This holiday, #redefinegifting and rediscover true joy

Imagine this holiday looks different, in the best possible way: the gifts we give to the people we care about help the causes and charities they care about. You’re combining giving presents and helping with needs—and this year in particular, needs have never been greater. For the price of a scarf, you can change someone’s life. 

Researchers have found a direct connection between donating to charity and your overall well-being. As Ariana Huffington said, “The biggest shortcut to happiness is giving.”

Imagine if the holidays were no longer about giving material gifts but about coming together to change the world. 

Why not give your friends and family money they can use to support a cause they care about? 

A charity product JustGive launched over a decade ago is growing in popularity and use: a Charity Gift Card. It’s a single gift that is personal and meaningful. With a Charity Gift Card, the giver makes a donation, and the recipient directs that donation to a charity of their choice. It is the easy & meaningful go-to gift I give during the holidays!!

Highlight of The Week:  20,000 FREE charity gift cards being given out

Ray wanted to share that experience, so in the first week of December, he gave away 10,000 free $100 charity gift cards. This $1 million helped over 2,000 charities in a single day. 

Now there’s a second-round giveaway of charity gift cards this Friday! With the help of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom, Arianna Huffington, Bridgewater’s CEO David McCormick, Goldman Sachs executive Dina Powell, Dr. Mehmet Oz, author and podcaster Jay Shetty, Ashton Kutcher, Gayle King and Mila Kunis, Dalio will donate another million dollars worth of charity gift cards for the second round of #RedefineGifting. The next batch of gift cards will be worth $50, so 20,000 people can pass along the charitable gifts.

Watch for the announcement coming this Friday, December 11th during the day to receive your free charity gift card!*

Enter your contact information at redefinegifting.tisbest.org, and you’ll get a heads up before this giveaway goes live. And have your chance to receive and join the  give back movement this holiday season!

* Only available to participants who haven’t received a free charity gift card before. 

Ray’s message: There are no strings attached. My hope is simply that you will experience the joy of receiving a charitable gift rather than a traditional one, and you might consider giving charitable gifts to your friends, families, and colleagues. I promise that it will fill you with the holiday spirit, and I hope that you will pass this idea along to others who you think would appreciate it as well.

Challenge of the Week: Deliberately make charity a greater part of your holiday 

Let’s #RedefineGifting this holiday season. Instead of the gifts without meaning we sometimes feel compelled to give, give charity gift cards or make donations on behalf of friends & family. And ask that they do the same for you!

It’s a simple idea. . . but one that will bring more meaning to you, your family, and people around the world who need more help this year. 

My challenge to you: Send out Charity Gift Cards for most of your gifts this year. Make this the year you start your own tradition to include charitable giving as part of your holiday—and pass this idea on to your friends and family too. Chances are you’ll feel the joy of the true Christmas spirit!

We’d love to hear from you about how you are bringing charity into your holiday. Send us an email and you may see your idea promoted here.  

Kendall Webb, Executive Director, JustGive.org