Have you considered giving a goat via a charity this Christmas? Photo / 123RF
Have you considered giving a goat via a charity this Christmas? Photo / 123RF
If you’re stuck for present ideas, or want to do something positive for the world, why not give a goat?
The basic idea is that instead of buying a present for the person who has everything, buy a card from the charity for a goat (or chicken, water pump orother life-giving gift). The card is given to your family member or friend, and the goat or other gift you choose is then donated by the charity to someone in an underprivileged country.
Charity gifts exploded in popularity in the 2000s. They’re still around and have evolved quite a bit. In 2022, it’s not just goats or chickens that can be bought through charities and gifted to needy people, it can be anything from a week of food for a family to seeds, wells, irrigation systems or school textbooks.
The gifts can be life-changing for the recipient. With a goat, they get ongoing milk for the family. And a well can help with health and food security.
The idea for third-party gifting that emerged in the early 2000s really captured the imagination of many people in wealthy countries around the world. It has become a huge deal for aid organisations.
In effect, it is no different to giving money to a charity. But Unwrapped and other schemes resonated with people and made donations feel more tangible. Third-party gifting also helped overcome distrust by donors about charitable donations being eaten up by the charity’s administration and salaries.
The first time I ever heard of the third-party gifting concept, it was Oxfarm’s Unwrapped scheme. Charities the world over have picked up on the concept over the past two decades. Others include Tearfund, World Vision, ChildFund, Ripple Effect, Caritas, Save The Children, The Leprosy Mission and more.
Or you can choose to support local charities that work in New Zealand such as Everybody Eats, which has similar gift cards to those offered by the big local and international charities. As Everybody Eats points out, they’re a great gift for a Secret Santa.
Be aware that receiving a third-party donation card instead of a personal gift isn’t for everyone. Only do it after quietly sounding the person out. Some people are put out if they don’t receive actual things for themselves, and that needs to be respected. Others are delighted when they receive an ethical gift, such as an Oxfam Unwrapped card.
A well or irrigation system can benefit health in the developing world. Photo / 123RF
University of Canterbury academics Simon Kemp, Jessica Richardson and Christopher Burt researched the phenomenon a decade ago. They found that third-party gifts were a very successful marketing tool for charities. “Gifts of specific goods are preferred to gifts of money, particularly when the benefit to the developing world beneficiary is considered,” they concluded. “Such gifts also inspire a reasonable degree of trust.”
The Canterbury University research suggested that third-party gifts made reasonably good presents for recipients. They found that people who had been recipients of third-party gifts rated them at least as suitable as those who had been donors.
“It is possible that the generally positive reaction to third-party gifts results from respondents’ perceptions of this as the socially desired response,” they said.
The research concluded that the average estimated benefit to the beneficiary from receiving the goat or other item was significantly higher than receiving the equivalent sum of money. What’s more, the researchers found that there was also significantly greater trust that the gifts were delivered by the charity and that good use was made of the gift.
For the record, if you buy a goat, it doesn’t necessarily mean a person always gets a goat delivered to them, according to Tear Fund. That’s also the case with many other charities.
They do try to tie the donations to actual gifts and sometimes a recipient in the developing world gets a goat. But consider this: If the recipients of the goats aren’t able to feed them, the animals end up in the cooking pot, which ruins the idea of an ongoing milk supply for the family. Sometimes other work can have a better long-term impact.
Even if a physical goat isn’t matched with your money, the gift does ensure that project work does get done.
