If you are looking for ways to make your holiday gifts more meaningful, these suggestions, all handmade by sellers at ETSY.com, help change the world, one gift at a time.
When you choose holiday gifts that benefit charity, you multiply the impact of your choice. Everyone benefits, from the person who receives your wonderful gift, to you and how you feel about yourself, and to the charity that receives vital support to carry out its mission.
Due to the great reponse to this article I've written additional gift guides; for children, animal lovers, holiday cards and ornaments, and more. You'll find links on the right under "Gifts That Benefit Charity".
Find a little beauty where ever you are...
Heading this article is a vibrant original oil painting on canvas, "Grassy Delta" which measures 8 x 10 inches. It can be found, along with a selection of lush and beautiful landscapes, seascapes, and skyscapes, at Etsy shop "Painting Well" http://paintingwell.etsy.com. 100% of the profits from all of the paintings in this shop go to fund cancer research through "Stand Up to Cancer" http://www.StandUp2Cancer.org.
Also on Etsy you'll find a collective of artists affected by cancer, "Hand Made Help," at http://handmadehelp.etsy.com. All profits from Hand Made Help are also donated to "Stand Up to Cancer."
Your purchase of "Enchanted Emerald" earrings from Morning Glory Design will fund designer Willie Zuniga's free "Angels in the Parlor" jewelry making classes for cancer patients. Read about Willie's project here: http://www.etsy.com/people/MorningGloryDesigns. At her shop you'll find many vintage-styled, richly colored Czech glass and antiqued brass filigree treasures: http://etsy.com/shop/MorningGloryDesigns.com.
Who on your list loves animals? Here are some gifts that benefit animal charities:
Perfect for the tea drinking elephant lover, this glass mosaic teapot from Slumptown Glass is part of a series about endangered animals (http://bit.ly/akAj6a). 20% of the profits from this teapot will be donated to World Wildlife Fund (http://www.worldwildlife.org/) for their work with elephants.
Each "Bow: ring from "Rock My World, Inc." is handcast from a piece of string as a 'forget me knot' ring. 20% of the proceeds goes to the Tri-County Humane Society of Florida (http://www.tricountyhumane.orghttp://rockmyworldinc.etsy.com.The following gifts improve the lives of people in far reaches of the globe.
You can find this charming greeting card titled "Radiant Faces" by Bamboo Village Press at http://bamboovillagepress.etsy.com where you find a variety of beautiful Asian-inspired art and materials. 25% of every purchase from the Press supports the Bamboo Village Educational Fund, a program set up keep children in rural Sichuan, China, in school and out of sweatshops. You can keep up with evolving news from Bamboo Village at http://bamboovillagepress.blogspot.com.
The icy set of six handsome, handmade photo cards above at Mavora Cards http://www.etsy.com/shop/mavoracards?section_id=5732729 is a project of Big Picture Cards, single cards and card sets that allow you to send thoughtful notes to the people you love while giving beyond your circle of friends. 50% of card profits goes to aid disaster and poverty stricken lands through World Vision http://www.worldvision.org.
Festive gold earrings with sparkling Peridot briolette gems add warmth and color and style. These earrings are from my own "Personal Treasures" shop http://PersonalTreasures.etsy.com where 50% of the proceeds from all of the refined jewelry of gold and silver, gemstones and pearls supports the children at "Charity Orphanage" in Robertsport, Liberia, West Africa. If you looking for more casual and romantic jewelry, 50% of the profits at my shop "Mufi Jewels" http://mufi.etsy.com also benefit the orphanage. You can learn more about "Charity Orphanage" and my husband and my involvement here http://bit.ly/cvjxBC 
This charm/pendant ($10) from http://jjbackman.etsy.com benefits the Zambia Satellite, a division of Good Samaritan Ministries, which empowers Zambian nationals to improve the lives of children and adults through education, nutrition, health care and faith. http://goodsamaritanministries.org. And the following work is by artisans who donate their sales to charities that help their neighbors, near and far:
Due to the growing crisis in the Gulf Coast, jewelry designer Andy Collins of Andy's House is donating 50% of the price on intriguing, marine-themed pendants and earrings to The National Audubon Society: http://www.audubon.org and The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana: http://www.crcl.org. You can see the collection here: http://bit.ly/9s3K3d.
The products at "Second Line Frames" (http://secondlineframes.etsy.com) honor a timeless New Orleans tradition – the colorful parade that follows a funeral procession to turn tragedy into a celebration of rebirth. Second Line Frames builds their frames from authentic wood siding salvaged from homes destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. It’s their way of preserving a little part of the beloved memory of old New Orleans while helping to rebuild it toward a better tomorrow. 20% of each sale goes to assist in the rehabilitation of affected neighborhoods. For additional frames visit their other shop Rebirth Frames, http://rebirthframes.etsy.com. And if you'd like to read more about what the folks at Rebirth Frames do, check out this in-depth interview: http://blog.sub-studio.com/2008/05/second-line-frames.html.
I'd like to close by mentioning another great resource for "Gifts That Give Twice," the shop Etsy for Charity http://etsyforcharity.etsy.com, with a wide variety of work, donated by a group of sellers to benefit a specific charity every month. Members reach from America, Singapore and the UK! November sales from ETSY for charity will benefit Amnesty International.
*To read part 2 of this post click here: http://personaltreasures.blogspot.com/2007/12/gifts-that-benefit-charity-part-2.html
