Christmas décor and Christmas cards are already being displayed in the stores and it isn’t even Halloween yet! Perusing past the aisle of Christmas cards to get to the Halloween candy, I thought to myself that this year would be the year I would get my cards out before December 24th. Another thought popped into my head, though, as a cute puppy with a Santa hat on the cover of a card caught my eye. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could buy Christmas cards directly from the Humane Society? Well, you can.
Many non-profit organizations have a variety of merchandise that they sell on their website and sometimes at events that they are participating in. The merchandise ranges from t-shirts, aprons, hats, tote bags, coffee mugs, car decals, blankets, socks, mouse pads, regular notecards, greeting cards, and Christmas cards. Some of the organizations also sell items specific to the holidays, such as Christmas ornaments, stockings, Advent calendars, or things such as Father’s Day and Mother’s Day gift items.
Websites that Represent Many Charities
For a one-stop shopping site which gives you a look at many different charities and their cards, there are a few sites you can go to. Keep in mind, though, that the charity will only receive 10-20 percent of the amount you spend, depending on the website. Sites which offer such a convenience include Cards for Causes, Good Cause Greetings, Cards that Give, More than Cards and Charity Cards.
Individual Charities
Dealing with the individual non-profit site that you want to support is always a positive. Some may not have a holiday card program, while others may offer an abundance of cards to choose from. Some organizations, such as the Arbor Day Foundation, offer not only the holiday cards from which you can choose, but also baby trees you can gift.
Not only do organizations like the National Wildlife Federation and the Humane Society of the United States offer cards, but also places such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, and the Museum of Modern Art as well.
Health-related Non-Profits
Health-related non-profit organizations also have merchandise to sell to benefit their cause. Places such as the American Diabetes Association and St. Jude’s have holiday related products, whereas some of the smaller organizations may not. Check the website of the organization you are interested in if you aren’t sure.
St. Jude’s Children’s Ranch not only sells Christmas cards, but they will accept the fronts of your Christmas cards, birthday cards, and thank you cards as long as they are not Hallmark, Disney, or American Greetings cards. With the front of the cards that you send to them, they have the children create new cards which they then sell. When the project first began, they were only creating Christmas cards, but now the project has grown and they are also creating birthday and thank you cards. Check out their web site for more information on where to send the cards to, if you are interested.
As you can see, there are a variety of options to choose from when deciding what type of card you would like to send out this holiday season. I hope I have given you some alternative choices to consider that perhaps you weren’t aware of before. Have fun sending your greetings out to your family and friends!
Shelly Lange - Shelly Lange enjoys writing, reading, and learning about a variety of topics. She is a wife and mother, and as if that didn't keep her ...
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