If everyone gives up their birthday gifts this year, more than $3 billion dollars can be donated to worthy causes or needy people. Friends and family donating money in your name can be much more rewarding than getting material gifts. Giving is a lot more gratifying than receiving, no matter the occasion.

Read Keisha Whitaker's blog!


TAKE ACTION TODAY

1. Select a charity, cause, or purpose you wish to support. Or, support the Every Monday Matters Foundation.
2. Decide which holiday or occasion for which you would like your friends and family to make a donation instead of giving you a gift.
3. Provide your friends and family with the proper charity information to make their giving easier—website, phone number, or address.
4. If there is not a specific reason for having a party, make one up. Simply have guests bring a food dish or beverage along with money for your charity of choice or for someone in need.

FACTS

Every week in the U.S. there are:

• 5,890,775 birthdays
• 41,154 weddings
• 82,788 births
• Birthdays are the #1 reason people celebrate.
• There are millions of other gift-giving/receiving occasions every year, such as bat and bar mitzvahs, graduations, funerals, retirements, and debutante balls.
• Every year, nearly 140 million people purchase and/or receive a gift card with an average value of $59.
• $832 is the average amount spent annually on holiday gifts.