For the past two years my family has decided to give each other charitable gifts instead of physical gifts. Before we made that decision, the holiday season lost it’s luster for me. It still revolved around gifts even though I wasn’t a child anymore. All that “stuff” didn’t bring me happiness. It actually brought stress and overwhelm. When we decided to change our gift routine to only giving charitable gifts, all the warm fuzzies came back to me. It became a true joy to see my mom open her card and see that a donation had been made in her name to charity who provides education and meals to underprivileged girls in Ghana. It was an absolute HOOT to see my dad open his gift and see that I adopted a hero rat in his name. This was a mine sniffing rat who saves hundreds of people’s lives by sniffing out landmines in Cambodia.

We still buy very small physical gifts for each other - think stocking stuffers. It’s important to support local makers and their families. That money stays within the community and betters it. We’ll gift locally made chocolates, soaps, or thrifted items (ex: a purse, necklace, or planter) from a thrift shop that benefits a local animal shelter or hospice.

If you’re the type of person who wants to give LOTS of gifts, you can still go the charitable route. You can choose to donate smaller amounts of money, but to a greater number of charities. It’s quite exciting finding unique charities that you know are close to your loved ones’ hearts. Below you’ll find a Charity Gift Guide. Each charity has a high rating. It’s important to look up a charitable organization’s rating on a charity rater before donating. Charities that have low scores aren’t making a big impact because the majority of donated funds go to pay the executives salaries or fund marketing.

My last tip before we get to the Gift Guide, is to talk to your family about changing your holiday routine. You should all be on the same page and know what to expect.

GIFT GUIDE

FOR THE NATURE LOVER

The World Land Trust: An international conservation charity that protects the world’s most biologically significant and threatened habitats acre by acre. You can choose to conserve an acre in someone’s name and gift them with the certificate!
American Rivers: Protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers, and conserves clean water for people and nature.
Save the Redwoods League: Protects and restores redwood forests and connects people with their peace and beauty so these natural wonders flourish.

FOR THE COFFEE CONNOISSEUR

The Coffee Trust: We help indigenous Guatemalan coffee farmers improve their agricultural practices, diversify their incomes, and raise healthy families.
Grounds for Health: Coffee farmers are often located in rural mountain and jungle communities, which limits their access to medical care. This isolation has led to high rates of untreated cervical cancer in women. GFH fights this by training local health providers to screen and treat cervical cancer, partnering with community leaders on prevention campaigns, and leading volunteer screening groups to remote regions.
Coffee Kids: One challenge fueling the coffee crisis is the lack of young coffee farmers. Coffee Kids engages with young coffee farmers to make growing coffee more financially sustainable by offering entrepreneurship training to create financially viable farms, connecting young farmers with established farming mentors, and providing business funding to farmers where banks don’t operate.

FOR THE EQUAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund: Our mission is to support litigation in the areas of poverty and justice, education, voting rights, fair employment, capital punishment, administration of criminal justice, and to increase educational opportunities through scholarships.
Equal Justice Initiative: To end mass incarceration & excessive punishment in the U.S.; to challenge racial & economic injustice; and to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
Native American Rights Fund: Constructs the foundations that are necessary to empower tribes so that they can continue to live according to their native traditions, enforce their treaty rights and protect their sovereignty.

FOR THE SPORTS LOVER

Good Sports: Helps to lay the foundation for healthy, active lifestyles by providing athletic equipment, footwear, and apparel to disadvantaged young people nationwide.
Grassroots Soccer: Uses the power of soccer to connect young people in developing countries with the mentors, information, and health services they need to thrive, and empowers adolescents to make educated choices about pressing health challenges such as HIV/AIDS, sexual health, gender-based violence, and malaria.
Challenged Athletes Foundation: A unique organization that recognizes the athletic greatness inherent in all people with physical challenges and supports their athletic endeavors by providing grants for training, competition and equipment needs.

FOR THE CLIMATE WARRIOR

Acadia Center: A non-profit organization committed to advancing the clean energy future. Through research and advocacy, it works to empower consumers and offer real-world solutions to the climate crisis for all.
Global Green USA: To foster a global value shift toward a sustainable & secure future in order to help people, places, and the planet. Primarily focused on stemming global climate change by creating green buildings & cities.
Union of Concerned Scientists: Puts rigorous independent science to work to solve the most pressing problems of our planet.

