Hot Topics
Stay connected 
Responses to:
Making
an Impact When You Spend Money
Submitted on 17Feb03 by Juanita Fox, Media Coordinator, Ten Thousand
Villages, Pennsylvania, USA
A special thank you to Susan Ellis for mentioning
Ten Thousand Villages as a source for socially responsible giving.
Ten Thousand Villages offers a wide variety of handcrafted items
-- from home decor to jewelry, musical instruments, textiles and
coffee and tea. All of our items are fairly traded, meaning that
the artisans and the farmers received a fair price for their handicrafts,
coffee and tea.
Ten Thousand Villages products are available at a network of stores
across the U.S. and Canada. Website: tenthousandvillages.com Ten
Thousand Villages is a member of the International Federation for
Alternative Trade and the Fair
Trade Federation.
Submitted on 11Feb03 by Anne M Hislop, Scotland
What about the coffee/tea provided for volunteers and
staff? Have you considered where they are coming from and if they
too have
been
fairly traded?
Submitted on 7Feb03 by Doug Mackay, Volunteer
Service & Resource
Project,
Pennsylvania,
USA
When I purchased some holiday gifts for volunteers I used
Supermarketcoop <http://www.supermarketcoop.com/>. When buying
any gifts, at any time and for any purpose, consideration to those
sites Susan listed and any other similar enterprises should be considered
first. Circumstances, costs, time, and product choices may prevent
full use of this purchase plan, but the intent is important and planning
ahead can overcome most obstacles. I would recommend volunteer managers
explore their region for local providers, scour thrift shops sponsored
by or supporting nonprofit agencies, ask volunteers for their favorite
sites and stores or vendors, and keep an eye open for new enterprises,
especially at flea markets. Keep this motto in mind: "Always
buy lemonade from a child." I have been collecting web addresses
for places that offer a win-win purchase and a responsible consumer
choice because we all should seek to support enterprises that offer
a different return on earnings. Take a look at this listing for Responsible
Consumerism: http://www.geocities.com/givestore/wblnk10.html
Submitted on 6Feb03 by Jim Edwards, Vol. Director-Hospice of Spokane
Wa. USA
On a personal level I often shop for gifts at Global
Folk Art, a fair trade store in our city. But to apply that same
philosophy
to
volunteer gifts is a new idea. I have often ordered the items around
a theme from a promotional magazine. Maybe the magazines themselves
would offer socially responsible items if many of us requested
them. Anyway, thanks for the expansion of consciousness or is that
conscience.
Submitted on 2Feb03 by Vera Szoke, Contributing Editor:
The ACTivist Magazine, Ontario, Canada -
Mark Takefman is absolutely right, and it's curious that more people
haven't figured this out. He shouldn't have had to enlighten us.
As much as we can, we should be consistent, make choices based
on integrity, and practise what we preach. I would suggest that another
important way to practise what you preach is to buy second-hand
whenever
possible. This may not work for promotional items, but it works
for many personal and household needs, and sometimes even for gifts.
Let's Hear What You Think
An international online journal to keep you current on trends, research, successes...
Learn more | Subscribe
Online training for individuals, organizations or corporations to work successfully with volunteers. Learn more
