For a gift for a Mother in your life that she won't forget, consider a gift that gives back. Choosing a gift that benefits charity multiplies the impact of your choice. She will be touched, you'll feel good, and the charity will receive support to carry out its mission.
And - these gifts that give back are additionally special. Each one is designed and hand crafted by one of the artists or artisans selling their work on Etsy.com.
Is there a mother of three in your life? Or one? Or two? Or more? Heading this article is "Momma Bird," of a series of charming earrings and necklaces of freshwater pearls in silver or copper nests. They are crafted by April of "Humankindness" http://Humankindness.etsy.com where profits support (K-5) school in inpoverished rural Dhaderian, Punjab, India. Learn more about this project at http://www.humankindness4all.org/.
Wendy of Besem Natural Scents (http://BesemNaturalScents.etsy.com) creates lovely pampering gifts, fragranced candles and these natural cold-process, scented soaps, moisturizing and wonderful for your skin. 10% of the profits from Besem Natural Scents benefit orphan in Kazakhstan through the Antares Foundation (http://www.antaresorphans.blogspot.com). 
Lissa Bird (http://lissabird.etsy.com) offers custom crafted, 'Love to Breathe' pendants, inspired by the life and work of her friend, painter Somer Love. Somer lives with Cystic Fibrosis and finds the simple act of breathing challenging. She reminds us that, "life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away." 100% of the profit from Lissa's 'Love to Breath' line is donated to benefit Cystic Fibrosis research at http://www.lovetobreathe.com/. 
"The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family..." This pretty tea bowl from PrimAtive Pots (http://bit.ly/bvQTPc) is part of a series of lovely wheel-thrown ceramic bowls where 100% of profits are donated to the Central Asia Institute's Pennies for Peace program that supports education, especially for girls, in remote regions of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. http://www.ikat.org.
This is the initiative started by Greg Mortenson and described in his inspirational New York Times best selling book "Three Cups of Tea." For more information read http://www.threecupsoftea.com/ or watch video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKAWiSp3mLQ
A little flash of sparkling green in these "Petite Peridot" earrings from my own "Personal Treasures" shop (http://PersonalTreasures.etsy.com) where 50% of the proceeds from from everything in the shop supports the children at "Charity Orphanage" in Robertsport, Liberia, West Africa. 50% of the profits from my casual jewelry shop "Mufi Jewels" (http://mufi.etsy.com) are donated as well.
My husband Bill Lawhorn taught in Liberia and will return April 30th to visit "Charity Orphanage" and continue working with Liberian children. You can learn more about this project at http://personaltreasures.blogspot.com/2008/09/jewelry-liberian-children-gem-of-cause.html. Also, I will blog about this projects as it develops, so subscribe on the right for updates as they're posted.
For those quiet moments of reflection, these 'conscious living' journals from "This Is It" (http://ThisIsIt.etsy.com)Earth Saver, Peace, and Give. The husband and wife team of "This Is It" crafts ecofriendly gifts - photo albums, journals, greeting cards, and jewelry and donates 5% of profits to animal welface charities; Best Friends Animal Society (http://www.bestfriends.org), Humane Farming Association (http://www.hfa.org/about/index.html), The Jane Goodall Institute (http://www.janegoodall.org), and The Anti-Vivisection Society (http://www.navs.org). 
This set of colorful bracelets of recycled paper beads are crafted by the Nicaraguan women of Bead Amigas http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeadAmigas. 100% of sales of Bead Amigas jewelry benefits their villages through fair wages, training, and community development projects. You can learn more about Bead Amigas at http://www.beadamigas.org.
I 'heart' artisans who benefit charity with their work and frequently write about them and their creative fundraising initiatives. You will find many, many more suggestions for beautiful and original gifts that benefit charity on this blog. You can find links to the articles in the Table of Contents to the right under "Gifts That Benefit Charity."
