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Back by popular demand for those looking for last-minute ideas! Here you go: 15 fabulous gift ideas that don't cause clutter: -> A gift card to a favorite restaurant or coffee shop for a memorable dining experience. -> Tickets to a concert, play, or sporting event for a night of entertainment. -> A subscription to a streaming service, audiobook platform, or online class. -> A donation to a charity or cause in the recipient’s name. -> A membership to a local museum, zoo, or botanical garden. -> An experience voucher, such as for a spa day, cooking class, or wine tasting. -> A plant that fits their space and care preferences, like a small succulent or herb pot. -> Homemade baked goods or a gourmet food basket to enjoy during the holidays. -> A digital photo album or gift certificate for a professional photo session. -> A fun activity, like a gift card for bowling, escape rooms, or mini golf. -> A curated playlist or audiobook download for their commute or downtime. -> A virtual or in-person workshop, such as painting, pottery, or yoga. -> A personalized calendar featuring family photos or meaningful dates. -> A subscription box for food, beverages, or hobbies that they can enjoy and use up. -> A reusable coffee cup or water bottle for sustainable convenience.

Please share let’s complete the list!

It's October, and Halloween is in full swing—candy in bulk, pets dressed up in adorable costumes, pumpkins waiting to be carved—spooky season is officially here. But at DRG, there’s something even scarier than haunted houses or an empty candy bowl. Here’s are 2 terrifying donor relations practices to steer clear of: 1. The Data-less Dungeon Making decisions without data sends shivers down our spines! It's 2024, y'all! There's no reason to guess what our donors want and don't want from us, or if our programs are effective. Think about it—we’re a society full of opinions these days. We like and dislike social media posts daily. We read reviews before we buy anything, from skincare to air fryers, and even rate ride-share drivers. Thanks to QR codes and the like, obtaining donor feedback is easier than ever. Surveys can be included with endowment reports and as part of event follow-up. Remember that once we've asked for feedback, we have to use it to drive our decisions. Brief surveys with carefully crafted questions get us the answers we need to make informed decisions—without any hocus-pocus! 2. The Communication Crypt It's time to stop using one medium exclusively for donor communication. Print materials and handwritten notes certainly still have a place. However, the days of "paper-only" should be a thing of the past. Digital delivery is effective for everything from gift acknowledgments to impact reports. If that makes you nervous, think about your own information consumption. Where do you spend more time? Going through the mail you receive or on your phone? And before you say, "our donors are different" or "our donors prefer print," please revisit #1 on this list. Have you actually asked your donors for their preferences? Also, don’t overlook the power of video. You don't have to invest in production to create impactful videos—simple messages captured on a phone can be great ways to communicate with donors on a personal level, or en masse. Don't label older donors as “fraidy-cats” when it comes to technology. Video calls and messaging apps allow senior donors to stay connected to friends and loved ones. A video or text from us won't give them a fright. Does your organization feel like a haunted house? We hope not! But if you need more help, read our blog with all 8 Frightening practices to avoid. https://ow.ly/sWWu50TTyJ7

As many of us gear up for the holiday season filled with food, family, and festive traditions, the season also brings added concerns. Rising food costs and inflation are impacting household budgets, making it harder for families to prepare for the holidays without stretching their finances thin. The dining room table, which traditionally brings loved ones together, may now require even more careful planning and creative solutions to keep costs manageable. Here are some practical ways to manage holiday costs, so you spend more time creating memorable holiday experiences with friends and family rather than navigating challenges: 1. Plan Ahead and Set a Budget: Establish a budget specifically for your holiday meals and stick to it. Plan meals in advance and taking inventory of what you already have at home to avoid unnecessary expenses. 2. Embrace Potluck Style Gatherings: If hosting a holiday meal is financially draining, consider asking each guest to bring a dish. This potluck approach can distribute costs and allow everyone to contribute to the celebration. 3. Shop Smarter: Keep an eye on grocery sales, discounts, and seasonal promotions. Shopping with a list and avoiding impulse buys can help you stay within budget. Consider buying ingredients in bulk and opting for generic brands, which often provide similar quality at a lower price. Utilize food programs and pantries to stretch your funds. 4. Focus on Affordable Staples: Building a menu around affordable staples like beans, rice, pasta, and seasonal vegetables can create hearty dishes without breaking the bank. With creativity, these items can be transformed into delicious sides or main courses. 5. Limit Food Waste: Holiday leftovers are a staple, but managing portion sizes can help limit waste. Planning ways to use leftovers creatively can make your food stretch longer, cutting down on the need to buy more groceries. The holiday season is a time of giving, but not everyone has the resources to prepare a full holiday meal. Embrace the Spirit of the Season by supporting others in need. Donate to or volunteer with organizations who are making a difference in helping others have a joyful holiday season. #family #foodinsecurity #friendsgiving #Thanksgiving #volunteering

OCLC is conducting user research with participants who are blind or have low vision to help improve the accessibility of its web interfaces. No previous or specialized library knowledge is necessary. Each session will be conducted remotely and take approximately one hour. Participants will receive a $50 gift card for their time and feedback. 📧 If you are blind or have low vision and are interested in this research opportunity, email us at accessibility@oclc.org by 17 July and include “User testing” in the subject line. --- #OCLC #PublicLibrary #PublicLibraries #AcademicLibrary #AcademicLibraries #Library #Libraries #Librarian #Librarians #LibraryLife #LibraryLove

