By Christie Garton
With less than one week to go until Christmas, here are some last minute gift ideas (and deals) that give back in some really cool and unexpected ways!Charity AuctionStill looking for that perfect gift for that special someone? How about a set visit to Glee? Or maybe a walk-on role in HBO's Boardwalk Empire? With charitybuzz's "Gifts that Give Twice" auction both of these items -- and many others -- are available to bid on with all proceeds going to a specific charity. Interested? You can find these items at charitybuzz.com.Greeting CardsStill haven't sent out your holiday greeting cards? You're not alone! For a fun, do-good twist, consider these greeting card options that give back:-- UNICEF just launched a holiday coloring book iPad app, which allows kids to color as many as nine greetings on the iPad and then email them to friends and family. It's a great way to support and share the UNICEF message, and it's free! The U.S. Fund for UNICEF Holiday Coloring Book iPad App is available on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-u-s-fund-for-unicef-holiday/id409133581?mt=8.-- Or how about a post card greeting? Just in time for the holiday season, the postcard is making a comeback! En Masse Mail is a new website that allows people to send greetings with REAL postcards and give to a charity at the same time. Whether it's a holiday "hi" or "thanks," a photo from a trip to Mumbai, or to advocate for a cause - the sender can choose from a gallery of images or upload their own, for .99¢ each. Head to http://enmassemail.com/postcards.php and choose a postcard that you find most compelling or create your own. Each virtual stamp is dedicated to a charity which receives 10% of the stamp's proceeds. Participating charities include the American Cancer Society, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Grassroot Soccer, Safe Horizon, Achilles International, Groove With Me, etc.Gift Cards-- The gift of health: Just in time for the holidays, American Express has created the Children's Health Fund Gift Card, a gift that gives twice: once to the recipient and once to charity. For every card sold, American Express will donate the $3.95 purchase fee to Children's Health Fund, a leading pediatric provider of mobile-based health care for homeless and low-income children and their families. The cards come in denominations of $25, $50, $100 and $200. The Children's Health Fund Gift Card from American Express will be available for purchase online by clicking here.-- The top four Charity Gift Card providers, TisBest.org, CharityGiftCertificates.org, JustGive.org and NetworkForGood.org issued the "Just 51 Bucks Challenge," asking Americans to give a gift of charity instead of "stuff" this holiday season. By investing $51 – which is 10% of what the average U.S. consumer will spend this year - in Charity Gift Cards rather than conventional holiday gifts of stuff, Americans can close the charity budget gap. Click on any of the links above to find the right gift card -- and charity -- for you!Shopping for a CauseThese opportunities listed below are great holiday gift options for the person that has everything....-- Seven Hopes United, an online Fair Trade retailer, offers unique fair trade gifts from around the world just in time for the holidays. All Seven Hopes United products are Fair Trade Certified, which means the products are made in fair trade cooperatives that contribute to social development, provide economic stability and secure the rights of marginalized producers and workers - especially in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Plus a portion of the proceeds from each product sold is invested back into artisan communities. For more information, visitwww.sevenhopesunited.com.--This holiday season, the International Rescue Committee is offering gifts that will warm the hearts of friends and family at the same time as they make a difference in the lives of refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At the IRC store, gift givers can purchase critical items for refugees in honor of their loved ones; the IRC will send recipients a beautiful personalized card in the giftgiver's name.Giving IRC gifts means capturing the true spirit of the season:
- A $24 first aid kit can provide a community health worker with the tools to treat basic ailments in a community affected by crisis. It's the perfect gift to dedicate in honor of a son or daughter in medical or nursing school.
- A $52 prenatal care gift can provide essential care for an expectant mother living in a war-torn area. What mother wouldn't be touched at having this gift given in her name?
- A farming kit, including seeds and tools, to help a family grow food, is $60, and makes a great gift for the friend with a green thumb.
- Summer school for a newly arrived refugee child in the U.S. is $100 and perfect to dedicate in honor of a teacher or student.
- Carpentry toolkits that cost $182 can help refugees rebuild devastated homes and communities - and would make a thoughtful gift for the tinkerer, crafter or handyman.
-- ChildFund International has an annual gift catalog featuring items that have been specifically requested by ChildFund International workers in developing countries around the world to help meet existing needs. Givers help impoverished families while also honoring a friend or family member with a purchase in their name. This year's hottest gifts? In addition to female goats for families in the Caribbean and throughout Africa ($37-105), the most popular gifts from the catalog include blankets for children in Mozambique ($12 apiece) and fruit trees for families in Mozambique (six for $20). Gifts start at $6 for head scarf for girls in Afghanistan and run to $2,143 for a water reservoir for communities in Honduras. Visit ChildFund's gift catalog for more details.-- For families looking for gadgets and gear, there's a different idea, a better idea, on the market - one that comes with hope and happiness for people in need, says Heifer International, a non-profit organization whose goal is to help end world hunger and poverty through self-reliance & sustainability. Through their "Most Important Gift Catalog in the World," holiday shoppers can send a variety of animals -- cows, goats, llamas, even water buffalo - that, unlike traditional gifts, promise a better, sustainable and self-reliant future. For instance, the gift of one Heifer goat will provide up to two gallons of milk per day for a family and will be a great resource for cheese, butter, yogurt and fertilizer. For more details, visit their gift catalog online at www.heifer.org.-- Given that the holiday season is the perfect time to give hope, The American Cancer Society encourages folks to honor friends and family with a gift in their name by making a donation to help support their work.-- For the last-minute holiday shoppers who are searching for ways to help others, Operation Smile's Holiday Giving Catalog and Holiday Greeting Cards offer the opportunity to donate to a good cause while giving thoughtful gifts. Life-changing gifts starting at just $25 are available, and the collection includes special feeding bottles, antibiotics and pain medication, as well as the gift of a surgery. Through these gifts, supporters can help the thousands of children suffering from clefts around the world. Visit www.operationsmile.org/holiday for more information.Facebook Deals-- Southwest Airlines: This holiday season, Southwest Airlines is offering the Make-A-Wish Foundation $1 in travel each time a customer uses Facebook Deals to check in at any of Southwest Airlines' 69 airports. Facebook users simply need to use their smart phone to check in using Facebook Places and share their location upon arrival at any airport Southwest serves and claim the deal. Once they've checked in on Facebook Places and claimed the deal, Southwest Airlines will automatically donate $1 in travel to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $300,000. For more details on how you can participate in this offer, visit: www.southwest.com/fbplaces.-- Hard Rock Cafe (U.S.): Donating $1 to WhyHunger to fight childhood hunger and poverty worldwide. Through Dec. 31 (or up to $100,000).-- Starbucks: Donating $1 per check-in to Conservation International to help protect 5,000 acres of forest. Up to $75,000.-- 24 Hour Fitness: Donating $1 to KaBOOM! for every person who checks in using Facebook Places. Up to $50,000.-- The North Face: Donating $1 to the National Park Foundation for every individual who checks in at one of America's nearly 400 national parks or visits a North Face retail location. Up to $150,000.-- Head to Facebook for a complete round-up of their "holiday check in deals".