What’s worse than getting caught in the rain? Having to endure the awkward moment when you, bone dry and under your umbrella, must walk past an unfortunate soul who has forgotten his or her own!

There’s a terrific opportunity for April altruism here.

Play the part of the silent hero (bonus points if you have a trench coat) and use the opportunity to hand-out a poncho. Stock your purse with some inexpensive “emergency” solutions and pass them out when you happen to catch someone up the creek without a poncho. (You can find them at many drugstores for under a dollar!)

If you want to go the extra mile, you can customize the labels with fun and inspiring messages. We included a few “Poncho Printable” templates and instructions here to help get you started. But feel free to customize with your own unique words of encouragement!

Here are a few ideas:

· Real men wear ponchos.

· Congratulations! You’ve had a “stroke” of luck!

· Throw ponchos, not punches!

· Went to work without an umbrella and all you got was this lousy poncho…

· Today, you’re the head poncho!

· Umbrellas are overrated.

· Free recyclable shower curtain.

· Well, the rain dance worked.

· Don’t worry. This doesn’t legally obligate you to join my cult.

· Hey Rain Man, don’t be a hero.

Have any more ideas to help brighten someone’s day? Comment below to tell us what your “Rainy Day Rescue” might say!

Photo courtesy of

More than half of people receive what they consider bad holiday gifts and almost one-third know someone who consistently gives poor or even insulting ones!

Now that it’s 2010 and you’ve had a few weeks to take inventory of all your gifts, it’s time to consider what to do with them! Did you get exactly what was on your wish list, and then some? Did you get some from people who apparently don’t know you at all? The same ol’ fruitcake or flannel shirt? No problem! Here are some eco-friendly, helpful and affordable ways to use your gifts:

Return it. If you have a receipt or know the store, return it for cash or store credit. The only drawback to this classic solution is that about 17% of retailers have tightened their holiday policies this year, largely because of return fraud, according to the National Retail Federation.

Sell it. If you can’t return the gift but want cash, try selling it on eBay, Craigslist or even a yard sale.

Donate it. Cart your gift along with other items that are just cluttering to your home to the nearest charity shop and take the tax credit. You can also donate them to a silent auction or a senior center as Bingo prizes.

Swap it. Throw a post-holiday soiree and swap the bad gifts to people who will appreciate them. To keep duds out of landfills, BBMG, an eco-minded marketing company, has launched The Save the White Elephant campaign.

Regifting. As long as you’re careful not to give the gift back to the giver, or someone he or she knows well, regifting has become more and more socially acceptable.  The safest candidates are generic items like wine, unopened chocolates, candles and, even better, unused gift cards. We don’t suggest sending a weird or tacky gift to someone unless you think they might actually like it.

Recycling. www.freecycle.com allows people to post and receive free stuff. No takers? Check with your local recycler to see if they’ll accept the gift.

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We’ve all heard the grumbling about Christmas – it’s too commercial, too
expensive, and contributes an unthinkable amount of pollution through the
production, procurement, wrapping, and subsequent unwrapping of future
white elephant gifts. Well, thankfully, I have personal experience with
tens of thousands of people who have discovered a way to make Christmas
meaningful again.

The company I work for, World Vision, has been fighting the root causes of
child poverty around the world for over 50 years, and the World Vision Gift
Catalog is a collection of over 100 different ways people can donate to
help the poor in the name of a loved one.

I used it last year to give a donation in my father’s name. He is a
nightmare to shop for because he really does have everything he needs, but
there are two things around which his world revolves, 1) Golf and 2)
Fishing.

So I donated a fishing kit in his name through the catalog and he loved it!
Dad isn’t someone who expresses his feelings a lot, but this gift started a
great conversation. He was really pleased to know that people would be
truly impacted because of this gift. It’s probably the only thing I’ve
given him in recent years that he’ll actually remember.

The fishing kit cost $40 and came with a card that pictured the kit and
explained to Dad how the kit would help a family in need but there are
things in the catalog for much less – like two ducks for $12. It doesn’t
cost much to make a big difference to a family accustomed to living on $2
or less a day, like 87% of the people who live in Zambia, for example.

