Stymied in these last days before the holidays by exactly what you should give to: (pick as many that apply) clients? co-workers? friends? family? Not even sure what YOU really want at this point? As our final Momorandum of the year, we thought we’d share with you an interesting new web-based organization that may have the perfect– and altruistic– solution.

WhatGoesAround.org Takes The Concept of Gift Registeries to a Whole New, Charitable Level

Itself a non-profit, What Goes Around just launched with the not-quite-modest goal of “revolutionalizing giving in America”… but it appears they really could be onto something. On whatgoesaround.org, you can access a database of non-profit organizations (already over 900,000), pick from them to create your own “GiveList” (just like a registry) and share it with others. Then the site facilitates “the Give:” a donation someone can make to your list, you can make directly, or you can make in someone else’s honor to an organization on your own list, or the list for which someone you know has “registered.”

Once you make a “Give,” (i.e. your school’s alumni association, or your sister’s favorite environmental group), the system automatically sends a notification to the owner of the GiveList that a donation has been made in their name.

However, WhatGoesAround’s special features may spark the most ideas about how this might work for you

Our vote for most notable features? Their “Philanthropy Quotient” (PQ) lets you keep track of your giving, for your own knowledge and for tax purposes. There’s also the practical, if a little poignant, “Memorial GiveLists” feature, which someday soon could become the future of how we coordinate condolences…

But our favorite is “WGAkids,” a special section that kids can use (with their parents’ permission) to become junior philanthropists, learn about the importance of giving, and track the difference they’re making in the world.

…So you’re probably not quite ready to substitute a “thank you for your donation” email for ALL those glistening boxes under the tree… but hey, a little of this kind of gifting could surely prove more satisfying than that yearly fruitcake.

To learn more, visit whatgoesaround.org

To every Executive Mom, we wish you a joyous Holiday season, and a New Year rich in ALL rewards. Thanks for your support, and we’ll be back again in mid- January!

Sincerely,

Executive Moms