Meaningful gifts will keep on giving

Increasingly, charitable giving has become a part of holiday shopping.
NEW YORK (AP) -- When Joan Hornig was an Ivy League undergrad, she made a promise: "If my life turned out like I hoped it would, I vowed I'd give back."
She fulfilled her pledge after years as a Wall Street financial whiz. She quit her job and now designs and sells unique, high-end jewelry to well-heeled and high-powered shoppers at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.
The jewelry is priced at an average 500 apiece. But Hornig, 51, pockets no profit from the sale of her exclusive collection. Instead, all the proceeds go to the charity of the buyers' choice. If the buyer can't decide, Hornig has a long list of charities to recommend.
Hornig says she's raised a quarter of a million dollars for about 100 charities in 11/2 years. "I didn't do this for tax purposes, and it's not a marketing scheme," Hornig said. "The goal was to challenge people to do something meaningful and think about the next generation."
New kind of giving
Traditionally, "charitable giving" during the holiday season has meant dropping off canned goods at the local food bank or spending a few hours serving food to the homeless. But increasingly, charitable giving has become a part of holiday shopping.
In an October 2006 study of 900 consumers, 74 percent said they're more likely to notice a company when its products are tied to a charitable cause. The survey was conducted by Cone Inc., a Boston-based strategy and communications agency that links charities with corporations.
The study also found that nine out of 10 shoppers said they would switch brands, regardless of quality or cost, if the new brand were associated with a philanthropy. Moreover, 83 percent of survey participants said they trust a company more if it's considered to be socially or environmentally responsible.
It was the charitable mind-set that drew Stacey London of San Mateo, Calif., to buy a friend a 65 bottle of Hanae Mori Magical Moon perfume, with a portion of proceeds going to buy textbooks for underprivileged schools.
"She'll love the perfume, and she'll love that it's helping public schools," said London, a life coach and therapist. "There are a lot of products out there that support charities, but this one jumped out at me."
The idea also holds true for Judith Byrd-Blaylock, a Manhattan-based airport consultant who keeps coming back to Hornig's jewelry, both for its charitable connection and its design. Her favorite charity to donate through Hornig's collection is Help USA, which builds housing for underprivileged families.
"The fact that I can acquire beautiful jewelry while at the same time contributing in a significant way ... makes wearing the jewelry that much more special and enjoyable," she said. "It also makes me eager to buy more of Joan's jewelry."
Celebrity endorsements
Some products with a charitable tie-in get publicity from celebrities, who in turn burnish their own images by associating with a worthy cause.
"With celebrities involved, it isn't just something that makes sense or is just philanthropic, it's cool," said Joe Waters, a Boston-based cause-marketing expert who writes two blogs on the topic.
Andie MacDowell backs the "Color of Hope" bracelet offered by L'Oreal Paris to help battle ovarian cancer. Brooke Shields fronts for the Toys R Us "Toys 4 Tots" campaign. Designer Kenneth Cole and Jon Bon Jovi have teamed up to sell jackets to fight homelessness.
And a host of bold-faced names, from Steven Spielberg to Don Cheadle to Dakota Fanning, have loaned their star-power to the Gap's RED clothing line, sales of which benefit the fight against AIDS.
The actress and rapper Eve, meanwhile, is talking about MAC Cosmetics' "Kids Helping Kids Cards," a six-pack of child-designed cards with proceeds going toward children with AIDS. "I'm a big believer in giving back," Eve told The Associated Press. "During the holidays, it's even more important to help those who need it most."
Basket project
Macy's "Rwanda Path to Peace Project" has taken on author and artist Willa Shalit's efforts to help impoverished women in the small African country rebuild their lives following the 1994 genocide.
Shalit, who also produced Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" on Broadway, coordinated the effort with the department store to sell the hand-woven baskets at Macys.com, and at its stores in Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York.
More than 600,000 of the money raised over the past few years has gone back to the weavers, many of whom are heads of households and subsist on less than 1 a day.
For most of the weavers, "this is the only money they've ever had in their entire lives," said Shalit, daughter of film critic Gene Shalit. "The idea that Americans want what they're making ... is really meaningful. It makes them feel proud and it gives them hope."
Odette Gatese, a basket-weaver from the Gitarama region of Rwanda, echoed the sentiment.
"I first set my hands on money through weaving," she said. "The basket is my life now because it can give me everything I need. So I look at weaving as my only hope."