Charitable Gift Giving

We surf the Web to find good products that help out a great cause.

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The Amazon Kindle II, and E-Books that Help Charity

May 12th, 2009 · Amazon

Last year, I talked about the then-new Amazon Kindle E-Book reader and highlighted some e-books that help charity.

This year, Amazon has come up with the Kindle II. Just like the iPod is the category-leader for MP3 players, the Kindle is the same for eBook readers. It’s as thin as a typical magazine, it’s as light as a typical paperback, and it has free 24×7 access to a 3G network that lets you download books any time in under 60 seconds (and even access a limited number of Web sites like The New Oxford Dictionary and Wikipedia)

It’s simple to use, and the new battery can last up to 4 days without recharging. Its 2GB memory will hold a library full of books, and just like the old Kindle, its “electronic ink” technology reads just like a real book. You can also download Audible.Com audio books!

Here’s are some of the best eBooks for Kindle where a portion of proceeds will go to charity:

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Give Mom a Kitten

May 9th, 2009 · Animal Causes, ASPCA

aspca adoptionIf your Mom happens to be an empty nester, she probably could use some company from time to time.

 Along with being a great companion, studies have down that pet owners have lower blood pressure, lower cholesteral levels, a lower risk for heart disease, and reduced number of visits to a doctor.  

The ASPCA offers this unique opportunity for pet lovers. If your Mom or anyone special in your life would make a great pet parent, you can give them the Gift-a-Pet Certificate. (At this time, they only offer Gift-a-Pet certificates for cat and kitten adoptions.)

These certificates allow you to pay the adoption fee of a cat or kitten for the loved one in your life. The fee is $75 for an adult cat, $125 for one kitten or $150 for two kittens.

The recipient of the certificate is able to come to the ASPCA’s 92nd Street Shelter in New York (if you’re not in the New York area, treat Mom to a trip here while you’re at it). After application approval, she’ll be able to choose a cat or kitten to take home.

Pet adoption is not for everyone, of course, but for the right people there is no better gift than the gift of love.

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Pass the Plate – Cook something delicious and pass it on!

May 7th, 2009 · Breast Cancer, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

Cook for the Cure - Pass the PlateHere’s a great idea from the folks at KitchenAid and Villeroy & Boch. Cook for the Cure – Pass the Plate is a clever program that lets you turn your love of cooking into funding to help cure cancer.

The way it works is pretty clever. You purchase the plate you see to the right, which is completely microwave and dishwaster-safe. The first thing you do is register the plate online (the bottom of the plate has all the instructions). Then. you cook something yummy, and you present your food, along with the plate, to another foodie friend who loves to cook. Your friend then does the same thing, logging on and adding to the history of the plate. You can log in any time and check how far your plate has travelled, and what great food has been served on it.

Aside from being pretty cool to see what recipes people come up with, each time the plate is passed, KitchenAid will donate $5 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

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Pretty Necklace to Support the March of Dimes

May 5th, 2009 · March of Dimes, Red Envelope

necklace to support march of dimesThis beautiful necklace, available from Red Envelope, is made from sterling silver with a chain with an adjustable length from 16″-18″. The pendant is a single, unending loop to symbolize mother and child in an eternal embrace.

For every necklace sold, Red Envelope will donate 10 percent of the proceeds to the March of Dimes to help baby health and prevent birth defects.

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Send Flowers to Mom Which Help Animals

May 2nd, 2009 · 1-800-Flowers.com, Animal Causes

iconiconMother’s Day 2009 is Sunday May 10. Sure, it’s great for you to send Mom flowers, but 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has a great deal which will let you give more.

Visit their assortment of Mother’s day flowers for Pet Loversicon and use promotion code PETMOM.

You’ll get 10% off your purchase, but 10% will also be donated to the North Shore Animal League America, the world’s largest no-kill rescue shelter. If you have a Mom who loves animals, this is the perfect way to say how much you love her.

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Pink Flip-Flops that Support Breast Cancer Research

April 30th, 2009 · Red Envelope, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

The folks at Red Envelope are selling this very comfy looking pair of pink flip flops, where 10% of the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Foundation.

The slippers are amazingly plush and made of super-soft absorbent pink terry. The bottoms are made of foam which conforms to your foot, and rubber soles prevent slipping. They even come with a travel pouch.

After spending all day on her feet, give Mom a way to rest her weary feet (and why not treat yourself too?)

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T-Shirt to Promote Social Entrepreneurship

April 26th, 2009 · Zazzle

t-shirt to support social entrepreneurshipI had the pleasure last week of learning about the organization Echoing Green. They’re a non-profit group that supports the concept of social entrepreneurship. If you don’t know what social entrepreneurship is, just think in the business world about what venture capitalists do. VCs try to find entrepreneurs with great business ideas. They’ll provide seed funding so the entrepreneurs can grow their business.