Last year, $21 million was raised to help the poor through the World Vision
Gift Catalog. I’ve been privileged to meet families in Zambia who could
provide for their families – food, school uniforms, and medicine – because
of money they earned raising goats or chickens donated by World Vision
donors. And I’ve seen whole villages transformed because they finally had
healthy, clean water to drink, food to eat because of donated seeds and
tools, and schools where their children could begin to realize their
dreams. From speaking to those who benefited, I can say that these gifts
brought more joy than any gift ever purchased from Target, Macys or all the
rest.

Personally, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Christmas,
particularly in a time when our planet is overburdened and our wallets are
feeling lighter. Whether it’s through World Vision or any of the other
excellent humanitarian organizations doing similar work, I encourage you to
consider making an alternative Christmas gift this year.

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World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working
with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their
full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

Being on a budget doesn’t mean that you can’t experience life’s joy of giving. Here are some practical tips about how you can help others when you have limited means.

Make a meal for a family who could really use it. This is a fun idea that can have the whole family involved. Chances are that you already know of someone in your community who would benefit from a home cooked meal. If not, check with a local church, synagogue, mosque or community center. Cooking from scratch doesn’t break the budget, and you can create a nutritious dinner from inexpensive ingredients, such as pasta and chicken. If your time is limited, simply double up the recipes you make for you own family dinner and deliver the extra to someone in need.

Add some extra items to your cart when you are shopping. When you are shopping for you family at the grocery store, pick one or two extra things to put aside for someone else. Focus on sale items and use coupons. The full spectrum of products will often have discounts and coupons.  You can turn it into a game to see how much you can actually get for your money. Keep a box in the kitchen or a shelf in your pantry for these items. When your space is full, donate it all to someone in need. You’ll never notice any impact to your grocery bill.

Give your time, Volunteer. If you have the time available, volunteering is always a low cost way of helping that can make a big impact. There are so many opportunities to help. You can help with a large organization such as serving meals at a soup kitchen, picking up donations, making phone calls for housing, and more. Check with local organizations such as churches, food banks, the Salvation Army, Good Will Industries, Meals on Wheels or the United Way.

What are your favorite ideas for how to help others when you have limited means? Would you like to see more ideas on this topic?

You Can Make A Difference with Only $50 or 2 hours of your time

GreatGuide.org

Is a place to find, review, and talk about great — and perhaps not so great — nonprofits.

If you have direct experience with a nonprofit, share your knowledge and help other people discover trustworthy nonprofits that are making a difference.

With the time you’re saving this year by doing a Secret Santa exchange with your family rather than buying for everyone, maybe you can give back a little of that time to a great local charity.

I’m partial to Rebuilding Together Oakland – The mission of Rebuilding Together Oakland is to rehabilitate homes for low-income elderly or disabled individuals as well as community facilities in the City of Oakland.

Via CNewmark

So choose a meaningful holiday gift from their catalogue for the perfect responsible and generous gift alternative. For example, the gift of a goat will provide a family with a ton of nutritious milk a year, whose surplus can be sold. Goats are fast-reproducing and high-yield livestock that will allow families to start off small dairies and become self-sufficiant. The gifts are then passed on to other families and ultimately help transform entire communities.

Happy charitable giving!

Since 1989, Trees for the Future has been helping communities around the world plant trees. Through seed distribution, agroforestry training, and our country programs, they have empowered rural groups to restore tree cover to their lands. Planting trees protects the environment and helps to preserve traditional livelihoods and cultures for generations.

A $40 membership will help grow 400 trees! $100 grows 1,000 trees. That’s impressive, don’t you think?

Help hungry families feed themselves.

Got too much stuff in the closet? How about adding  Heifer International to your wish list this year?

Heifer is a nonprofit organization with a simple, but hefty, goal to end world hunger. “Teach a man to fish” has been their philosophy since 1944.  Heifer’s successful approach is to provide people with sustainable sources of food and income (livestock for eggs, wool, milk, etc.) so families can (and do) lift themselves out of hunger and poverty – permanently. Your gift will go to the purchases of livestock, benefiting struggling families in over 50 countries.