Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with giving

Help me run a basic online donor campaign.

lunit — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:19:03 -0800

Tips for running an online (free or cheap as possible) holiday donor campaign. I work at a small non-profit that has few resources for running a holiday donor campaign, but we want to try to tap into the holiday giving season and suggest that people think of us in their end-of-the-year charitable giving. We have a database of friends and contacts, and we want to optimize their participation as cheaply as possible. I'm looking for clever tips on how to best run an online campaign. What "hooks" have worked for you? Thanks!

Charity Gifts

Raybun — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:12:32 -0800

How do I give to a charity without a professional fund raiser taking a big bite out of my donation?

Will my Nintendo Wii fit into the donation envelope?

pecanpies — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:06:04 -0800

What shall I do with a new but unwanted Nintendo Wii? Without going into too much unnecessary back story, suffice it to say I now have a brand new Nintendo Wii that I have no intention of using, or even opening. I have no one in my immediate circle of friends and family that I can give it to, for various reasons (some wouldn't use it, others are too busy, some I don't know well enough to give a $300 gift, etc.), so I think I'd like to give it away. But how?

I think a charity or orphanage might appreciate it, but I'm not sure - I realize it's going to be an outdated console soon, and even if they had a Wii, they might not have the funds to purchase additional games. I'd definitely like to give it to someone deserving, but don't think I'm really in a position to be judging who's "deserving" or not. Any ideas regarding a group or organization that could actually make good use of a Wii? Bonus points if they're anywhere in Kentucky (I'm in Louisville).

(Also, I highly doubt this will be an issue, but this is not a pathetic attempt to sell the Wii, and I will not respond to any offers of money, kittens, bacon, etc., no matter how tempting.)

The Art of Giving... Art

baxter_ilion — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:50:22 -0800

I made a drawing. I want to give it to my parents. How do I tell them it's okay if they don't hang it on their fridge? I'm 30 years old and, for some reason, I decided to draw my parents' dog. The drawing turned out well, and I want to give it to them.

I want them to feel free to do whatever they want with the drawing, including using it to light their grill, if that's their choice. However, it seems that if you give someone a work of art, they might feel that they owe it to the artist to hang the art somewhere. How do I tell my parents (or anybody that I give a drawing to in the future) that it's just a gift, not an imposition?

Hypothesis: X[giving] is directly correlated to Y[financial success]

drea — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 08:12:29 -0800

How has the financial crisis affected the nonprofit sector? Is there anyone here belonging to a nonprofit with a personal experience to share? What's the general climate at the workplace: loss of morale? No difference? Have there been job losses, budget cuts? Maybe funding has increased, unexpectedly? Would like to hear your stories and find out if the crisis has increased a sense of cynicism/idealism in people. I'd also like to know if the crisis keeps people from contributing or fuels them to help out more in whatever way possible. I'm asking this as a person looking to start "a career" in the nonprofit field. Thanks a lot.

P.S. I've checked out Alltop prior to this. And that Nancy Lublin article.

Mom loves Christmas, but the whole family can't afford it this year...

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:04:32 -0800

My sister and I want to do a gift-free Christmas. What rules should we set? And how do we break the news to our mom? She's big on bargain hunting and spoiling us, so we're sure she's not going to take this well. My spouse and I are doing well, but my sister and her husband are really struggling financially. We talked a few weeks ago and I mentioned the idea of having an "Imagination Christmas" and she was really enthusiastic. I think she was really dreading a Christmas where she would be unable to afford the type of gift my family usually gives to one another. Luckily, neither of us have kids yet.

My mom definitely loves Christmas shopping and there is a good chance that she already has a hallway closet stuffed full of gifts for us. How do we tell her that we want to keep Christmas simple? It is likely that she'll be upset that we don't want the gifts she picked out for us.

What's more, my sister will have to deal with this on her own once Thanksgiving is over. I live in another state and I'll be spending Christmas with my in-laws. Sis is not looking forward to a lonely, one-sided Christmas with my parents.

I would love to do a handmade Christmas, but while my mother and I share a gene for making handmade goods, my sister never got beyond hand turkeys. In addition, she has school, two jobs and no time for herself, let alone knitting or wood-working. I would be happy with a card, but I don't want to unintentionally show up my sister or make her feel bad. I love her and this has been a stressful year for her.

