal national deal with Barnes and Noble.

Groupon did something interesting for the 2011 Super Bowl. They hired actors Timothy Hutton, Cuba Gooding Junior, Elizabeth Hurley to film a series of commercials for them.

Each commercial starts out with moving music in the background, with scenes of a serious charitable cause and the actor or actress (all who have been on the Hollywood A-List not too long ago) doing an impassioned voice-over. Then, suddenly, the tone changes and they end up talking about how they ended up Saving The Money (a play on Saving the Children or Saving the Animals) on a self-indulgent activity by using Groupon.

Judging from early voters on YouTube, people are not amused. How dare Groupon take important causes and trivialize them by hocking things like whale watching trips, expensive restaurant food, and Brazilian waxes! Tweets and blogs are lighting up with outrage.

Of course, this is what Groupon’s ad agency was going for. Of course, the company and the actors and actresses are part of an elaborate inside joke. These commercials are parodies of the sanctimonious, maudlin charity commercials that permeate the airwaves. They’re poking gentle fun at them, as well as the actors and actresses that lend their names and their voices to these causes. (Of course, at the same time they’re building brand recognition for the Groupon brand and probably making a little chunk of change for themselves).

Time will tell, of course, if the humor was a little too subtle. One thing that Groupon’s ad agency may have underestimated is the mass audience’s grasp on irony. For a company that needs to build a strong brand, they’re really rolling the dice on this one. Will consumers view Groupon as a fun company that gives great deals and doesn’t take itself too seriously? Or will they see this as using important causes to build their own fortune? Either way, it’ll be an interesting conversation to watch over the next few days.

Before you cast your judgment, keep in mind that Groupon does have legitimate “deals” where you can really donate $15 to save the whales, help Tibet, and save the rainforests, and they will match the donation.

Here are the Groupon Superbowl spots:

Clever or Crass? You be the judge.

Although at the end of the day, the clear winner this year has got to be Volkswagen. Ironic how the most talked-about commercial this year was not one that involved multi-million dollar special effects, dancing animals, or various body parts getting beaten up, but just a kid in a Darth Vader outfit.

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Charity Flowers for Valentine’s Day 2011

January 23rd, 2011 · Organic Bouquet

Valentine’s Day is coming up again! I’ll admit, I sometimes have a hard time justifying to myself buying flowers. I mean, they’re beautiful and there’s hardly a better gift to give a woman to capture a “moment”. But after the moment is gone, the flowers start fading and dying, and there’s that uncomfortable moment afterward when it goes into the trash.

This is why I love buying Charity Bouquets at Organic Bouquet. After you’ve given the flowers, you know that your gift keeps on giving and giving, because a portion is donated to one of over 50 charities that YOU choose. Charities run the gamut from environmental causes to medical charities to helping the poor and developing areas to women’s issues–chances are you’ll find the perfect one for you and your loved one.

The flowers are organically grown in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly way. Having been in the flower business before, one piece of advice I always give is that if you’ve buying flowers that come shipped in a box, don’t deliver then directly to your recipient. Instead, have them delivered to you 1-2 days before Valentine’s Day, and then clean and arrange the flowers yourself in a vase. This way, when there are things like excess leaves, guard petals, and flowers that need to be rehydrated, you can take care of those things beforehand. It’s a little bit of extra work, but she’ll appreciate it all the more 🙂

If you really don’t want to do the work, there’s always 1-800-Flowers.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

January 19th, 2011 · First Book, Literacy

give a mouse a cookieIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie has become one of the children’s book classics of our time. It’s a beautifully illustrated children’s book that recounts the amusing story of what happens when a little boy gives a mouse a cookie. It’s sort of like a modern-day “I know an old lady who swallowed a fly” that of course not nearly as off-putting as that song. A Mouse Cookie First Library (If You Give…) is a compilation of the original book and its sequel “If You Take a Mouse to School”.

The author, Laura Numeroff, is donating a portion of her royalties will be donated to First Book, a national nonprofit organization that promotes children’s literacy.

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Gordie Howe T-Shirt

January 16th, 2011 · Amazon


The Hartford Whalers Gordie Howe Vintage NHL Alumni T-Shirt is a great T-Shirt that’s a replica of the great Gordie Howe’s #9 Jersey with the Hartford Whalers. It’s available in every size from Small to XX-Large and is made from 100% cotton. The official team logo is on the front, while Howe’s name and number are on the back, all stylishly imprinted to give it a vintage look.

The shirt is produced by Old Time Hockey, and a portion of the proceeds for each t-shirt is donated by Old Time Hockey to the retired players pension fund.

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Recipes from Vermont

January 15th, 2011 · Conservation

Dishing Up® Vermont: 145 Authentic Recipes from the Green Mountain State is a collection of recipes from Vermont. If you’ve ever experienced or dreamed of waking up on a snowy morning in a warm Bed and Breakfast in Vermont and enjoying a home-cooked gourmet meal, this is the closest you’ll come without booking a trip.

Recipes have names like Blueberry Stuffed French Toast, Apple Covered Cheesecake, Vermont-Style Hush Puppies, Apple Pancakes, and more.

