Money Crashers: 10 Ways to Shop for a Cause and Give Back This Holiday Season

Gift shopping and charitable giving are two things I normally like to keep separate. I know many people think "a donation to charity in your name" is a good present, and maybe for the right person it could be, but to me, a gift to a worthy cause is not at all the same thing as a gift to an individual, chosen specially for that individual. If someone gives me a "gift" of a donation in my name, I always feel like, "Well, that was very nice of you, but it isn't really a gift for me, was it? It's a gift to the charity, and possibly a gift to you because it makes you feel good about yourself, but if what I really wanted most was to see this charity receive money, I'd give it myself."

However, there are ways to support a charity and give a gift at the same time, without compromising either. By knowing where and how to shop, you can direct a portion of your gift-giving dollars to a worthy cause — so both the cause and the recipient get something that will make them happy.

My latest Money Crashers article (an update of a piece by a former writer) outlines several ways to do this, including:

• Charity portals such as iGive and Amazon Smile
• Various types of vendors that support charitable causes
• Getting free or cheap items for donation through extreme couponing
• Specific products that come with a charitable donation
• Charitable credit cards
• Rounding up for charity at the register

And it concludes with some tips on how to make charity begin at home, or at least close to it, by using your shopping dollars to support local businesses, many of which are struggling during the pandemic. 

Brian and I have already put this advice to use for our own holiday shopping. Since Hanukkah and Christmas are both going to have to take place at a distance this year, we've been looking for small gifts we can ship easily — and we've already picked up several from either local businesses and several more from online vendors that donate an item to charity for every one you buy. We can't get more specific, since some of the people receiving these gifts are readers of this blog, but we think the recipients will be happy with the merchandise. And we'll feel good knowing they were gifts that gave twice — gifts that could please the people in our lives and help total strangers at the same time.

10 Ways to Shop for a Cause and Give Back This Holiday Season