So, first, we need to set some ground rules (Is charitable giving okay? Can we give small gifts? Handmade?). We would love to hear any advice or experiences you have with this.

Next, we need to get Mom on board. My dad abdicates to her on all matters Christmas related, so her participation will make or break the occasion. She might be on board with donating gifts to charity, but it will need to be her idea. Any advice on how to bring this up or keep her happy would be appreciated. We'll just have Thanksgiving break to get this right, so I hope it all goes well.

Donor-friendly giving management web system

Milkman Dan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:40:04 -0800

Help me find, buy or build a donor-friendly online giving management system for our non-profit. Imagine: Each donor gets their own account, they can sign in securely to view their past gifts, request tax receipts, set up monthly donations, adjust their mailing preferences, update their profile, and so on.

Are there existing tools that do this, especially ones that are free or cheap? Will they integrate well with a database on Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge? Do you know anybody who would like to build such a system from scratch for us?

Education giving in Miami?

ejvalentine — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:47:04 -0800

My organization is searching for foundations or individual donors in the Miami area who fund education related projects in Miami-Dade. Do you know of any? We have applied at about 5 foundations in the city for grants, but have had little luck so far, mostly because we can't seem to locate that many. I don't want to name them here, but am looking for ideas on ones we may have overlooked.

Does anyone know of foundations or individual donors that make grants in Miami-Dade, especially for education? Any and all names would be appreciated.

We're a 501(c)3.

If you'll just point me in the right direction...

segatakai — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:10:01 -0800

I have a question in two parts. If that's illegal, admin, please delete the last part. I'd like to hear suggestions for websites I should look at, and then advice on whether this is really how I should move forward with this. Hopefully, this is much clearer in the ... part 1: I'm thinking about putting together a blog/website/internet doohickey that would eventually become an online encyclopedia about a very narrow topic. Narrow as it is, there could end up being many hundreds, but probably not thousands of entries. I'm intrigued by the wikipedia idea, where others can contribute and change etc, but for the time being, I'd like to have comments be the modus operandi for feedback and improvement on the main entry. I think the main thing about the wikipedia model that I like is the community aspect. I like the idea of building something with a group of people across the world (as far fetched as it may be, ultimately). My question is, what recommendations do you have for internet doohickeys that do this well? Do you know of a good encyclopedia/glossary/dictionary type site that ingeniously (or quite capably) handles comments and feedback from visitors? One obvious example is, ahem, AskMe, but please give me some more things to look at and get inspired by. Additionally, one thing that AskMe doesn't really allow that I'd like to incorporate if possible, is a way to comment about, say, one sentence in the main entry, and be able to see that comment in close proximity to the sentence in question, but never be confused about what is the main entry and what is the comment (like notes in the margin?). And I'd like people to be able to comment on the comment, etc. So there might eventually be six or more 'conversations' going on about different parts of one entry, all viewable (with some scrolling necessary, perhaps) on one page per entry. Does that make sense? Is that possible?

part 2: Should I do this?
Sometimes lately (in my more hubristic moments) I've begun to feel that maybe, among English-speaking individuals, I might actually be on the brink of becoming the most knowledgeable person on my narrow topic. I want to share the knowledge I've acquired over the last 10 years studying this narrow topic, but I do feel uncertain about 'giving it away.' The topic is narrow enough (and the 'target marget' infinitesimal enough) that I'm never going to make a million bucks writing books or lecturing about it, but I'm sure there's some money to be made, and I am reluctant to just toss it up on the net for the world to cannibalize. I understand the idea that having an effective web-presence leads to other opportunities, but there's a part of me that can't help asking: Wouldn't I be better off to write a book and just advertise it on the web? I sense that there are probably two camps on this -- please tell me which camp you are in and why, and where possible/applicable, point me to other resources to support your argument.

Thank you kindly for your support.

*I realize this "narrow topic" stuff is a little hinky, but somehow I'm uncomfortable spilling the details (though I realize you can all probably figure it out, this being the internet, and all). I also feel that being more general might induce more creative answers (?).

Suitable gift for Irish teacher

KTrujillo — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:43:44 -0800

My children are finishing the year at a primary school in Ireland. Their teachers have been wonderful and I want to give them an end of the year thank you gift. In the U.S. gift certificates are popular but I'm unsure of the etiquette surrounding gift giving in this situation. Please advise. Thank you!

when does a wise man quit?

