Posted: 11/24/03
GIVE A GOAT:
Alternative Christmas gifts
By Mark Wingfield
Managing Editor
A number of Christian ministries have borrowed a page out of the Neiman-Marcus Christmas Catalog.
Like the upscale Texas retail chain, these ministries use the seasonal catalogs to offer unique gift ideas, ranging from the simple to the extraordinary.
But unlike the purveyor of gifts such as the luxury ice fishing house and custom-made mermaid outfit, these ministries provide alternative Christmas gift options that benefit third parties.
As an extension of their year-round efforts to fund ministries to the world's neediest people, organizations such as World Vision, Samaritan's Purse and even Texas-based Buckner Baptist Benevolences publish Christmas catalogs. The idea is to shop for something to help a person in need and then send a gift card to a friend or loved one announcing that this item has been donated in their name.
| $50: Provide medicine for an orphanage for one month. Buckner Baptist Benevolences See a catalogue of more gift ideas here. View with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, available here. |
A pioneer in this field is Heifer International, a non-profit organization based in Little Rock, Ark., that works to end world hunger by providing livestock and small animals to farmers and impoverished families.
The Heifer Christmas catalog features a barnyard variety of gift ideas, ranging from a flock of chicks or ducks for $20 to a sheep or goat for $120, a llama for $150 or a heifer for $500. The extravagant giver may choose The Ark for $5,000, which will provide a veritable Noah's Ark of animal sets.
For the listed price, Heifer will purchase and transport animals to those who need a sustainable source of nutrition and income. They, in turn, are asked to share the gift with someone else.
For example, a family that receives a heifer obtains a source of protein to nourish children and adults alike. A good dairy cow, Heifer reports, can produce four gallons of milk a day–enough to feed the family and have some additional to sell. Further, a healthy cow may bear a calf once a year, furthering the supply of nourishment for a community.
A family that receives a heifer is asked to donate to another family in need the first female calf born to their cow.
Heifer International works in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and the South Pacific.
This year's Heifer International catalog features a plethora of celebrity endorsements, from Walter Cronkite to Jimmy Carter to author Barbara Kingsolver.
World Vision, an international Christian humanitarian relief organization based in Federal Way, Wash., offers a similar catalog, but one that stretches beyond animals.
Through World Vision, donors may give Christmas gifts of water wells in Haiti ($10,000), wheelchairs for disabled children ($250), education for an orphan child for one year ($150) or immunizations for a child in a developing country ($25).
This is the eighth year for World Vision's Christmas catalog. Last year, the catalog raised $5.8 million from more than 30,000 donors.
“The gift catalog vividly communicates the needs of our global neighbors and explains the help that caring individuals like you can provide,” explains a promotional piece. “It's a great educational tool for families that also helps instill compassion in children.”
The gift catalog originally was developed as a way to help World Vision's existing donors, explained spokeswoman Karen Kartes. However, it quickly became a way to introduce new donors to the world's needs, she added.
About 70 percent of those who give gifts through the catalog are women, Kartes said, and many of those women are mothers of young children. Giving alternative gifts from a ministry catalog provides children a personal illustration of the greater meaning of Christmas, she said.
Officials at Heifer International agreed, noting in a news release: “While kids might have difficulty understanding what it means to write a check to charity, they can easily grasp the power of giving an animal … to poor families in 48 countries around the world.”
Samaritan's Purse, the international relief ministry headed by Franklin Graham, is best known for its Operation Christmas Child drive of shoebox gifts. However, the North Carolina-based ministry also offers a Christmas gift catalog. Available gifts include wheelchairs for disabled people who cannot afford them ($75), Bibles in a variety of languages ($10), training for international evangelists ($25) and airfare to transport sick children to the United States for specialized care ($2,000).
One of the newest organizations to offer a Christmas catalog is Buckner Baptist Benevolences, a ministry affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
For the second year, Buckner has produced a catalog featuring gift opportunities for its retirement services, international orphan care work and statewide ministries of child and family services.
Featured items include supplemental medications for senior adults who cannot afford all their medicine ($15), large-print Bible study materials for senior adults ($20), winter coats for orphans ($30), medicine for an orphanage for one month ($50), diapers and formula for an infant in foster care ($30) and counseling for a child who has experienced personal trauma ($200).
“We've realized the attitudes of many of our donors are changing. Many people want to see a tangible use of their contributions, and the gift catalog approach is a practical way for us to show them how their money is used,” explained Scott Collins, vice president for communications.
“This is only our second year, so our constituents are just getting used to the idea,” he added. “But because most consumers use catalogs, this is an easy transition. The gift catalog approach also translates easily to the Internet because people today are so accustomed to shopping online. Ultimately, we believe that holds the most potential for non-profit organizations.”
In addition to the specific gifts available in Christmas catalogs, all Texas Baptist ministry organizations–including child-care agencies, family ministries, schools and hospitals–rely heavily on year-end donations. These agencies often will provide acknowledgement cards to those in whose name gifts have been made.
Where to find Christmas gift catalogs
Buckner Baptist Benevolences
World Vision
Heifer International
Samaritan's Purse
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