Thursday, November 29, 2012

Lil' Bundle of Joy, 501(c)3's, and Tax Deductions

We've got two new blog posts for you this morning! Catch up with another Generous Giant artisan, bringing quality small business together with non-profits to create a more meaningful gifting experience.  Then learn what a 501(c)3 is and what might make your contributions to those charities tax deductible.  We've got the best links to the answers right here.

Meet Lil' Bundle of Joy

Malissa Newkirk brings us the best of handmade, professionally designed baby toys and accessories.  Read more about her and her passion here: Lil' Bundle of Joy







What's a 501(c)3?

Ever wonder what a 501(c)3 is exactly? We searched the web for the best answers. Find them here: Living Generously

Today we also invite you to learn more about Gingham Project, our flagship non-profit partner.  Be sure to visit the links on their page to see photos of the kids, artwork, and news. The Gingham Project facebook page is a great resource for updates, shopping, and direct donations. They'd love your visit and "like!"

psssstttt... they have the BEST earrings for crazy cheap, AND the purchases benefit Gingham Kids directly! They are in stock and ready to ship today, and will make the PERFECT stocking stuffer for the ladies with pierced ears on each and every gift list. (the link will take you to their payvment shop where you can order directly from Gingham Project.)

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Mobile Tuesday, or Giving Tuesday

Mobile Tuesday? Or Giving Tuesday? You make the call:


Depending on who you listen too, today, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving is either "Giving Tuesday" or "Mobile Tuesday." (special deals just for those who shop by smart phone.) If you feel the need to participate in a Tuesday after Thanksgiving event, then by all means, we've got you covered, either way! With our super easy to use mobile site you can make gift purchases that support both small artisan manufacturers and non-profit organizations. Visit this link from your mobile phone to access our mobile site. Dare I say, its even simpler to use than our full site?

Generosity in the News:


Want to read about who's giving what, to whom, and why? Check out our post on giving by stars in Country Music. Even if country's not your cup of tea, country artists are making their names synonymous with giving.  We've given you just a peak into the community with our blog post on our Generosity in the News page, linked at the top, or here.


From Gg's Kitchen

We have two fantastic recipes for you to try this Holiday Season. They're kitchen tested and ready to rock your neighbor gifts and party trays. Both recipes feature the fabulous Wise Woman of the East gourmet spice blend from rising star Chef Stephanie Petersen. You may know her as Chef Tess Bakeresse, Be sure to check out her food blog for more fabulous Holiday table and gift ideas.








On Living Generously: 

For tips, tricks, and thoughts on making generosity a lifestyle we give you our Generous Living Page. We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about incorporating generosity into your daily life. Use the comments section freely to do so.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Leftovers

It wasn't until I was an adult that I became aware that the day after Thanksgiving had any other name than "the day after Thanksgiving."  In our home, we looked forward to the fourth Friday of November every bit as much as we looked forward to the preceding Thursday.  Friday was afterall the day we got to eat "Leftovers."

The food we looked so forward to devouring 2, maybe three times throughout the day no longer could claim to be beautiful, but had a draw all its own.  The leftovers were the bits and pieces with which we could create exactly the meal we wanted, not the meal that was served.  Now, the meal that was served was always incredibly beautiful and even more delicious in taste than appearance. The only thing to complain about would be the end of meal tightness of ill-chosen pants.  In no way do I mean to say that the feast of Thanksgiving was overshadowed by the remnants served the next day.  No, I do not intend to say that. What I do intend to say, however, is that the leftovers had a special quality all their own, that they could only obtain by virtue of having not been consumed the day before.

Do you feel sometimes in life that you're living on leftovers? Or have only leftovers to give? Its a familiar and frustrating feeling for many, but the good news is, we can make out of leftovers just exactly the life we want! Its about treasuring the special ability of the leftover to sometimes be richer, more flavorful, and exceptionally adaptable to becoming spectacular in a way that the originally served dish lacked!  The only extra ingredient required is creativity.

Are you holding yourself back from living generously because all that remains at the end of the day is leftovers? I want you to promise yourself right now, that you will not hold back anymore.  Generous living truly has not much at all to do with finances. Get creative.  Let someone struggling to make a lane change in to your lane, greet a neighbor, comfort a child even when your patience is wearing.  These are all cost free acts of generosity and each within our reach.

Are you ready for a fantastically generous giving season?  I am. I hope you'll join me.


~Gg






Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Why shop Generous Giant

You might be wondering who exactly benefits when you shop Generous Giant gifts. Let's talk about that!
Jewelry by Jeraly
Generous Giant is a small family owned business which was started in order to satisfy a desire to give more to our favorite causes. We thought if we could open a business that would increase our bottom line, we would then be able to participate in charitable giving at a much higher level than if we did not increase our bottom line.  When it came time to decide what kind of business we wanted to have, we realized that we had more choices than we knew what to do with, but that I in particular had always had a fondness for holiday gift giving, so much so that in my teenage years my sister and I would save all our babysitting money for months and then in December spend the entire sum of it on gifts and fancy wraps to make the gifts beautiful. And so, the Generous Giant: Gifts that Give was born.

Its possible in the era of ebay and amazon to have a well supplied store in which one has never placed a finger on the stock at hand. The items are affordable, but many, if not most of them are made in China and don't have any special unique qualities about them. We decided that though this might be an effective way to do business, this would not be the way for us. We investigated further and just were never quite happy with the quality of the items we could afford to open our store with from mass producers. Plus, as a family, we've always preferred to give our business to small producers and local businesses.  We wondered, could it be possible to partner with small businesses, even cottage sized businesses to stock the virtual shelves of the Generous Giant? A new idea was born and we think its one of the best ideas we've had.

Today, during our first Holiday season Generous Giant's gift store is filled with items that support not just our family, but the families of many talented women and men who create from home.  We promise the quality of your gifts to be top-notch, and we seek to increase our selection nearly weekly!

So who's benefiting when you make a Generous Giant purchase? 

Its the manufacturer, often times a mother with one or more children looking to aid her spouse in supporting their family.  

Its the family of a combat veteran deeply scarred by his experiences serving as a United States Marine.

Its the small privately owned shipping and packing store (also veteran owned) we ship our gifts from.

Its the small, underfunded non-profit organizations we partner with who spend not one single penny of their donations on salaries or administrative costs.

Generous Giant is a business like no other that we've been able to find, but its not because it won't work, its because no-one has thought of it! The Generous Giant is a gift store that gives more. Where else can you support small business, small manufacturing, individual artists, non-profits, HIV orphans, and Wounded Warriors all in one purchase? We challenge you to find it, anywhere else.

So, what is it we do? exactly? We bring together small non-profit organizations and small business to create a dynamic gift giving experience.

Want to know more? Like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter (@generousgiant) for specials, product announcements, and fan-only discounts.

~Gg


Friday, November 9, 2012

Friday November 9

 Today's Generous Giant blog post is from the kitchen, the heart of the home as we like to call it. Our facebook fans already know we've got a new product to offer, but do you know why? Read all about it on our Gg's Kitchen Page.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Welcome to the all new Generous Giant blog

Welcome, we're so glad you're here.  We hope you find a little inspiration in the pages of this blog.  Want to know more about the Generous Giant non-profit partners, or Artisans?  Curious who's in the news for giving? Need affordable ideas for gifts from the heart? We've got you covered.

Again, Welcome. We hope you'll stay a while.

~ Gg