Posts tagged giving during the holidays
Five Pay It Forward stories
Feb 15th
As you know, we love stories about people committing selfless acts of goodwill. Unfortunately not all of these stories ends up on our website, foyble.com. For your reading pleasure we have collected a few good ones from around the internet below. These will go over on the Start the GIVE resource page as well. Enjoy!
A feel for skiing, sight not necessary: Nancy Stevens, an Oregonian who has been blind since birth, teaches instructors to teach other blind people how to downhill ski.
Mystery couple starts ‘magical’ chain reaction: A couple bought another table breakfast in a Philly diner. This started a chain reaction that lasted for five hours! Sound familiar? More >
Five Winter giving ideas
Jan 12th
Never mind. I'll use the valet.
It’s been pretty brutal here in Chicago and all over the midwest, weather-wise, for the last few weeks. We’ve had a few snow storms and temperatures in the teens or twenties for a few weeks straight. But we think it would be shame to waste a whole season just because the weather is terrible. Below are a few ideas we have for making the cold winter months productive giving months.
1) Use the time to research some new organizations to get involved with once the weather breaks. So you’re stuck inside because it’s 10 below and the driveway is unpassable? Go with it. Stay inside and let your internet do the walking. Use our resources page to find a new organization. Or search for them on your own- using your fave search engine use search terms for things that you’re interested in like “soccer” or “little league” or “gardening” and pair them with good giving ‘action’ words like “giving”, “volunteerism”, or “helping”. Throw in your city or a nearby larger city for good measure. Check this ‘gardening volunteerism’ search result on google.
The foyble holiday gift giving guide for givers
Dec 16th
It is holiday time! We all know what the holidays are about- family, food, gifts. Many of you may know someone who is devoted to giving- this post is for those folks. Here are some ideas on what to give the giver in your life.
To begin, we think you first must recognize the human nature (character) of a giver. They are unselfish, empathetic, recognize the world is all sorts of shades of grey, prefer action over inaction, and holistic. Believe in the good and that they can make a difference. Even if none of our ideas seem like the one for you, remember these traits as you hunt for that perfect gift for the giver you know.
On to the list:
- Find our their favorite charity and make a modest donation. Better yet, try to get lots of your friends to donate with you.
- Offer to tag along the next time they go to volunteer. Even better, agree to recruit two people to bring along to the event on the day of their choosing.
- Make a donation in their honor to heifer international. Heifer.org offers the possibility to give a gift that keeps on giving!
- If the giver in your life does a lot of hard work volunteering (habitat for humanity, volunteering at races, etc) consider getting them a massage or some other rejuvenating service. When you do it make sure to acknowledge their hard work.
- If the person you know saves money in order to have more to give, consider getting them something that allows them to enjoy the finer things- a gift card to a coffee shop, some Belgian chocolate, a few days in that time share you’ve got.
- Make a coupon book with favors that help the recipient keep on giving. Our friend Dan told us about how his Mom used to participate in a 24-hour cancer walk-a-thon every year. What a great opportunity that would be- make a coupon book for a foot massage, or to get a pedicure, or to participate with her!
- Agree to participate in a charity walk/run with a race that is important to someone. This could be an even more meaningful gift if fitness is not something that you normally do as a hobby.
- Try a global giving gift card. Available in eco friendly and convenient e-card format.
- Don’t like our list? Try this one. <—click this link. The list is REALLY good.
- Want more inspiration? There are nearly 250 foybles over at foyble.com for you to browse!
The key is that you need to be mindful of what the person is passionate about and then ensure that you convey that you are willing to sacrifice on their behalf. You may not be as passionate as they are but that you support their commitment enough to sacrifice yourself.
Happy Holidays from foyble!
Posted by Brian
