Gift Back This Holiday Season!

I love to give gifts.  I take pride in finding the perfect gift for someone.  But, if you are like me, you also have a few people on your list that tend to stump you!  Maybe they just don’t “want” anything, or they are the type of person who just buys themselves whatever they would like.  Well, I have the perfect last minute idea for you: Gift Back!

Gift Back is an alternative gift fair for the holidays through which you can support local not-for-profit organizations. Through Gift Back, each of 11 local not-for-profit organizations offers 3 great gift options for you to support!! As the giver, you will receive a beautiful card to give describing the gift that you can give to the recipient. You will also receive a thank you letter for your purchase, which you can use for tax purposes. Just think: no lines, no wrapping, no hassle Holiday Shopping!  Your gift helps so any receive the basic services that they need in our community. Your purchase may be the best gift for that hard-to-buy-for friend, relative, or loved one.

Gift Back is a result of the efforts of a handful of local agencies. It is modeled on similar programs run by large organizations, like Heifer International, the American Heart Association, and PBS, but is different in that all proceeds remain 100% LOCAL.

Gift Back held an in-person event at Crandall Library on December 4th and 5th, at which I was fortunate to volunteer.  Held in collaboration with Hometown Holidays, shoppers were able to stop in at the library to visit information tables for each not-for-profit organization. Shoppers were presented with a shopping list to check off the items they would like to buy. Shoppers can conveniently make one payment for gifts benefiting multiple organizations.  Each organization is notified of the donations and forwards a thank you note.

It was a wonderful experience to see shoppers handing in their various choices and feeling so great about buying such unique gifts for friends and loved ones. Of the 11 participating organizations, five are members of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce:

LARAC
Sister Cities Committee
Wait House
Warren Washington Association for Mental Health
Warren Washington CARE Center
 
The in-person event is over – it will return next year, but online donations can still be made through the month of December by visiting the Gift Back website: http://www.glensfallsgiftback.org.  As mentioned above, each organization provides a choice of 3 items (in 3 price ranges).  A general donation can be made to all 11 agencies as well. 
 
Think about Gift Back for your coworkers, loved ones, or anyone else you need to shop for this year! Not only does Gift Back make you feel good about giving back, but it will also be more meaningful to the recipient than the gift card, scarf, tie, or other item they would have received.

Blog post written by Nicole Casey

Nicole lives in South Glens Falls with her husband Jeff and daughter Genevieve.  She is currently the Human Resources Generalist and Community Relations Manager for Warren Washington Association for Mental Health.  Nicole has a passion for animals, food and the performing arts.  She loves to spend her free time with her family exploring the area and taking advantage of all of the great things to do!