Echoing Green does the same sort of thing, but as a non-profit organization themselves, they focus on finding people with great ideas for making the world a better place and naming them “fellow” to receive funding. So far, they’ve helped organizations like Teach For America, City Year, Genocide Intervention Network, and International Bridges to Justice get off the ground, among many others. All of these organizations truly make the world a better place for all of us.

Obviously, a great idea like this needs funding themselves. They get some corporate funding, but need contributions from individuals too. The cute T-Shirt you see above is available in men’s or women’s styles. When you buy it, the proceeds will go to help Echoing Green, but more importantly, wearing it will help spread the word about this great organization.

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On Saturday, April 25, help our National Parks by shopping at Macys

April 25th, 2009 · Macys

macys.com - 4.25Today, Saturday, April 25, is a great day to shop at Macys.

On today only, purchase a “One Good Turn Ticket” which supports America’s National Parks, and you’ll receive 20% or 10% off at macys.com!

Here’s how it works. On April 25, add a One Good Turn ticket to your shopping cart for $5. 100% of this will go to help care for the over 400 National Parks in the U.S.

Shop at Macy’s and then proceed to checkout. You’ll see either 10% or 20% deducted off your entire purchase.

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Jones New York "In the Classroom" Tee

April 21st, 2009 · Education, Macys

UPDATE FOR 2011:

The 2011 In the Classroom Tee is out and can be purchased directly from the Jones New York Web site. It looks even more stunning than previous years’ versions, with a stunning red design by Sarah Singh. As always, 100% of proceeds will go to help New York city classrooms.

This WILL sell out, so get it while you can!

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Original Post from 2010:

The Jones New York Signature Tee, In the Classroom is a cotton crewneck T-Shirt illustrated by artist Sujean Rim. The illustration is a stylish and colorful screen print design of a teacher holding apple shopping bags.

100% of the profits are donated to Jones New York In The Classroom, a non-profit organization supporting teachers and education.

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Support a worthy cause with everyday purchases: Your Childrens' College Fund!

April 15th, 2009 · Education


Upromise.comDisclosure: We participate in the eBay Partner Network (EPN) meaning we may earn a commission when users click on links to eBay and make purchases. 

We highlight a lot of worthy causes on this blog, but here’s one that you’ll definitely be able to get behind if you have a family, because the beneficiary is–you!

If you haven’t heard of it. Upromise is a completely FREE program where through every day spending, both online purchases and offline purchases such as filling up your gas tank, going to McDonalds, or going to the supermarket, you can save money, a few cents at a time, for your children’s college fund.

Here’s how it works. You start off by registering your credit cards (it’s 100% safe) and your supermarket and drugstore cards. Then, you can earn points in different ways:

  1. If you shop online at stores such as eBay or the Gap or Target.com, you’ll be credited with anywhere from 1% to 15% on any purchase. The percentage varies by store, most are in the 1% to 5% range, and they’re on TOP of whatever coupons or discounts you enjoy at their site already.
  2. If you go to the supermarket or a drugstore and purchase anything from a list of hundreds of products they have, ranging from Florida’s Natural orange juice to Charmin toilet tissue to Hefty storage bags to Beech-Nut baby food, you’ll be credited with anywhere from 1% to 5% of the price. To be honest, most of the time I don’t even think about it–I check my statement and see a few dollars from purchases I would have made anyway.
  3. One cool new feature is called “eCoupons”. They’re coupons which you don’t have to clip or print–you just click a button on their Web site, buy that item in the supermarket, and you get money credited to your account.
  4. If you fill up your gas at Exxon or Mobil, you get a percentage of your purchase price back.
  5. You can earn points by dining out at over 8000 restaurants.
  6. There are also special offers of cashback for banking, insurance, mortgages, travel and more services which can net you thousands of dollars.

Sure, given the price of college you wouldn’t think a dollar here or there is going to help. But because you can put all the money you collect into a 529 plan which is completely free of federal or state tax forever, provided you use it for college expenses (Upromise even provides recommendations on all the major 529 plans). As I write this, the stock market is at a low point, which means there’s no better time to start putting money in to a 529. And with the magic of compounded interest, even a few dollars today can turn into thousands of dollars by the time your children go to college.

The sooner you Join Upromise, the sooner you can turn your everyday spending into college savings. And while this isn’t a typical charitable cause, bottom line is, getting your kids a decent education so they can be successful, make great contributions to this country and get this country moving again, that’s a great cause.

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