WannaBeAPhD — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:59:44 -0800

Background: I am 41 years old. I am 16 credits shy of graduating with a BS in Mathemathics. my GPA is 2.79, I have over 250 hours of attempted coursework, 144 of that is being counted towards my degree. I program and design software systems for a living. The Problem: I really love math and computer science but I am lousy at learning. when I say lousy I mean slow. It is an all or nothing proposition for me I am either a master of the material or I do not know it. When I have to study I experience psychosomatic symptoms, irritability, out of body experience, confusion, trouble concentrating. This has been happening since I was a child, I have a real aversion to studying, and it has gotten worse now in my adult years. I was diagnosed with ADHD about 8 months ago. The metadate works somewhat well to clear up the fog but when I have to study hard nothing helps.

I can perform my job well but that usually does not require me to think of the formal methods or theory about my job unless I am really pushing what I want to get implemented. To do my job I have self educated over the years I have read a large number of books because of interest in the material and the need to do my job.

I get bored at work doing repetitive tasks or tasks that don't require me to innovate or do research. I've just about reached the point where I have to become a bureacrat. I want to be able to continue to innovate, research and learn and I really want to study and become a PhD. There are jobs out there that I would qualify for if only I had a little more education adn the title. If money were no object I would simply study and take as long as I needed to in educating myself. That luxury is not available to me.

Is it wise for me to continue dreaming this way or should I simply accept my limitations and give up hope. I do fear that giving up hope will severely shorten my life. When I think of it I can feel the emotion build up. What does a wise man do when faced with the reality that he may never be what he has always wanted to be?

Help me give a great gift for my Aunt's momentus 50th B-day!

iam2bz2p — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:33:52 -0800

Help me give a great gift for my Aunt's momentus 50th B-day! My wonderful and lovely aunt is turning 50.

She has, materially, just about everything a person could need.

She also is a giver and receiver of the usual "pampering" gifts of massages, spa treatments, theatre, show tix, etc... So I'm looking for something more original.

Her taste and style trends toward Oprah-like fashions, books, and world-view.

Help me find a GREAT gift! THANKS MeFi's!

Gift giving etiquette

HotPatatta — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 15:57:35 -0800

[EtiquetteFilter] My sister and her new husband are giving me one gift for Christmas. Am I obligated to give each of them a gift, or is it acceptable for me to give one gift to the couple?

How do you... give gifts?

violinflu — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:48:52 -0800

How can I become a great giver of gifts? Some people seem to have a supernatural ability to come up with the perfect gift, time and again. You know the type - the one person whose gift you always look forward to unwrapping.

Is this a skill that can be learned? What, in your opinion, are the characteristics of a top-notch giver? I'm not interested in those who simply gratify the recipient's desires - I'm interested in those who surpass expectations; whose gifts open new doors, surprise, and delight! How do you do that?

There are hundreds of previous questions looking for gift ideas for a specific person, but what is the underlying skill that all of us clueless givers lack? How can I become a great giver of gifts?

What to get friends for agreeing to be godparent types?

pomegranate — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 08:39:06 -0800

Gifts for godparent-types? We've asked about a dozen people to be "mentors" to our rugrat, in an area of their choice. What do we get them to say thanks and that they have a special bond with her? These people are all friends who are passionate about one thing or another - sports, reading, cooking, etc. They've each agreed to share their passion with our daughter, and take her on at least one outing a year related to their "thing." We want to give them something to honor that commitment, but everything we think of is too cheesy (a certificate, a picture album.) Cost should be less than $50 if possible. The baptism and Mentor Party is in two weeks, so we can't get too customized, either.
Any ideas?

Grandmothers, "presents" that aren't really presents, etc.

danny boy — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:10:04 -0800

I need a little help on a petty family argument . . . So, we're married and have an infant baby. One of the grandmothers showed up from out of town and gave us some presents, including--and here's the rub--a Halloween costume for the baby's "first Halloween" in a few months.

Would you find this 1) kind of sweet, 2) slightly annoying but would just go along with it, 3) boundary-overstepping behavior but would passively aggressively not use the costume and otherwise leave sleeping dogs lie, 4) so annoying that you would make a big issue out of refusing the costume and making your own, which will make everyone upset but will stop this from happening again.

