One of the things that can make gift giving hard is the logistics of getting that gift to the recipient, whether you’re carrying it in your suitcase as you travel to where they are, or have to ship something to someone. You’re constrained by deadlines and the increase in packages in December, and it may not get there in time. An easy way to alleviate the shopping AND the delivery is to donate to charity in someone’s name.
Donation Ideas
My first suggestion is a donation to App Camp For Girls. Full disclosure: I am a volunteer with App Camp For Girls, and have been for years. App Camp For Girls is a summer day camp that teaches iOS development and at the end of the week the attendees have built a fully functioning iOS app that gets published in the iTunes App Store.
As I mentioned on Daily Observations, another charity I’ve donated to in the name of others is the K.I.N.D. Fund at UNICEF. It stands for Kids In Need Of Desks and helps deliver desks and benches to schools in Malawi. My mom is a teacher and really loved this one in particular.
As both John and Andrew mentioned, they have donated to the Red Cross when it appears on the App Store, but you can also donate to the Red Cross directly. You can also choose if you want it to go to disaster relief or a specific region the Red Cross serves, and you can make that donation in someone’s else’s name.
Donation Guidelines
In general, good ways to find the right charity to donate to are to take something that person is interested in, find a related charity, and donate in that person’s name. It’s also smart to check the Better Business Bureau or other resources to make sure you’re donating to an organization that spends most of its donations on the cause instead of administrative costs. Then get ready for a low key and low urgency holiday season!