Another thought on charitable donations
 

Piggy-backing off of Lumberjim's thread (didn't want to derail), what is your opinion about giving to an organization in someone else's name as a gift?
I gave to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital last year in my brother's name as a Christmas gift for him. He reacted positively but I'm hesitant about doing it again this year. Don't want to seem like a copout in place of getting him something thoughtful ya know.

/edit: I had never done this before, not sure if I want to do it again hence the poll.

I think if you want to give someone a gift, you should give the person the gift, not another person. The reciever can then decide if they'd like to donate that gift to someone else.

I don't think it's up to me to decide where someone else should spend their money.

To me, giving to a charity in someone else's name really only flies if the recipient himself chose the charity. I would also be inclined to expect that everyone on your gift list got the charity donation, not just one person, otherwise yes I would say it does kind of look like a cop out for that one person.

So you'd rate this idea alongside Best Buy gift cards lol.

I would never do it.

I've said tacky copout, but actually I think Clod nailed it. I have given donations as presents when, for example, a friend has had a birthday party and requested that anyone wishing to give presents make a donation to a particular charity. I did once consider one of those adopt a *insert endangered animal here* type gifts for my niece as she's very into animals and conservation issues...but decided against because frankly, it's a shit present unless she gets to cuddle it :P

I think it would be OK only for the right combination of person and charity. For example:
Giftee - Very right wing brother-in-law
Charity - Greenpeace; WWF; GLOBE; Pro-choice Action League

Giftee - Left wing peace-nick, atheist
Charity - NRA; Moral Majority; Focus on the Family

And so on.

Oh what?!? You gave to something else for me? oh thnx....

Unless it's requested? Naaah. Nope. I have never even thought of doing that. Which makes sense now, because I couldn't even understand what you were asking at first.

I have decided to give your gift to the less fortunate....lol! Merry Christmas!! Here's a receipt for your charitable donation! Hope you like iiittt!! lol!

That actually makes me laugh. I would do that to someone that I didn't like, or thought was spoiled or selfish. That's a good one. That's a keeper. Heh. Especially if the donation was a lot of cash and they got the receipt. lol!


I could understand if it was their personal pet charity or requested. But out of the blue, just seems mean. My parents should do that to my brothers....they expect too much still during christmas, even though they are grown.

Thanks that's going in the hip-pocket. :)

I've done it but it depends on the person receiving. Heifer International or Homes for Our Troops should cover the spectrum. Lots of people are tired of getting stuff for Christmas.

I adopted a humpback whale in my grandmother's name - she needed nothing, and she thought the adoption certificate was funny & told everyone about it. But then the organization sent her tons of requests for more money. Late in the year she told me about all the mail she was getting, was so upset she couldn't send more money, etc. I think she was afraid the whale would starve without her $30. I learned. I would ask first now. But for me, I'd like a donation in my name to certain organizations when I'm alive (seems we only do memorial donations for the dead now).

Wow. I hadn't heard about such repercussions before. Soooo glad I didn't get my niece one.

I'd never hump a black whale named after my grandmother. That was Squirell Nutkin. I won't pay $30 to see that. That's crazy talk.

beest adopted me an elephant for our Ivory wedding anniversary. aaaaw. but that was an incredibly well-thought out gift rather than a cop-out. Which is what I generally believe such gifts to be, unless that charity is the pet project of that person and they want for nothing material.

On a related note, i got annoyed at a commercial for speedway gas stations this evening: "Buy everyone on your list a speedway gas card -everyone needs gas, it's the gift everyone will love...." or some such bullshit. Wait, what is the point of this gift thing again? shall we all swap speedway cards? What do we get for the non-drivers? bogroll?(TP) -everyone needs that too.....

lets all just exchange $20 bills. they're like gift cards you can use at any store.

That would be just like that scene in Donnie Brasco.