About Us
FIRST IN IMAGINATION. The Good Gift idea is ours.
FIRST IN INGENUITY. We make it work.
FIRST IN INTEGRITY. Your money goes where you choose.
Introduction Participating Charities Celebrity Endorsements Help Line
Welcome to the 5th Good Gifts Catalogue!
Results over the past 4 years have exceeded all our hopes. Over 100,000 Good Gifts have given rise to laughter, tears, delight and deep satisfaction, with recipients telling us that a Good Gift stays far longer in the memory than a conventional gift.
As for the ultimate beneficiaries of the gifts, there's the reassuring warmth of knowing that someone cares enough to want to invest in their future.
You're owed heartfelt thanks for your practical action, helping tens of thousands of people onto the first rung of the ladder out of poverty.
For instance, 30,000 people benefited from your gift of beehives.
And think about this achievement: over 150 villages now have fresh water where there was none before.
Over 4,000 children in developing countries have been given the gift of sight.
More than 50,000 goats have passed through our goat bank.
An estimated 150,000 orphans have been helped through orphans' dowries.
Your investment in the oil business is paying dividends: you can now buy olive oil produced by Jews, Arabs, Bedouin and Druze, working together.
And here at home, where your enthusiasm for greening Britain with trees and wild flowers is unquenchable, you've transformed whole areas of the country.
Through your unstinting generosity, the Good Gifts Catalogue brings hope, provides incomes and education and restores personal dignity. And that's a really important achievement.
Thank you for your support. It really helps.
Card Aid have produced a range of Christmas cards in aid of some favourite Good Gifts. To view and order please go to www.cardaid.co.uk/catalogue/goodgifts
Our guarantee
- We've hand-picked all the products. We promise that the money we receive for the gift is handed over in full. That's what the handling charge is about. Helping us cover our costs so that we can keep our word.
- The charities that deliver our gifts have all guaranteed that the money will be used solely for the purpose stated. In other words, buy from the Good Gifts Catalogue and know where your money goes. All our gifts carry the same guarantee: 'this gift is always wanted.'
- Our gifts are cunningly chosen to reflect the tastes and interests of friends and family and mark the significant occasions of life. Or why not buy a gift for yourself to mark a special occasion?
- Join in the fun! Good Gift giving has never been easier!
- The Good Gifts Catalogue is the brainchild of the Charities Advisory Trust, a registered charity, with over 25 years experience. Interested? Read all about us at www.charitiesadvisorytrust.org.uk
Interactive corner
Incidentally, if you can suggest gifts suitable for inclusion in the Good Gifts Catalogue, we'd be delighted to hear. But please remember, gifts have to be distributed by a registered charity. Contact: help@goodgifts.org
Participating charities:
Celebrity Endorsements and Customer Comments:
"Though everyone knows that giving is infinitely more enriching than receiving, finding the right outlet for generosity can sometimes be hard. The Good Gifts Catalogue solves the conundrum brilliantly. I'm particularly taken with the 'Support a Fishwife' gift, which buys boats and equipment for impoverished communities in South India. This isn't something that you'll ever find in an Argos catalogue, but it does have the edge over a food blender."
Alain de Botton
"I would buy an 'Acre of Rainforest'. A gift that can really make a world of difference."
Alan Titchmarsh
"What do you give to someone who's got everything? Something that benefits everyone else. Flowers again? Don't be a sap, give a sapling!"
Alastair McGowan
"This is a truly innovative idea. We all have friends and family who every year say "please don't get me anything" because there isn't anything they particularly need and they don't want us to waste our money. But we don't believe them so we buy them something anyway. They say, "Thank you, it's beautiful" to be polite, and then never use it. Well, the Good Gifts Catalogue stops the guilt and the waste. The Wish List register is perfect. There's no need for we present buyers to ever get it wrong again."
Carol Vorderman
"I was really impressed by the Good Gifts Catalogue. Great to see charity made so fun and accessible. Personally I would buy an 'Acre of Rainforest' as it has a romantic feel!"
Colin Jackson
"I am sure like everyone sometimes it is really hard to think of something to buy for your Mum, Dad, brother or friends and this guide has some fantastic ideas that are good for the environment too. I hope the idea takes off."
