For many, the holiday season wouldn’t be complete without giving and receiving gifts. But some are ditching material gifts and instead donating to charities in their recipient’s name.
“A lot of people feel the holidays have become a little bit overcommercialized. They want to do something meaningful … but don’t want to just give them more stuff,” said J. McCray, board member and treasurer of the Alternative Gifts of Greater Washington, a nonprofit organization that promotes and sponsors charity gift events.
McCray has seen charitable gifting and alternative gift events grow over the past few years. In 2005, about $100,000 was given at D.C.-based events, according to McCray, and in 2006, $110,000 was contributed. Many of the donations support issues that are prevalent in the news, such as female education in Afghanistan and survivors in Darfur, he added.
According to an October 2007 poll by GfK Roper Consulting, 22 percent of adults online plan to buy gifts of charitable donations on behalf of someone. The trend is “becoming more popular among the affluent,” who have material wealth and are concerned with leaving a legacy, said Dr. Michal Ann Strahilevitz, marketing professor with Golden Gate University who studies consumer behavior and charitable giving.
Charities aiding children and protecting the environment are the biggest, Strahilevitz said.
Local charities are also benefiting from the trend. St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Leesburg held its fourth annual gift fair at the beginning of December, and gift givers may still purchase charity donations through an online catalog. The program has grown from $7,500 in 2003 to $25,000 last year, and this year it is hoping to break $30,000.
All of the 13 charities are based in Loudoun County, said Sharon Boivin, the event chair of the alternative gift fair. With local businesses donating funds for operating costs, all of the proceeds can go directly to the charities. Other churches in the area, such as St. John’s the Baptist in Silver Spring, run similar programs.
Leesburg-based Congregation Sha’are Shalom partnered with St. Gabriel’s to bring the alternative gift experience into the Hanukkah season.
The synagogue wanted its congregants to “teach their kids about giving and the importance of giving,” said Jill Weiss, CSS social actionchair. Weiss said congregants were encouraged to set aside one of the eight Hanukkah nights to do community service, among other suggestions. One popular local charity was the Loudoun Literacy Council, Weiss said, where donations were made in honor of teachers.
