The most important gift idea in the world for socially responsible businesses 

(ARA) – Every holiday season, many offices get buried under baskets of fruit, logo pens and other gift items. The corporate holiday gift is a mainstay of the business world, but gift-givers often have difficulty finding something that’s unique, let alone socially responsible as well. And the “a donation has been made in your name” gift can lack relevancy if the receiver sees it only as a cash exchange.

From sole proprietors to multi-national corporations, more business people are turning to organizations like Heifer International as a way to give a meaningful corporate gift. Founded in 1944, Heifer International is a non-profit organization that provides livestock and training to help poor communities in more than 50 countries, including the United States. The livestock and training help recipients achieve self-reliance.

“Our donors tell us they love knowing we’ve helped a family in Appalachia or the Indian Nations by giving a cow or a flock of sheep in their client’s honor,” says Mike Matchett, Heifer’s marketing director. “They find it far more meaningful than another box of chocolates or gourmet cheese.”

A gift through Heifer International continues giving long after the holiday cards have been taken off the office bulletin board. Recipients of Heifer International animals pass on the gift by giving the animals’ offspring to another family in need. The livestock and Heifer International’s training in earth-friendly agriculture methods help ensure the families will be able to sustain a living and protect their environment as well.

Heifer also helps communities flourish through micro-credit loans, enterprise planning, marketing, product development and financial management. For many project partners, this helps reveal their talents and creativity in various ways and begin to move toward gaining a viable income.

For example, more than half the Navajo population live below the federal poverty line. Young Nation members grow up in a culture that is increasingly economically and emotionally stressed. Especially troubling is the deterioration of the sheep industry, which is vital to both the Navajos’ economic future and their spiritual well-being. Fair trade was incomprehensible to these families until Heifer trainers came in to help the Navajo families in Rocky Ridge, Ariz. build up the quality of their sheep herds with pure bred Churro rams and ewes. They also helped project partners build a facility where the Navajo are now certified to sort, clean, grade and classify their upgraded wool and sell directly to wool mills at a profitable rate (up from 8 cents to $1.05 a pound).

Corporate gift-givers can choose from dairy cows and goats to llamas, pigs and flocks of fowl. Tree saplings can be given, as well as hives of honey bees to produce honey and improve crop pollination.

“A gift from Heifer International will never clutter your client’s desk, pack unwanted calories into their day or leave them wondering, ‘What the heck is this for?’ ” says Matchett.

Whatever you choose, Heifer makes it easy to give this unique gift by visiting http://www.heifer.org and opening Heifer’s ”Most Important Gift Catalog in the World,” where you’ll find gifts ranging between $20 for a flock of chicks to a $5,000 ark of animals for a whole village. Gift cards can be customized and printed or emailed to your recipients. Or, call (800) 696-1918 to get a free catalog and place your order.

Courtesy of ARA Content