Cards That Give

It's that time of year when those of us who still use snail mail to send Holiday Greetings begin our purchasing, writing, and mailing process. There is something really nice about receiving mail from someone who cares about you during the holidays, so I send out my wishes to all my friends and loved ones every year.

If you are like me and send out cards, you can buy cards that support a charity for this year's mailing from Cards That Give. You can pick the charity, cause, or design that you prefer from their list of charities (charities range from the ASPCA, to Heal the Bay, and the New York City Library) or from their gallery of designs. They include information about the percentage that actually goes to the charity and whether all or a portion of the card costs are tax deductible, so you can choose according to your own criteria.

I have a charitable tradition that I started about 10 years ago; I give an annual year end gift to a charity* instead of buying things for people I know (who get gifts from me all year). I write about my donation in all the cards I send out and encourage people to do the same instead of buying me a gift.

Start your own charitable tradition with just a card.

* This year my annual donation went to Amnesty International.