Some ideas.
Give a gift where it's really needed - perfect for people who have everything they need. Show your loved ones you've thought of them by buying a gift for an Aussie child, people in the developing world or animals - where help is needed. You send your love to the person YOU love via a card, certificate or other small keepsake that the charity provides, and the real gift goes somewhere else. Most of these are also tax-deductible.
Give a fair trade gift - ensuring that the people who produced the present you're buying received a fair price for their labour, unlike the majority of the items on the shelves... No sweatshops here!
Give an eco-friendly gift - all the food, drink, clothing and gadgets you need are out there - in an environmentally friendly form. This is just a sample of the huge number of options out there...
Send a charity card - if Australia Post gets an annual deposit from you, check out some lovely cards here.
Buy a gift that supports a charity - some fair trade and some not
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1. GIVE A GIFT WHERE IT'S REALLY NEEDED
Oxfam Unwrapped (independent, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development)
Buy a mozzie net, a duck, a bicycle ambulance, a buffalo, a bridge, or even a pile of poo (to be used as fertiliser!). Or help start a new business, assist indigenous female elders sharing cultural heritage, or pay school fees for an AIDS orphan. Presents from as little as $10.
http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au/
Toy Connect - Simply Giving (connects you to Barnados, The Smith Family, Anglicare, Mission Australia, Variety Children's Charity, The Salvos and more)
Choose a Christmas present for a disadvantaged Australian child and receive a gift card, certificate of appreciation or origami gift box to send as a present.
http://www.toyconnect.com.au/corporate_home.cfm
Karma Currency (charity gift vouchers linking you to every charity in existence - almost, anyway...)
Perfect when you're not quite sure what makes a person tick. Make a donation to the website and your loved one gets a gift voucher. They log onto the website and choose the charity that'll receive the money -
http://www.karmacurrency.com.au/
Care Australia (non-government, non-religious, "serving individuals and families in the poorest communities in the world")
Buy a bike for a health care volunteer, a chicken, a family hygiene kit...or even a whole new classroom (though this one will set you back a bit...). Care Australia also offers a gift registry, so you can tell OTHERS what you want.
http://www.caregifts.org.au/home.asp
RSPCA
Donate on someone's behalf to help puppies and kittens, promote more humane farming practices, give care to senior citizen animals or help wildlife.
http://www.rspca.org.au/ecards/giftcard.asp
Unicef (United Nations Children's Fund)
Buy gifts to improve nutrition, warmth, learning and more in some of the 156 countries in which UNICEF works, from as little as $14. You receive a gift card to send. All are tax deductible.
http://merchandise.unicef.org.au/home.asp
Rainforest Rescue (a not-for-profit organisation conserving rainforest)
Gift cards from $20 to help buy rainforest in the Daintree (Australia), in Ecuador or in Indonesia to protect it permanently - or to help plant new rainforest where it's been destroyed.
http://www.rainforestrescue.org.au/index.html
Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children
Make a donation! -
http://www.ridbc.org.au/howtohelp/donation_gift.asp
Medicins Sans Frontieres (emergency medical relief to victims of natural or human-created disasters, and victims of armed conflict, fully funded by donations).
http://www.msf.org.au/donate/other-ways-to-donate/gifts-for-special-occasions/
MicroPlace (a micro-finance company)
Perfect for the loved one who's keen on money! Invest money on someone's behalf and they'll get it in a few years - with interest! With microcredit, you're lending money to people in the developing world to whom banks would not lend, helping them to start businesses and get out of poverty. When their profits start coming in, you get your money back.
https://www.microplace.com/ (Note: this one's owned by eBay, but there are others out there...)
