Animal welfare is a subject which is very important to me. Recently it was my birthday and I wanted to share my personal feelings about supporting a good cause, especially since a celebratory period of gift giving is fast approaching.

People often wonder what gifts to purchase for others. They debate if the gift will be appreciated or unique enough to impress the recipient. I recently came to my own conclusion:

Gifts in the form of personalised donations to support a good cause is not only almost guaranteed to be unique but also appreciated, especially if it relates to the individual’s pet.

An example would be that some time ago I was planning someone’s birthday present for later in the year. I wanted it to be special but also personal at the same time so I decided on organising a photo of their pet as the front cover of a charity related magazine concerning animals. Sadly I couldn’t complete the project but this would have been a powerful and amazing present which the person would have cherished forever.

Please consider a personalised donation to a charitable cause if you are unable to decide on a gift this December. Here are a few which I have come across:

• “Adoption” of a kennel. A personal photo and choice of wording is attached to the front of the kennel in honour of someone or their pet.
• Purchase of a brick to construct an animal sanctuary. Each brick is labeled with a person’s name or pet.
• A “donators” area on the organisation’s website which can list their name. Admittedly this isn’t as personal as a physical gift.

There are so many avenues for charities and animal welfare organisations to leverage personalised gifts to encourage donations. What’s vitally important is that their online presence be seamlessly integrated for both standard donations and more importantly their personalised donations offerings. Given time, personalised donations can become far more popular than standard donations. Many people feel burdened with the prospect of donating but this can change in the form of a worthwhile and heartwarming gift.

If you operate such an organisation and need ideas, then please get in contact with me and I will gladly help.