Mother’s Day is May 13, 2018. As much as we love our mothers, it can sometimes be challenging to find an appropriate way of expressing this love through gift giving. In a culture of over-consuming and excess, gifts aren’t always the best choice; however, there are options that will leave both the giver and receiver feeling good. There are many charitable organizations that provide fair trade gifts that support global impoverished communities or items that directly go to communities in need.
Here are six Mother’s Day Gifts you can give with intention and impact from large charities to smaller non-profits. Mother’s will inevitably feel proud their child of any age used the holiday to bring positive change in the world in their honor.
The Giving Keys
The Giving Keys is a unique Pay It Forward company selling jewelry. You can order custom keys imprinted with whatever empowering message you choose. They are handmade in downtown Los Angeles. Your purchase helps to end homelessness.
We’re not a nonprofit, we’re a social enterprise.
So instead of raising donations, we sell products to provide jobs.
A good job is a long-term solution for breaking cycles of generational poverty and homelessness.
That’s why we place people on career paths and hand them the keys to unlock their fullest potential.
Seva Foundation Gifts of Sight
The Seva Foundation was founded in 1978. This global non-profit’s has restored the sight of 4 million blind people!
Seva’s Mission
Seva works with local communities around the world to develop self-sustaining programs that preserve and restore sight.
Our Vision: A world free of blindness.
For just $50, you can give the gift of sight in honor of your mother. Surgery, glasses, and training are just a few ways your charitable gift will have an impact around the globe.
Thistle Farms
The mission of Thistle Farms is to:
HEAL, EMPOWER, AND EMPLOY women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction. We do this by providing safe and supportive housing, the opportunity for economic independence, and a strong community of advocates and partners.
Through the sales of natural home and body care, Thistle Farms provides services for hundreds of women, including a two-year residential program that provides therapy, education, medical care, and training in Nashville. They also support global programs. A wide variety of products are available from beautiful leather bags handmade in Haiti to natural soaps, there are many options to find gifts for mothers and support survivors.
World Vision Gifts
World Vision is a “global Christian humanitarian organization … serving every child we can – of any faith or none”. It began in the 1950s and has grown to be one of the largest charitable giving organizations, although some criticize their evangelical roots. It offers a range of fair trade gifts and gift-giving opportunities, as well as child sponsorships.
We were sent a fair trade cinnamon box from Vietnam. This unique box is actually made from cinnamon trees and contains high-quality ground cinnamon. This gift may no longer be available from World Vision, but their charity gift catalog has many options, such as providing mosquito nets to jewelry for mom.
Starling Project
The Starling Project’s mission is to provide solar energy through the sale of candles made in Brooklyn. The idea is exchanging “light for light”. The Starling Project has raised over $200,000 so far and is currently supporting solar projects for hospitals in Rwanda.
Heifer International
Heifer International works to train farms in sustainable methods, empower women, and help farmers gain access to markets. Although the gifting of live animals has been criticized, Heifer offers other options such as cooking stoves for villages or sending a girl to school.
Charitable giving is a wonderful way to honor your mother, but it is important to choose gifts that espouse her beliefs. Many charitable gift-giving organizations have a religious basis which may or may not appeal to a mother. Furthermore, gifting of livestock to impoverished communities has been criticized and may not be the most effective way of gifting food security. Sites like Charity Navigator and GiveWell can help you choose the right donation to honor your mother.
Choosing small organizations, like Thistle Farms and the Giving Keys, with missions mothers support is wonderful way to honor our maternal heritage. These are the kinds of gifts mothers love and cherish.
One of the greatest titles in the world is parent, and one of the biggest blessings in the world is to have parents to call mom and dad.