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Here’s some ideas for gift giving this holiday season

It’s possible you’ve seen some of my posts but may not fully understand the mission and vision of GIFT, the organization I’m honored to lead as Executive Director. At GIFT, we run several impactful programs, including Senior2Senior, an intergenerational initiative that bridges the generation gap through volunteer work within our community. One of our most meaningful efforts is the creation and delivery of 800 holiday kits three times a year, in collaboration with university students. These kits are distributed to two main groups of recipients: 1. Those who face food insecurity and rely on these kits for nourishment. 2. Those who struggle with isolation and a lack of acknowledgment—individuals who may not need food, but desperately need to feel seen, valued, and appreciated by their community. Both groups, though different in their needs, are equally deserving of our support and recognition. At GIFT, we believe that everyone—whether struggling with hunger or loneliness—deserves to be acknowledged and connected. While the impact on seniors is clear, one of the greatest benefits of these programs is what they offer to our youth: an opportunity to cultivate empathy, a quality that’s often missing but so incredibly important. #GIFT #Community #Empathy #IntergenerationalConnections #GivingBack #SeenAndValued

As the holiday season approaches, the spirit of giving becomes increasingly appreciable. It’s a time filled with joy, warmth, and gratitude, and while we often think of gifts in terms of a physical exchange of items, there’s so much more to giving. This month's blog features a few inspirational reasons to embrace the gift of giving this holiday season. Follow the link to read more! >> https://lnkd.in/e-GXXhgZ

Thinking about giving back this season? Explore tax-smart ways to make your generosity go further in our latest newsletter.

There are so many of you who have reached out with interest in becoming a volunteer, or expressing a need to find some way to give back to the community. The most common reason we hear for not committing is time. Everyone is busy - all of us! What I'd like to help people understand is how easy it is to help an older neighbor with a simple service - when YOU are available. Volunteering with Faith in Action of the Greater Kanawha Valley is designed to work on your schedule, with opportunities to serve as little or as much as you'd like. Let's start with transportation to medical appointments. We have a full schedule of requests for rides to doctor's offices. As a volunteer, you are given full access to that schedule so you can see where the care receiver lives, where they need to go, and how long we anticipate this event to take in total. In other words, you'll be given all the information you need to make an informed decision regarding whether or not that particular trip will work for you. Let's say you know you are free next Thursday afternoon and you open the schedule to see Mary, who lives not far from you, needs a ride to a 2 pm appointment. You decide you can do that, so you sign up. On Thursday, you pick Mary up, drive her to her appointment, and then make sure she gets safely home when it is over. If Mary lives 30 miles from you and it's just too much - you don't sign up. That's it. That's how simple it is. When we say to our volunteers that accepting even one assignment a month is an enormous help to us and to those we serve, we mean it. Our opportunities are flexible, short-term, and meaningful, all at the same time - and that is by design. We want this experience to be as satisfying for you as a volunteer as it is for the older neighbors who benefit from your kindness. Join us at our next in-person training on August 20th - or visit our website to take the online training at your own pace - to learn more. We'd love to welcome you to the family! #volunteer #servingseniors #neighbortoneighbor #helpinghands

How is volunteer month going so far for you rural health folks? In case you missed it when we shared earlier this month, here are a few ideas to change up your volunteer recognition this year 👇 1️⃣ Don't just wait for April to show recognition, surprise volunteers throughout the year with a hand-written note and a little keepsake or treat. 2️⃣ Have employees or patients do a quick video on how a volunteer helped them, or have a volunteer "take over" your social for a day and post about volunteering in your organization. Make it fun. 3️⃣ Find a way to tie the work they are supporting to outcomes and stories of impact. That's what matters most. How many people were helped because of their work? Are there any special stories that stand out that you can tell? 4️⃣ Ask each department to write a thank you for the volunteers in their area. This can be done at a staff meeting, but a simple handwritten acknowledgment goes a long way in supporting volunteer engagement and loyalty.

Make Life A Service To Society: Serving society isn’t about grand gestures, it’s about everyday actions that benefit others. This infographic explores ten simple ways to make your life a force for good in the world. Your Small Acts, Can have Big Impact Making your life a service to society doesn’t require grand gestures. Small acts of kindness, volunteer work, and mindful choices can have a powerful positive impact on the world around you. https://lnkd.in/g2K2UJ7R

Your year end giving things to do list is long and maybe starting to feel a bit overwhelming. Let's concentrate on your year end appeal. You are going to want to drop it in the mail on the day after Election Day. So this is the week to make sure that it is written so you can get it printed and ready to go. When you are writing your letter, keep in mind the story formula: your community has a problem, your organization has a solution, but the only way the solution can get implemented is with donor dollars. The story you want to tell will cast a vision for the future. What additional impact will happen because someone gives to your organization? This appeal has a single purpose- asking for a gift. Do not clutter your message with an invite to an upcoming event, or a request for volunteers. One purpose - an ask for a gift. Use you language. Avoid using the words "we" and "our". Make this letter about your donor. Your gift will... etc. and Remember that you want your mail piece to go to the post office the day after Election Day! Good luck and let me know how it is going. Amy #AMPO

This #DoSomethingGoodForYourNeighborDay, discover the joy of giving back. Check out these tips from State Farm on how to volunteer and love it! Let’s make our community stronger together. https://lnkd.in/eXh2Pcni

This holiday season we’ve been exploring what drives gift giving, especially at a time when so many American families are feeling squeezed financially. And since it’s Giving Tuesday, we’d like to give the gift of knowledge! Comment “Gift me!” in the comments and we will DM you a copy of our latest Human-ology Bulletin, “Gifting in Focus.”