What to do when you FINALLY clean out your closet

friendlyfire — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:58:33 -0800

The cleaning out of my closet (finally) has resulted in two garbage bags full of clothes. Now what should I do with them? I'm in NYC. I will donate the majority of the clothes to charity, but I'm not sure exactly where I can/should take them. It would be a bonus if it was close to where I live on the Lower East Side.
I'd also like to try to sell some of the clothes, as a lot of them are new or only worn a few times. I really want to get rid of them as fast as possible though, because I know if I start looking through them again, I'll probably reconsider and keep a ton of things that I just don't need. So no ebay, I don't need them sitting in my apartment waiting for me to get tempted and put them back into my closet. I don't expect to make a large amount of money at all, but it would be nice to make something. Is there any place (again, near me, I can't be lugging these things around!) that buys large amounts of clothes/shoes/jewelry?
I feel really guilty, I don't think I'll be buying clothes for a looooong time....

Feminist organizations in need of monetary support?

exceptinsects — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:38:06 -0800

What can you tell me about organizations that support women's rights? I would like to donate some money. I am thinking of a small monthly donation, so an organization that has a setup for that would be ideal. (e.g. charging a credit card)

I am interested in supporting reproductive rights, education, equality, etc., both in the US and internationally. I would prefer non-religious organizations.

Are there organizations I should avoid that have creepy hidden agendas? Ones that are just really super awesome? Ones that have helped you personally, or someone you know?

a box inside a box inside a box inside a box

777 — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 16:00:51 -0800

I've already got the xmas gift figured out, now I'm trying to figure out how to give it...so what are some creative/clever/funny ways you've given gifts? I've got a digital camera and various accessories, and I'm looking for a fun way to wrap them or otherwise present (*cough*) them...

Also, what are other creative gift-giving methods you've come up with for gifts not necessarily digital-camera-sized?

No idea is too big or too small...

thanks!

Which climate change organization should I donate to?

walla — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 07:49:43 -0800

We would like to contribute to an organization that is dedicated to alleviating global warming. Ideally a nonprofit but any organization that takes action in this direction would be fine. I'd prefer that it be something I could research online or find a rating such as those available on charitynavigator.com. Any ideas? Thank you!

How much should I give to charity?

sholdens12 — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 07:46:19 -0800

I'm ashamed: I bought a house, my child goes to a daycare that costs several hundred dollars a month, and I have all that I need. I also have been lax in giving to charity. I'd like to, but my wife sometimes is resistant, saying some version of the old saw that charity begins at home. I want some independent assessment for how much we should give. I've identified a number of charities I want to give to. But how much? Should it be a percentage of my salary?

Stories about giving

hamfisted — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 11:13:48 -0800

Classic stories or fables about gifts/giving. I'm looking for a story or fable to use as a centre-piece for a speech I'm writing and Google isn't helping. I'd like to use a story about a gift or present, to illustrate the importance of, well, giving (it's for a graduation, although not at all in terms of fundraising). I'd like a classic story, or something multicultural. Any ideas in the collective brain?

$50 Gift suggestions for: A clarinettist, a violist, and a cellist

sirion — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 23:28:41 -0800

Gift suggestions for: A clarinettist, a violist, and a cellist(who is also a composer). ~$50 each, I have 12 days to get these gifts. Prefer online ordering. 3 (student) musicians are playing for my senior undergrad recital, and I want to get them thank you gifts. This is often done around here in the form of gift certificate cards, which definitely works, but I could use suggestions on vendors if I go that route.

I'm thinking of a big fat gift certificate to tismusic.com (obscure piano and vocal music vendor) for my pianist, but I imagine a violist has little use for piano and vocal music.

Other note: The cellist is a composer by trade, and the other two are aiming to be professional musicians.

How to help others this Holiday season?

pman78 — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 19:49:18 -0800

My kids (12, 10, 8 yrs.) have decided they don't want Christmas gifts this year and would like to do something for those in need. I'm thrilled. Aside from working in a Food Bank or 'adopting a family' any other ideas?

What's the best Charity to give to?

grahamwell — Sun, 31 Jul 2005 05:10:14 -0800

What is the best Charity to give to on a regular basis? By "best", in this case, I mean something fairly Utilitarian: a calculus of straightforward, uncontroversial improvement in things like health, education and the sense that great things are possible in life. I am ready to be persuaded to support something more sophisticated, but I really want to find an organisation which is effective and efficient.