My teenage daughter introduced me to the word 'Pointful" (the opposite to Pointless)

The background
I must confess I have always found buying Christmas and birthday presents just for the sake of it , for people who don't really need anything - really irritating ; often little more than an unnecessary indulgent obligation.

Anyway- when my Dad's birthday came round a few months ago I remembered the morning radio hosts talking about their discovery of a "Heifer International" - an 'honorary gift giving' alternative.  Basically you make a donation to charity in someone else's name. There are various organisations which accommodate this service.

You have the choice of providing communiites or families in need with such things as education, a cow, soap, chickens and so on. (depending on how much money you donate. Donations are tax deductable)

Your family member or friend receives a certificate detailing what has been provided in their honour.

Well I thought id give this a go- and Dad duly received the news that a family had received a gift of chickens. Together with a personal letter from me explaining how his guidance over the years had led me to make this choice and that I hoped it would make him feel as happy to receive this as I was to give it.
I cant describe how good it made me feel to have done something so 'pointful'. I was a little worried how it would be received but Dad was really touched.

Since then each time one of my daughters friends has a birthday party  she still gives a present- but I have also donated $10 in their honour. (I dont know how they feel about that- but I'm hoping that it will be memorable for them and as they get older perhaps it will remind them to look at the 'big picture' and to believe that everyone can make a difference as each little bit counts.

Our new tradition
That is the background to a new family tradition we are starting.
Each time a member of our family has a birthday $50 is allocated for them to choose a 'Pointful Gift'.
This is not instead of a birthday present for the kids- this is money we have as a family decided to put  aside to give something back to 'the world'.
At Christmas time we plan to allocate $100 that will go to places like department stores 'giving trees' (you buy a present, wrap it and put it under the tree to go to disadvantaged children)

The birthday person can choose from a variety of ideas.

The WHY
My rationale is that firstly we are grateful for all we have- we are very fortunate compared to many in the world! I want the children to learn to care about others and do something of their choice to 'put something back'.

Our 8year old son chose to sponsor a Tiger at the late Steve Irwin's Australia zoo. Our daughter wants to sponser a child, but as this is a much more expensive commitment we will have to see about that one!

The WHAT
Below  are some options we have found and are using as our reference list. Please feel free to link others you may know of or discover.

Enjoy.

AUSTRALIA ZOO

Adopt/sponser and animal $50

http://www.australiazoo.com/

unicef

http://merchandise.unicef.org.au/home.asp

OXFAM

Farmer training. $20

Vet Kit $28

Food for a child for one month $19

School Books $27

Start a small business $14

Emergency bathroom $47

Emergency Kit $47

HIV Awareness books $10

Pair of Chickens $10

Soap $18

Goat $39

http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au/

WWF

Adopt an animal $50

http://wwf.org.au/act/animaladoption/

http://greenpeace.org.au/donate/index.html

CARE2 http://www.care2.com/

(Children international) $18 pm (american)

http://www.children.org/childSearch.asp?sid=3E403D4C-0D2B-4AE8-BBA5-2A5F812C88B1

WORLD VISION

Seeds/Tools and training in africa. $16 (or multiples of)

http://donate.wvus.org/OA_HTML/xxwvibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?section=10045&item=376

WORLD LAND TRUST ( 25 UKpounds)

rainforest

gift of an acre of rainforest

reef and mangrove

elephant corridor

http://www.worldlandtrust.org/supporting/donation.htm

ASSORTED IDEAS. (The rainforest site)

http://shop.therainforestsite.com/store/category.do?siteId=221&categoryId=354&origin=185

(includes)

School shoes for girls in rural africa. $14 (tax ded)

Care for a rescued howler monkey $35

MORE IDEAS

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gifts_to_share.htm

Includes:

FOSTERPARENTSPLAN

Books for a child $30

one goat $40

one pig $40

one dozen tree seedlings $20

One school desk and chair $30

Mosquito nets for a family $25

https://secure1.fosterparentsplan.ca/eDonations/GiftsofHope.aspx?Search=ShowUnder50

FPP ; child sponsership- $33

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL

http://www.heifer.org/    (american dollars)

flock of chicks/ducks/geese $20

share of rabbits $10

Seedlings $10

Pig/sheep/goat Share $10

Llama share- $20

Water buffalo share $25

Share of a heifer $50

THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY

Min pay $5  (honor gifts)

$15 introductory member

DONKEY SANCTUARY

Adopt a donkey in Australia

$60 (herd)

junior sponsorship $50 (individual)

bag of treats $5

Square bale $10 (others 5 to 60 dollars)

http://www.donkeysanctuary.org.au/

BLUE VOICE.org

Save a whale etc (honor donations)

http://www.bluevoice.org/donate.shtml

Humane Society International

http://www.hsi.org.au/