Frugal gift idea number 2: The tax-deductible gift

The perfect gift for the person who has everything is--nothing!

Instead of buying more stuff stuff stuff, why not make a donation in honor of someone? Your donation can help people in need, and many non-profits will send a nice card to the honoree telling them you've made a donation in their name. Plus, you can deduct the gift if you itemize on your income taxes. Everybody's happy. Take my grandmother, for example.

My grandmother does not need another coffee mug plastered with family photos. Nor does she need another ornament/coaster/sweatshirt/calendar with her favorite bird on it. She doesn't need another expensive floral arrangement delivered to her house. And she doesn't need another personalized eyeglass case.

What she needs is to know that her 3 children, 10 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren love her and think of her on her birthday and at Christmastime.

For years I sent my grandmother flowers as presents. She lives alone and likes the outdoors but can't get around much any more. I'd often send an amaryllis bulb or something that would bloom for a few weeks. But having flowers delivered is expensive. So I switched to sending her magazine subscriptions. For a couple years, I sent Smithsonian subscriptions, but then one year she gushed, "Thank you so much for the National Geographic subscription. I read it cover to cover." I realized I was wasting my money.

Then I discovered Madre. Madre is an international aid organization that supports women in developing countries. Many of their projects help provide food and medical care for women in war-ravaged areas. My grandmother worked as a volunteer in a home for poor unwed mothers for many years after she retired. I figured it was a good fit. She was working to help give women in trouble a second chance. I figured I could continue her work by donating to Madre.

So. Every year, I make an easy credit-card payment to Madre online, giving them my grandmother's name and address. They send Gram a nice card. She sends me a thank you note. I write it off on my taxes. It's a beautiful thing.

Now, I do want to add that I realize that an organization like Madre probably spends a fair amount of my donation on that glossy card for my grandmother. And on processing my credit card payment. And on the PR materials they send me all the time. And on their beautiful website. So I may not be getting as much bang for my donated buck as I could at another, smaller, more grassroots organization. But they make it very easy to donate in honor of someone, and their mission is something I think my grandmother would support. (I just hope she doesn't notice their leftist agenda.)

Related posts:
Frugal gift idea number 1: Gift cards
Gifts to family: Unconditional but not unlimited