Charitable Gift Giving

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

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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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From Our Children CDs – Famous musicians singing children's songs

April 12th, 2009 · AIDS, Amazon, Children's Charities, Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation

Back in the 1991, a group of musical luminaries assembled to create a series of CDs called “For Our Children”. Some of the performances have become legendary, from Bette Midler’s “Blueberry Pie” to Bruce Springsteen’s “Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips to Luther Vandross singing “Puff the Magic Dragon” to Little Richard singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, to other delightful renditions of children’s songs by the likes of Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Cher, Seal, and Sting. Over a million units were sold, with proceeds benefitting the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

The original records are out of print, but about a year ago this compilation of the best of the best was released. Called Every Child Deserves a Lifetime: Songs from the for Our Children Series, it brings the best performances together onto one CD. And of course, all proceeds still go to benefit the same great cause.

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See a Movie, Save a Planet

April 9th, 2009 · Conservation

If you have a Blu-ray player and a large LCD or plasma TV, you are probably aware of Planet Earth – The Complete BBC Series. It is a jaw-droppingly phenomenal piece of filmmaking that not only lets you experience parts of the planet that you will never, ever get to see in person; it also makes full use of the high-definition Blu-ray format. Bar none, there’s no other title which is better for showing off a high-definition television setup.

It is also the first video production I ever heard of that was so popular and stunning, that it went from video to theatrical release. On April 22, Earth Day, Disney will release a movie called “EARTH”, by the same filmmakers who made Planet Earth. They’ve edited it to feature file release length and added a famous narrator (James Earl Jones). The movie tells the story of three animal families (elephants, polar bears and humpback whales) and their journeys across the planet.

Clearly, from an economic standpoint Disney is going after “March of the Penguins” numbers. But from an educational perspective, this is a good trend. I consider myself somewhat of an environmentalist, but I admit in many ways I think the extremest environmentalist movement sometimes does a disservice in their approach. Films like this aren’t preachy or “in-your-face” about saving the planet, but ironically the beauty of the planet speaks louder than anyone about the importance of being a trustee of the world we were given to live in.

For every person that sees this movie in the opening week, Disney will plant a tree in areas conservationists have identified as important “hot spots of biodiversity,” such as the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (which is one of the most endangered rain forest in the world). With only 7 percent of the original forest remaining, Disney is committed to ensuring the trees are planted and cared for to provide the greatest long term benefit for the planet.

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Windows Vista that help Charity (Product RED)

April 9th, 2009 · (PRODUCT) Red, Amazon

If you need to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista, you can purchase this copy of Windows Vista that also helps a great cause. Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED Upgrade with SP1 is Microsoft’s participation in the PRODUCT (RED) program, the initiative started by U2’s Bono and Bobby Shriver of DATA, who continue to be the spokesman and CEO, respectively.

Functionally, it’s exactly the same as you’d get with any other purchase of Windows Vista, at the same cost. In fact, it also comes with a bonus set of 6 additional wallpapers, 2 sidebar gadgets, 1 screensaver, and 1 DreamScene movie which the normal version of Vista does not come with. As with all Windows products, future upgrades within the same version are completely free and automatic through Windows updates, so you’ll know you always have the latest version.

The nice thing about this version is that a portion of proceeds go to the Global Fund to fight AIDS and help needy causes in Africa.  If you have to upgrade your version of Windows, this is certainly a nice way to do it.

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The Marriott Bear to Feed the Hungry

April 6th, 2009 · America's Second Harvest

marriott bear charitable giftThis cute fellow is the Marriott Bear. For every one of these that is purchased, Marriott donates a portion of proceeds to Feeding America (formerly named America’s Second Harvest).

The goal of Feeding America is to create an America free from hunger.Feeding America is the largest domestic hunger-relief charity in the nation, with more than 200 regional member food banks and programs serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

$4 from each bear will go to Feeding America.

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The best Hand Sanitizer on and for the planet by Frais

April 3rd, 2009 · Amazon, Developing Areas

Frais is a company based in Australia which produces a luxury brand of Hand Sanitizer. During the cold and flu season, every doorknob, every tabletop, every handshake, and every pen and pencil can be a breeding ground for germs that cause the flu, the common cold, staph infections, and worse.We can’t wash our hands every five minutes, but it’s easy to spritz a dollop of hand sanitizer.  The World Health Organization, the CDC, and the Mayo Clinic all agree that hand sanitizer like his kills 99.9% of germs that cause infectious illnesses, even more effectively than soap and water.Frais uses natural, non-toxic ingredients created by chemists in the United States from natural plants in Australia, keeps hands luxurious through the careful blend of natural essential oils, and has been approved by dermitologists as non-sensitizing and non-irritating. The history of the company is interesting–it was started by two gentlemen who were touring Cambodia and lamented why it was so difficult for keeping their hands sanitary.You can also purchase a Gift Pack, containing 14 2-ounce bottles. In this day of swine flu, bird flu, and every other kind of flu, there’s no better time to start a good habit of keeping your hands sanitized constantly.Frais is now a worldwide business. The alcohol they produce from sugarcane takes less energy to produce than the corn alcohol used in generic hand sanitizer brands, which is good for the environment. Their products come in recycled packaging, and are never tested on animals.A portion of all corporate proceeds goes to the Just a Drop Foundation, which supports water, sanitition, and health project all around the world, helping countries that lack basic necessities such as clean water.

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Americares Postage

March 31st, 2009 · AmeriCares, Zazzle

AmeriCares is a humanitarian relief organization which in the last 25 years has delivered more than eight billion dollars of aid to 137 countries in the form of medicine, medical spplies, and aid.

AmeriCares accepts product donations from the private sector, and delivers them by air or ocean to health and welfare professionals in the most needy countries.

Click on the link above, and you’ll be able to order official postage stamps from Zazzle.Com and the United States Postal Service, with photographs of locations around the world that have been helped by AmeriCares donations, from the Sudan to Indonesia to Haiti to Central America, to Africa.

20% of the net sale will go directly to supporting AmeriCares programs.

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Baby Dude Shoes

March 28th, 2009 · Amazon, Children's Charities

Babygags, Inc. creates some of the cutest tongue-in-cheek baby gifts for the hip baby of the 21st century.

This set of Silly souls Dude Shoes is for babies 6 to 9 months old.

It simply reads “Dude”. ‘Nuff said.

A portion of proceeds goes to help Save the Children.

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Jewelry from the Silk Road in Afghanistan

March 25th, 2009 · Arts, National Geographic

Afghan Heart Necklace with PearlImagine you’re living two thousand years ago and travelling the Silk Road from Afghanistan to China. You come across a merchant selling the most exquisite and beautiful jewels you’ve ever seen, made of gold, carnelian, turquoise, and other materials.

The jewelry you see on this page is literally what you would have seen. And it carries a story much more fascinating than the jewelry you pick up at Walmart or Target.

In 1979, archaeologists in Afghanistian had a major excavation at Tillya-tepe (also known as the “Golden Mound”) near Shibargan, Afghanistan. They discovered more than 20,000 gold pieces from the Bactria period. The 18-inch Afghan Heart Necklace with Pearl necklace (and separate earrings) you see above is based on one of the designs, made of gold-finished pewter hearts with 4mm freshwater pearls.

Bactrian Rimmed Spangle Bracelet with Turquoise DiscsSimilarly, the Bactrian Rimmed Spangle Bracelet with Turquoise Discs you see to the right was based on a design discovered at Tillya-Tepe.

Proceeds from sales of this jewelry benefit the Afghan Museum, as well as the National Geographic Society’s ongoing cultural work.

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