FOR THE SURVIVOR OR MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL

The Lustgarten Foundation: Our mission is to cure pancreatic cancer by funding scientific and clinical research, providing research information and clinical support services to patients, caregivers and individuals at high risk, and increasing public awareness and hope for those dealing with
this disease.
American Kidney Fund: The organization was founded in 1971, to help a single individual with kidney failure pay for dialysis. Now 50 years later, AKF has become the leading source of direct financial aid to dialysis patients across the nation.
Vitamin Angels: Our mission is to help at-risk populations in need - specifically pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five - gain access to lifesaving and life changing vitamins and minerals.

FOR THE SERVICE MEMBER

Operation Second Chance: We aid in the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded service men and women, assist in the modification of housing to accommodate disabled veterans, assist families of wounded service men and women, and facilitate the transition of wounded service men and women back into civilian society.
APOPO: Saves lives through the deployment of scent detection animals to sniff out landmines faster and safer than other methods.
Fisher House Foundation: To construct and furnish Fisher Houses, provide assistance and scholarships to military families & children, and enhance the quality of life for veterans & armed forces members.

FOR THE HUMANITARIAN

Sankara Eye Foundation: We help to eradicate curable blindness in India. The goal is to perform 500,000 free eye surgeries per year.
Direct Relief: Active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies. Direct Relief provides assistance to people and communities without regard to politics, religion, ethnic identities or ability to pay. Programs focus on emergency preparedness and disaster response and the prevention and treatment of disease. They are tailored to the particular circumstances and needs of the world's most vulnerable and at-risk populations.
International Relief Teams: The organization alleviates human suffering by providing health services and humanitarian assistance to victims of disaster, neglect, and profound poverty worldwide. Since 1988, IRT has provided $6.9 million in volunteer services and $540 million in medicines and supplies to families in desperate need in 70 countries worldwide.

FOR THE GENDER EQUALITY ADVOCATE

National Women’s Law Center: We are passionate champions of national and state policies and laws that help women and girls achieve their potential throughout their lives-at school, at work, at home, in their families, and in their communities. We are committed advocates who take on the toughest challenges, especially for women who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and women who are low-income - and we make change happen.
Global Fund for Women: Global champion for the human rights of women & girls; uses its powerful networks to find, fund, and amplify the courageous work of women who are building social movements & challenging the status quo.
Camfed USA Foundation: Tackling poverty and inequality by supporting girls to go to school and succeed, and empowering young women to step up as leaders of change. Our model tackles inequality and unlocks the benefits that accrue from girls' education, igniting a wider social movement in girls' communities.

FOR THE LGBTQI ADVOCATE

Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice: Funds LGBTQI activism globally, serving as a feminist social justice hub and working side-by-side with grantee and donor partners to achieve rural, economic, social and gender justice worldwide.
The Trevor Project: The leading and only accredited national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under the age of 25.
Openhouse: Enables San Francisco Bay Area LGBT seniors to overcome the unique challenges they face as they age by providing housing, direct services and community programs. As a result, we have reduced isolation and empowered LGBT seniors to improve their overall health, well-being and economic security.

FOR THE ANIMAL LOVER

Animal Welfare Institute: Since 1951, the Animal Welfare Institute has been dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. We seek better treatment of animals everywhere — in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International: Dedicated to the conservation of gorillas and their habitats in Africa. Committed to promoting continued research on their threatened ecosystems and education about their relevance to the world in which we live.
Marine Mammal Center: Advances global ocean conservation through marine mammal rescue & rehabilitation, scientific research, and education; work is guided & inspired by a shared vision of a healthy ocean for marine mammals & humans alike.

FOR THE TEACHER OR PARENT

Children’s Health Fund: To ensure high quality health care to the nation's most medically-underserved children by expanding access to care where children live & learn; reducing health barriers to learning; engaging in advocacy & partnerships; and activating in times of disaster to serve children.
Reach Out and Read, Inc.: To give young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.
Ronald McDonald House Charities: To create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children & their families.