Giving in more ways than one

This month, holiday shoppers will spend considerable hours at local malls, surfing the Internet and leafing through direct-mail catalogues in search of the perfect gift. Americans will spend billions of dollars buying family and friends the latest electronic gadgetry, must-have toy, trendy fashion, collectible keepsake, home furnishing or other special item in an effort to say "happy holidays."

These same shoppers will come home to find mailboxes overflowing with dozens of appeals from charitable organizations soliciting year-end giving, hoping to combine the spirit of the season with the pragmatism of 2006 tax advantages.

With more than 35,000 not-for-profit organizations in the greater Los Angeles area alone — spanning healthcare, the arts, education, youth clubs, community foundations and more — there is no shortage of worthy groups to support.

This bifurcated tug on the pocketbook — shopping and solicitations — has become more a part of our Decembers than chestnuts roasting on the open fire.

To many of us, it seems that something has to give because there is just so far a dollar can stretch. Yet, with a little creativity, there is indeed a way to combine these two unshakable imperatives.

Many not-for-profit organizations have wonderful gift stores from which to buy. Such stores can be found in every museum in the city, on every college campus, in all hospitals and in most performing arts centers. Doing your holiday shopping at these locales, instead of confining yourself to the malls, is worth consideration.

Take the college bookstore. Over the past decade, these stores have reinvented themselves as they fight for their rightful place in the retail world. No longer your father's college store, they now offer more good books and gift items — some emblazed with the college logo, some not — than you might imagine.

Why not buy that college graduate on your list sweats, scrubs, glassware or desk accessories from his or her alma mater?

Although about half of college bookstores are now run by large retailers such as Barnes & Noble or Follett, on average, these stores return about 12.8 percent of their sales back to the colleges they serve. That makes your holiday dollar go a whole lot further.

The same can be said of museum stores, which, year after year, continue to offer some of the most unique gift items found anywhere, whether treasured icons of the past or vibrant art of the present. Buying your holiday gifts at a museum store not only assures you of giving a unique and thoughtful present, but also tells your family member, personal friend or business associate that you want your shopping dollars to help make this a better community in which to live.

Many hospital boutiques, usually run by the medical center or an auxiliary guild, will surprise you with the breadth and quality of their inventory. With the cost of healthcare rising rapidly year after year, community support is essential today more than ever.

Dollars raised by hospital gift shops go straight to the bottom line, helping to fund community outreach programs, medical education programs and badly needed new equipment. They also help to keep emergency rooms open and staffing levels where they should be.

'Tis indeed the season for giving. So give in more ways than you ever imagined. Use your imagination and say "happy holidays" not only in your purchase but through your purchase as well.

— Ritch K. Eich, Ph.D., is vice president of marketing and communications at California Lutheran University and chairman of the board of trustees at Los Robles Regional Hospital and Medical Center, both in Thousand Oaks.