Alternative online gift suggestions for charities and non-profits

Is your cause right for alternative gifts? It probably is, but you may need to get creative.

Alternative gifts, sometimes called ‘good gifts’, are gifts that provide something to the clients of a charity.

The public are now used to seeing gifts for international development charities, such as fruit trees, or chickens for subsistence farmers. Other types of non-profits can offer gifts too, and we have some ideas to help you plan your ethical gifts.

Animal charities

• Specialist baby food for orphaned orangutans
• A radio scanner for tagged rhinos
• Blankets for homeless dogs

Disability charities

• A taxi ride for a person with restricted mobility
• A braille book for a blind person
• A day's training for an assistance dog

Education non-profits

• Textbooks
• Literacy lessons
• School meals

Age-support charities

• One hour of telephone support for a lonely individual
• A hot meal delivered to an elderly person
• A day's central heating for a cold home

Environmental causes

• A tree planted in an area of soil erosion
• A litter-picking kit for a field worker
• Training for a wildlife rescue volunteer

Homelessness charities

• A pair of socks
• A sleeping bag
• Christmas dinner at a homeless shelter

Human rights organisations 

• 30mins of legal support for a political prisoner
• A witness recording of a human rights protest
• A personal care package for a prisoner

Medical charities

• A vaccination for a child
• Solar panels for an off-grid clinic
• Rehydration solution

Mental health non-profits

• An hour of therapy
• Training for a front-line volunteer
• Resource pack for parents concerned about their child

Refugee causes

• Cookware for a family in a refugee camp 
• A life-jacket for a refugee child travelling by sea
• Cold weather jacket for a refugee

Sanitation

• Water purification tablets
• A composting toilet
• A well for a village

Get our free guide to alternative gift sites

We've created a 35+ page guide to what makes a great alternative gift site. It's free to download, so if you'd like to repeat the success of Concern, get your copy now.