How to elevate your gift giving this year✨ A well-dressed gift is worth even more to the receiver - just like anything, it's all in the presentation. Plus it's another way of showing that a little extra effort was made. And between you and me, it doesn't actually take that much extra effort - you definitely don't need a Masters in origami to elevate your parcel. Stop with the gift bags (says Martha Stewart). They're expensive, and unimaginative. There's no unwrap suspense involved. Here are some easy wrap-with-impact alternatives: Boxes - collect them all year, all different sizes, especially the ones with lids. Boxes are so much easier to wrap with the best chance of making it look good. If there are a number of small awkwardly shaped gifts, they can go in together with some scrunched up tissue paper or shredded paper. Sustainably sourced brown paper - can be ordered online on a huge roll. Then elevate the gift with an easy bow tie of wide organza ribbon, (the wired edge version is fun too) or even with brown string and a fresh sprig of fern or herb, a small flower, or pine cone from your garden. Double sided tape gives an invisible Sellotape-free finish and makes you look like a pro. Use non-Christmas wrap - yes it is time to consign the penguins and holly leaves to Christmas past. You will instantly see a more sophisticated finish by using (for example: black and white chevrons paper, tartan paper, maps, or peacocks). Whatever you go for, make sure the paper itself is thick and good quality. What are your best gift wrap upgrades?

𝑩𝒆 𝑨𝒏 𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍 𝑫𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕 22𝒏𝒅! We're celebrating by having our staff participate in volunteer opportunities and sharing their honest reviews! Here's another 5-star rated volunteer opportunity for Ways to Angel Day 2: ship a care package of homemade baked goods to a deployed Service Member! #BeAnAngelDay 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿: Marissa C. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: Pack and send a baked goods care package 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻-𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻: Virtual 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲: 6 hours 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆: "The baking volunteer opportunity can be as easy or as hard as you want! I did a mixture of making items from scratch and making items from easy mixes. I baked a total of 6 different items, but there is no rule on that, so a bunch of one baked item is just as good as 2, or 3, or 6 items! I did re-use some commercial packaging to try and secure the items so that they shipped safely." 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹? "The whole time I was baking, I had on music and I thought about the Service Member that I was supporting. I wondered about her location, how she's feeling, if she's homesick, if she has made friends there to share with, what type of things she likes, what type of things she doesn't like, and if the items would travel well and show up still intact." 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆? "I sure hope that I did, at least for my Service Member and those close to her!" 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱? 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬! Register to become a Soldiers' Angels volunteer. Once your registration is approved, you can choose from this and many other volunteer opportunities that support the Military-connected community: https://lnkd.in/e8t6-d8

Corporate gifting is a thoughtful way to express appreciation, but it’s important to get it right. It is about fostering relationships and creating positive impressions. What’s your go-to gift for clients and colleagues? Here are a few dos and don’ts to guide your gifting this festive season: Do: Personalize your gifts to show you care and make them meaningful. Don’t: Overspend - remember, it’s the thought that counts. Do: Consider cultural preferences and customs when choosing gifts. Don’t: Wait until the last minute - planning ahead shows thoughtfulness. #gift #christmas #festive #festive-season #new-year #business #appreciation #impressions

From Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol to the traditional nativity, festive tales bring to life the true meaning of the season. Whether that’s encouraging generosity to others like Scrooge learnt from his three ghosts, supporting your neighbours, or the importance of being with family, we can take inspiration from Christmas stories old and new. If you’re looking for an event to channel the real festive spirit with your team this year, check out some of our suggestions below. 🎄A group volunteering effort is a brilliant idea, but some charities are overrun with offers at Christmas time. If you work in an industry that’s flat out at Christmas (like hospitality), why not move your party to the new year and add in a volunteering activity then? 🍕Christmas is all about thinking of others, so when you’re planning your team event, make sure you’ve accounted for everyone. From dietary needs to non-alcoholic options, being mindful of inclusivity is really important. If anyone in your team is neurodiverse, it’s also worth considering venue options they will feel comfortable in- such as avoiding overly loud and crowded pubs. Day time activities like pizza making, life-size Monopoly, wreath making or axe throwing also make fun alternatives to traditional boozy events. 🎁Parties can leave a big carbon footprint behind, but there’s ways to mitigate this. Using small local businesses, booking sustainable farm-to-plate restaurants or even opting for a vegetarian menu are all great ways to make sustainability part of your day. And instead of doing traditional secret santa, people could bring a selection of winter plants as gifts for their team members. 🌍As well as promoting low emission travel such as buses, trains and car and taxi pooling, you can even have a sustainable dress code. In place of sparkly dresses or other single-use ‘Christmas only’ items, encourage team members to wear borrowed Christmas jumpers or find them in charity shops. What do you do to make your parties more sustainable?  #StoriesThroughOurEyes #Sledge #PeoplePower

Ready for a heartwarming holiday tale? 🎄🎁 The Rockwood Park Christmas Market just wrapped up, and let me tell you, it was HUGE! Think twinkling lights, the smell of gingerbread, and enough handcrafted goodies to make even Scrooge crack a smile. It was basically Christmas shopping heaven for anyone who appreciates supporting local artisans. This is fantastic news for small businesses, showing the power of community events. 👉 Local vendors raked in the sales, helping spread holiday cheer AND boost their bottom line. Win-win! 👉 Shoppers scored unique, personalized gifts – way better than another generic sweater from a big box store! 👉 The entire event sounds like a major success story for everyone involved. But here's the real kicker: This isn't just about pretty presents and hot chocolate; it's about the power of community. The market showcased the amazing talent within the Rockwood Park area, and it brought people together to celebrate the holidays in a truly special way. What does this tell us about the importance of local markets and supporting small businesses year-round? 🤔 So, what are YOUR thoughts? Did you make it to the Rockwood Park Christmas Market? What was your favorite find? Spill the tea in the comments below 👇 Let’s chat! And don’t forget to share this post so others can join the conversation! #RockwoodParkChristmasMarket #SupportLocal #HandmadeGifts #HolidaySpirit #CommunityEvents