Giving

[catherineldf]

So I've been thinking a lot about gifts and giving lately, seeing as it's the season for it and all, and what between one thing and another, has to be budgeted for. As a rule, I don't run up hundreds of dollars in gift purchases, largely because a. I don't have the $$ and b. I wouldn't know where to start. I tend to buy gifts for my immediate family and close friends and call it good. Most of those are things that those people actually asked for or things I think they might find useful or interesting, like a three month supply of organic coffee. This year, Jana got clothes, Mom gets some useful odds and ends and other people get things I won't talk about here because they're hopefully still a surprise for the recipients.What I'll get back will probably be a new matte and frame on the Alicia Austin painting I bought in D.C. and odds and ends my mother thinks I need. Always exciting. :-)
The long and short of my personal gift giving is that I want to give my loved ones something they can use and want and that would be the extent of it.

Then there's charitable giving. This gets more complex as the $$ gets split out between ongoing contributions and crisis contributions. We donated some money to Planned Parenthood this morning because there were protesters out in front of the Highland Park clinic and it is the thing to do. I donated a couple of bags of things to the RNC 8 Defense yard sale last weekend. Before that, it was Second Harvest Heartland, which is one of the organizations that supports the local foodbanks, and and kicked in some bucks to the drive to save Pi, the local women's/trans/queer bar and dance space. I gave some books to Quatrefoil Library (the local GLBT library and resource center) and signed up for a library card about two weeks back. Then there were assorted political causes and the fight against Prop 8. Over the course of the year, I gave to a couple of environmental/green living organizations, at least one feminist organization and at least one LGBT organization, plus donations to auctions that support local sf conventions and queer writers' conferences, all two of them. I donated for general Iowa flood relief and to the Iowa artist fund.
Like most people, I think I start at the things that I have a personal connection to (local, specific, group-oriented) then work my way outward. This year I'm curious about everyone else.
What or who do you give to and why?

Comments

[mroctober.livejournal.com]

You'll find out shortly...

[sacchig.livejournal.com]

I do most of my giving at the end of the year, when I can judge how well my business has done (which this year is going to be "not well at all".) I do have one monthly automatic contribution, to The Fund for Women Artists earmarked for a formerly-local writer and performance artist of our acquaintance. I give a bit to my college just before the end of their fiscal year in June, although never close to what they think I should. At year's end I traditionally give to the New Forests Project or some other environmental organization and the American Friends Service Committee, and several others, although in years when I've given relief aid to victims of catastrophes I haven't been able to stretch my finances as far. This year I made some modest political contributions, including the fight against Prop 8. Through my business I support local relief organizations. Right now I'm putting together gifts from my store stock for a women's shelter and the local Survival Center's kids' party.

It doesn't add up to very much, though. I wish it did.

what a neat topic ...

[tambyrd.livejournal.com]

I try to give family and very close friends gifts that fall into one or more of these categories: something I made especially for them, something unique and interesting and thoughtful, or something truly useful.

This year it is socks and fingerless gloves that I am knitting. For some, there will be hand-stamped cookies made with these neat molds (http://www.cookiemold.com/CookieMoldsXmasCookieStamps.html) we bought. Past years included crocheted scarves for all, and one year my partner and I made "art clocks" for our extended families.

We have a neat holiday attitude where I work: my (ever shrinking) department hosts a "silent" auction (it doesn't stay very quiet) where people fight to win stuff we writers make or donate. I have auctioned an Indian cooking lesson/meal several years, and that goes over well. All the money goes to Second Harvest. And we do the Adopt A Family program.

Monthly I give to Children's Safety Centers, where my kids have been able to see their father in safety, most abuse deterred; and to one GLBT organization (I change it from year to year).

I also wish it added up to more. I guess I have to give too much to my kids' medical fund, lol.