Christmas giving creativity: parts 1 and 2

PART 1: for the past few years at x-mas i've experimented with different ways of re-directing gifts. last year, i asked people to give to a cause they cared about, and share about it on christmas morning. this prompted my aunt to give $500 to a health center in west africa that does surgery for women with vaginal fistulas, a simple procedure in a region where women are totally shunned from the community for this condition. the center seems pretty comprehensive in their work: not just in-and-out surgery, but housing, support in recovery, education...whatever my personal views on medicine and cultural sensitivity, to me the point is that my aunt moved $500 when it otherwise would've stayed in savings. the exercise, and the sharing with the rest of the fam on christmas morning, felt well worth it.

this year i asked everyone to give to resource generation. i had hoped it would spark more conversation and engagement than it did; folks didn't ask me about the work any more than the bits and pieces i've shared before. BUT, i did raise $375 for RG, which makes me far happier than any gift certificate to amazon.com ever could (the fallback gift from extended family).

what have other people tried out with giving and gift exchanges?

PART 2: this year i got $3,500 from my grandma. normally i promptly just add these annual gifts to my inheritance-bank account (where i do my giving from, and which is also about 10 times as much money as i have in my personal earnings and checking account).

2009 is the first year i was seriously giving money away; and because of working under the table for some months, not earning *that* much money overall (relatively speaking!), and complicated tax laws, i have actually hit the maximum amount i can give away and still have it be tax-deductible. i am very unclear how i feel about paying taxes. very unclear. but what i am clear on is that my dad feels strongly that giving at a slower rate over time and having it all be tax deductible will in the end save significant amounts of money, which i can then give away. money that otherwise would've gone to the government as tax. but the point here is not to talk about taxes. the point of this Part 2 is to share how i moved this money.

so this is what i did-- i wrote the check over to my parents, who have high enough income that there is no danger of hitting this magical, give-too-much-and-don't-get-tax-deduction amount. the money totally surpasses me, going straight from granny to mom & dad. then, i got to sit down with my dad and direct him where to give $4,000*!

so suddenly instead of just having granny's yearly gift meld into my bank account, i got to move it all, immediately. it felt awesome to just do it; a good practice in not thinking too hard or too long...there is definitely a time and place for thinking long, hard, strategically, but there is also a place for taking an opportunity when it arises and realizing at the end of the day, $4,000 is being given NOW to places that need it. and, i'm getting to sit with my dad and tell him snippets about where i'm directing the money, he gets to see i'm trying to be responsible with my wealth, and we both get to participate in this practice of creative philanthropy.

so, those are some stories on christmas presents. what are yours?

*the extra $500 is what they now do not have to pay in taxes- the deduction on the $3,500 worth of gifts- so they let me give that away too! $1,000 each went to: Fund For Southern Communities, USSF 2010, POOR, and RG.