Love Your Clients with Gifts from the Heart

Fuzzy Sheep - Jingle Bells!

It’s December, and one of the things on my to-do list this week is to send gifts to clients to remind them how much they are appreciated.

To be honest – I give gifts because it makes ME feel good. And while I confess that a box of Godiva chocolates always seems to be well-received – as of a few years ago, I made the executive decision that MarketUP would give gifts that made a difference in the lives of others. Something I’m passionate about. Something from my heart.

So I gifted one company with an Ass. Er, um, a donkey. You know, one of those sturdy pack animals? Seriously – it was to help a farmer somewhere in the world haul things more easily. Another client got a Water Buffalo, for a similar need. Yet another favorite client got a hammer, nails, and a toilet. To help build a house. You get the idea.

These are just a few examples and are all really simple to give. There are now many Do Good organizations that have online gift giving options to make it easy for you to make a donation in the name of an individual or company, and have a nice holiday card sent which let’s the recipient know what ‘gift’ they gave.

One of our favorite Do Good organizations is Oxfam. They are incredibly active all over the world, and they have a high percentage of donations going straight to work versus spending on administration. They also have one of the most creative gift giving sites available. You can choose to gift someone with anything from a fuzzy sheep to green manure to help their crops grow.

Heifer.org has a similar mission, by supplying working livestock. They offer a range of donation options from $20 for a flock of chicks to $5000 for a full Gift Ark. Personally, I like the pig.

We also support Habitat for Humanity, which let’s you choose gifts by room, tools, materials or price. They have an online gift store too, including a new book called “If I Had a Hammer” for young readers. Give some concrete if you care!

NGO’s like Doctors Without Borders are also part of MarketUP’s gift giving plan. Make a donation outright, or send an e-Card in honor of someone, or buy holiday cards. If you hurry, you can also get/give tickets to the one night showing of “Living in Emergency” on December 14th at theatres nationwide.

Focusing on women and children, Care.org is another hard-working group in need of donations right now.

If you want to do something amazing that doesn’t cost anything but your time, help Amnesty International with letter writing campaigns. Share with your clients and friends. It will make everyone feel good, honest.

I’m sure there are dozens of other deserving organizations that you can contribute to – in appreciation of all that you have received this year from your clients, neighbors, family and friends.

If anyone wants to know what’s on my Wish List – a few seeds, honeybees or a bucket of vaccinations would thrill me to no end.

Here’s to giving!

– Donna