There are of course plenty of recipes that use Vermont’s staple ingredients, cheddar cheese, maple syrup, and fresh apples. But there are many more recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Proceeds from the book help The Vermont Fresh Network, the nation’s first statewide farm-to-restaurant program. As our food supply becomes more and more inundated with mass produced, chemically enhanced produce, it’s programs like this that help keep the traditional farmer going.

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Cute organic toddler doll

January 13th, 2011 · Amazon, Cancer, Children's Charities

organic doll
This Dandelion Organic Toddler Doll comes in brunette (shown) or blonde. It’s a really cute doll that’s made of organic cotton fibers, and filled with natural corn fiber filling, with absolutely no harmful toxins at all.

It’s perfect for baby because it’s 11 inches tall and machine washable, so you can easily wash away all the goo and gunk that baby will be getting on it.

This toy was named to Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Toys of 2011.  A portion of the proceeds from this item supports childhood cancer research

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How to help the victims of the tragegy in Arizona

January 10th, 2011 · American Red Cross

Like most of you, the news left me horrified and sick to my stomach. Over the weekend, a lunatic took a gun and killed three men and three women, and left a young, vibrant, popular congresswoman struggling for her life. The murder was indiscriminate, including a 76 year-old man and a 9-year old little girl. Thirteen others were wounded.

Almost as sickening as the awful tragedy has been the media and the politicians’ reaction to it. Immediately, people stood up on their pulpits and made bold pronouncements. It was this political party’s fault. No, it was that radio talk show’s fault. No, it was the fault of our government. I’d say that hearing some of the people talk was like hearing children on the playground fighting, but that’d be an insult to children on the playground. For some of these “talking heads” to use this tragedy as a means to further their own political agendas was disappointing and a tragic reflection of the very abuse of free speech they are supposedly champions of. I couldn’t take any more. I shut off the TV, the radio, and the Internet over the weekend.

Make no mistake. There was one person at fault: the madman who pulled the trigger.

So of all the voices out there, there is only one voice I trust at this point in time. It’s the voice of the person whom I know was the most reluctant spokesman of all.

On behalf of Gabby and our entire family, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the people of Arizona and this great nation for their unbelievable outpouring of support. Gabby was doing what she loved most – hearing from her constituents – when this tragedy occurred. Serving Southern Arizonans is her passion, and nothing makes her more proud than representing them in Congress.

Like all Americans, we mourn the loss of Judge John M. Roll, Christina Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck, Dorwan Stoddard and Gabe Zimmerman, a fine man and beloved member of Gabby’s team. We must never forget them, and our prayers are with their families. Our hearts go out to everyone injured yesterday; we hope and pray for their quick recovery. We also extend our thanks and appreciation to all of the first responders, medical personnel, law enforcement, and Arizona citizens who acted swiftly on Saturday and continue to assist our community through this tragedy. Many stories of heroism are emerging, and they are a source of strength for us during this difficult time. We are forever grateful.

Many of you have offered help. There is little that we can do but pray for those who are struggling. If you are inspired to make a positive gesture, consider two organizations that Gabby has long valued and supported: Tucson’s Community Food Bank and the American Red Cross.

The words, of course, are from Mark Kelly, Representative Giffords’s husband. He asks us to help in one way: to pray. And not to pray for some amorphous concept like justice or even our country or our society. No, pray specificaly for those who are struggling. The families of those six innocent men, women, and children who were murdered in cold blood, whose own lives were forever ripped apart. And those fourteen who are fighting for their lives right now. That is what will help right now.

Knowing that there will be some who want to do more, Mr. Kelly suggests a donation to one of Ms. Giffords’s favorite charities.

Community Food Back of Tuscon

American Red Cross

It was an amazing statement from a remarkable family. Even in their hour of pain, they make a point to think about the hungry, the suffering, and the sick among us. Instead of lashing out and turning their pain into anger and outrage (which was their right, and theirs alone), they showed the spirit of what it means to be a true American.

Please pray for Representative Giffords’ full recovery, as well as the others who are fighting for their lives right now. And let’s all learn from their example and unlike those who are throwing around loud and empty speeches, let’s quietly give of ourselves to help those who are in real need. The true way to combat evil is through doing good.

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Votive Holder that Helps Haiti

January 7th, 2011 · Developing Areas, Uncommon Goods

This Haitian Flower Votive Holder is available at UncommonGoods. These are handmade votive candle holders made from recycled steel oil drums. 

A tea light is included, which will beautifully flicker through the spaces among the floral and vine design. It’s made in Haiti by the Comite Artisanal Haitian, an artisan coop of 170 artists in Port au Prince. Half of the profits that the supplier makes from the sales of these bowls go to Partners in Health (Stand with Haiti) and Americares.

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Rover, the book Ellen gave Oprah for Christmas!

January 4th, 2011 · Amazon, Animal Causes

dog bookHope everyone is having a wonderful New Year! While everyone is still recovering from the holidays and comparing Christmas presents, thought you might like a look at the present that Ellen gave to Oprah! It’s Rover, Woof Edition (Volume 2).

This is a museum quality hardcover book which has 421 amazing pictures of doggies by photographer  Andrew Grant. Each picture is a remarkable look into each dog’s distinct personality and emotion. It’s a fantastic gift for any animal lover, and bring awareness to the vital importance of pet rescue shelters (to which a portion of proceeds will be donated).

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