Daily Stuntz — Last Minute Gift Ideas

If you are fortunate enough to have the bandwidth and resources to be thinking about gift ideas and also put things off, normally or due to the pandemic, below are some options that I am considering.

It has been an interesting process this year as on one hand, myself and others I have talked to have the instinct to try and do more, especially for my kids since this year was tough. On the other hand, there are millions and millions of people who need help here in the US and billions around the world, so why wouldn’t we focus on that? Let me know if there are other options we should be considering as some of us make last minute decisions.

1. Effective Altruism funds — https://app.effectivealtruism.org/funds — These funds are managed according to the principles in the book Doing Good Better, and are trying to make the largest impact possible for the most people.
2. Food bank donations — If you want to focus more locally, considering donating to food banks. Yes it is not strictly as “effective”, but we need to help our neighbors if we can — https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank can help you find a place near you
3. Gift cards to local businesses and put a 6 month minimum on using it — Keep businesses going with cash in the short term and promise to yourself or whoever not to use it for six months or more until whatever metric public health folks recommend to tell us that we are good to go
4. Cool Earth — https://www.coolearth.org/ — Even though there are so many challenges in the short term, climate change is still a thing. This organization works locally to protect rainforests and support the people living there. At one point a couple of years ago, all it cost was about five dollars to save a metric ton of carbon dioxide from going into the air through deforestation. This is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to support the environment.
5. Whatever you are passionate about, find a way to give that to others in need — This also goes against the effective altruism ideas, but if it inspires you to help others then go out there and make it happen.