Domino Magazine's "Antidote to Overload"
For a magazine that features a a column entitled "10 Things That Make Me Happy" (well-to-do women listing secret pleasures like fancy new spatulas, zebra-print fabric and vintage china), Domino has some pretty good suggestions for charitable gifts. Instead of buying more stuff that will sit around unused, consider these gift ideas, which will make you feel great and won't leave piles of wrapping paper to clean up afterward:
- For every dollar you donate to First Book, a nonprofit group dedicated to children's literacy, kids in need receive one new book. Or, send in your old books, which will be re-sold with a portion of the proceeds going toward First Book.
- Visit ABC Carpet and Home's giving website and peruse dozens of charities that welcome your donations. From Project Endangered Mountain Caribou to Sustaining Artisan Communities to the Natural Resources Defense Council, there's plenty of associations to choose from. (You'll even get your thank-you note in a pretty envelope made from vintage saris.)
- Microlending is a great way to give back. Visit Kiva.org to read the profiles of people struggling to obtain the capital and resources necessary to start their own business, like Onih Mahdi, a 23-year old mother in Indonesia who needs $75 to buy products to fill her store, where she sells food and household goods. Kiva lets you read about the entrepreneur and make your loan, and you are sent periodic updates from the business you've sponsored. Then, when your loan is repaid (usually in about a year), you can either get the money back, or keep that good feeling going by investing it in someone else.
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