Ellen MacArthur
"It is hard to choose just one gift from an array of presents which are probably the best one could ever give or receive, but my first choices would be 'Thirst Aid' for all those who need quenching, 'Taking the old out of cold' because it's miserable to shiver through the winter, and 'Buy a village library' because I think everyone should be given the chance to read."
Emilia Fox
"What a wonderful idea. I hope everyone buys a gift from the Good Gifts Catalogue."
Gail Porter
"I certainly do like the Good Gifts Catalogue. It's a great idea, as are the gifts. Making a choice is the difficulty, but I've decided to help establish a business in Africa. A pair of re-conditioned sewing machines, cost, a princely £75, will help open a tailoring business, run by women. Need I say more? I intend to give this gift to myself, as a goad to give up my present dependence on safety pins and learn to thread a needle."
Glenda Jackson
"A terrific idea. This really makes the thought count."
Ian Hislop
"I love reading so much I'd like every child to find out that books can be fun. Buying a Lit Kit…is a great idea."
Jacqueline Wilson
"A really marvellous idea. Solves your present problems and does good at the same time. I would choose a bluebell wood for my grandsons as London children don't get to walk in bluebell woods as much as I'd like."
Lady Pitkeathley
"For a small amount of money one can not only help start a business but also enable people to get around by using bikes that have been serviced and repaired by the same business. That's a huge benefit to a large number of people because of a small donation. I would buy it for my 3 children."
Martin Bashir
"As soon as we saw it we liked it! In fact we liked it so much we ordered 2 Acres of Rainforest."
Alexei & Linda Sayle
"I'd buy a bike for a midwife in Sri Lanka. I saw what a difference it would make when I went there with Betty Boothroyd. I'd give it to her as a reminder of our visit."
Mo Mowlam
"My choice of gift from the Good Gifts Catalogue would undoubtedly be Phone Cards. The reason for my choice is that I regard the telephone as an essential lifeline both professionally and personally. For the elderly, the infirm or just the young in today's world, the phone is a vital link to aid services and friends, and professionally I would find it almost impossible to work if I didn't have my mobile phone with me at all times. A great idea, and I wish you every success."
Nigel Havers
"I would buy a Lit Kit…because I believe that it is vital to encourage young people to develop strong literacy skills as a precursor to all future success."
John Amaechi
"I really like the Good Gifts Catalogue, I think it is a very good idea, touching the lives of people in every sector of need. I would give a hard-pressed family a holiday at the seaside because I feel that it is important for all kids, especially those living in stressful situations, to get away and do something special."
Patrick Viera
"Original and inspired, it's the best catalogue of the lot. I would buy a Sports worker for a day."
Rory Bremner
"I think you have hit on a superb idea. I would hope that a large and growing number of people who need another present like a hole in the head turn to the catalogue as a way of directing the kindness of their family and friends to best use."
Rt Hon Frank Field MP
"A premier league gift catalogue, which makes giving not just a good deed well done but also loads of fun."
Rt Hon Paul Boateng MP
"What a great idea, a winner I'm sure. My choice of gift is Panto Pleasure. Every year I take my 2 sons to a pantomime in Brighton and I spend more time watching their reaction than watching the stage. So I know how much a special needs youngster would enjoy a visit to a panto. I would give this gift to my mother-in-law who I know would just love the idea of bringing pleasure to a special needs youngster."
Sally Gunnell
"Trees and woods are the lungs of the UK. Without them, we could not enjoy beautiful places to walk, rest and relax. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing birds, bees and butterflies enjoying long, warm summer days in one of our magnificent ancient woods. Please help the Woodland Trust to protect and restore these wonderful places, which are our equivalent to the tropical rainforests."
Tony Robinson
"What a fantastic idea the Good Gifts Catalogue is. It solves the ‘what to give' problem and most importantly helps a needy cause. Whether it's to give heat to the elderly, retire an old pooch, save a bluebell wood, buy books for a poor village or help lots of other worthy causes. Please join me in backing this worthwhile cause."
Twiggy