What Is a Gift, Really?

A couple of weeks ago I started looking into gifts to give my clients this year, my first in business for myself.

The usual sort of branded-logo swag came to mind – mugs, pens, notepads, or coasters.

I thought, well, this makes the gift all about me. My thanks. My appreciation. My logo. It started to feel less and less like a “gift” as I looked more and more into it.

There is so much need in the world today. Do my clients really “need” more swag?

So, I asked myself different questions. What do my clients “want?” How can I best support them and show my gratitude for the trust they’ve put in me?

With some #inspiration from a new gift-giving tradition in my family, I decided to pay my #gratitude forward and make a #contribution in their honor to an organization or cause that is #meaningful to them.

The response was great. There was so much mutual buy-in and appreciation for this project that I decided to continue this annually. I also learned a lot about these organizations – large, small, national, international, local – and their missions.

It felt like a true win-win for us.