WWF-Australia (conserving Australian native plants and animals)
"Adopt" an animal for your loved one and they'll also receive a plush toy, an adoption certificate and an explanation about where the money goes.
http://wwf.org.au/shop/
Climate Friendly (helping to grow the renewable energy industry by providing carbon offsets)
Offset greenhouse gas emissions from cars, flights, weddings, homes or just random tonnages of carbon. You get the option to buy it as a gift for someone else once you add them to your "cart". (Personal note for people who've heard me rant about this: I don't believe in the concept of "carbon neutral" and I don't believe that this gift neutralises your emissions. I do, however, believe in putting money into renewable energy so there's nothing wrong with lessening the guilt this way, as long as you're also trying to be green through your actions...) -
https://climatefriendly.com/
Tear Australia (Christian action with the world's poor)
Buy gifts for those who need them most - school supplies, a goat, safe water or an organic vegetable garden. As shown above, lots of companies now offer this, but it was pioneered by TEAR. Prices start at $5.
http://www.usefulgifts.org/
2. GIVE A FAIR TRADE GIFT
Oxfam - fair trade gifts from around the world (chocolate! toys! musical instruments!) as well as books, greeting cards, wine or CDs.
http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/
New Internationalist Fair Trade Gifts (independent non-profit cooperative)
Organic cotton manchester, hand-stiched (regulation sized) sports balls, games, cards and wrapping paper, books galore, tea and coffee, clothing - all fair trade and eco-friendly... plus they have the most amazingly fast delivery service I've ever experienced in December!
http://www.newint.com.au/shop/index.htm
Fair Go Trading - an Australian-based retailer of fair-trade and organic goodies -
http://www.fairgotrading.com.au/index.php
Siham Craftlink - games and toys, decorations, jewellery, musical items and more -
http://www.sihamcraftlink.com/products.html (see list of stockists on the website for where to purchase)
3. GIVE AN ECO-FRIENDLY GIFT
Multi-powered Products - gadgets galore!! solar-powered rechargers, a solar-powered MP3 player, wind-up torches, radios and stuff for kids, too -
http://www.multipoweredproducts.com.au/
Todae - solar gadgets, green cleaning products, books, shower timers, energy efficient lighting and lots more -
http://www.healthyhabitat.com.au/store/comersus_index.asp
Biome - eco-Christmas decorations, a staple-less stapler, natural skincare and lots more -
http://www.biome.com.au/
Eco Shop -
http://www.ecoshop.com.au/asp/default.asp
Tamburlaine Wines - Hunter Valley certified organic (and high quality) wines -
http://www.tamburlaine.com.au/tamburlaine-organic/public/welcome.asp
Blessed Earth - clothing and manchester made from certified organically-produced cotton and wool - not a hippy in sight -
http://www.blessedearth.com.au/
Macquariedale Estate Wines - certified biodynamic wines - they produce wines suitable for all your vegan friends (yes, most wines have animal products in them) and they also taste good -
http://www.macquariedale.com.au/
The Organic Grocer - to give a really practical gift, why not organise regular (or one-off) home-delivery of fresh, organically grown fruit and veges for someone? -
http://www.theorganicgrocer.com.au/
4. SEND A CHARITY CARD
Unicef -
http://merchandise.unicef.org.au/home.asp
WWF-Australia -
http://wwf.org.au/shop/categories/cards
Charity Greeting Cards - Support a range of charities including The Cancer Council, Kids Helpline, World Vision, Camp Quality, WIRES, Cystic Fibrosis NSW and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Dozens of charities to choose from!
http://www.charitygreetingcards.com.au/
RSPCA -
http://www.rspca.org.au/shop/shopping.asp
5. BUY A GIFT TO SUPPORT A CHARITY
RSPCA - Animal- themed presents for people and pets. You can even give your pet the gift of Pet Insurance, if that's your thing. -
http://www.rspca.org.au/shop/shopping.asp
Red Kite (an Aussie charity supporting children, young people and their families through cancer)
Buy a red kite for $14.95 -
http://www.redkite.org.au/p.aspx?n=PTITL-WWMLD-KWGRM-HBLFY-XJXPN
Oxfam - fair trade gifts (toys! coffee!) from around the world as well as books, greeting cards, wine or CDs. And chocolate!
http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/
Australian Conservation Foundation - diary and calendar -
http://www.barandiem.com.au/
Amnesty International Australia - t-shirts (some organic cotton), books and other stuff -
http://shop.amnesty.org.au/shop