Image by Anton Fritsler

Christmas is a time for giving, sharing and celebrating, but it can also be a time that gets overwhelming with events, traditions, budgets, and expectations. If you’re organised when it comes to the festive season, there’s no doubt you’ve already got a list of friends and family members with gift ideas scrawled next to their names.  If the thought of braving your local shopping centre in this year’s climate is making you squeamish, you’re not alone. In fact many people have taken their gift shopping online thanks to promotions like https://www.raise.com/coupons/target that help them save both time and money.

Though with these savings it can be easy to ignore the other critical element of Christmas, the selfless giving of gifts for good. Christmas can be a stressful time for more than just shopping and social enterprises work hard during this period to provide for those more unfortunate than us. What better way to truly celebrate Christmas than to give it back to the community via a social enterprise?

So how can you tie in your love for the work social enterprises are doing, with the never-ending Christmas to-do list?

Think Differently

The great news is that many social enterprises, just like normal gift stores, have online stores. Meaning no need to brave the local shopping centre and scour over hundreds of items to find something charitable. In fact online stores allow enterprises to offer a wider variety of products. Because there are so many social enterprises out there with amazing products and big visions for making the world a better place – it’s very likely you can get many items on your list from charitable social enterprises. So you can go do some good in the process, without stepping foot in a crowded shop. What’s not to love? 

The Power of Social Procurement

Right throughout the year, there are organisations who are committed to social procurement. They buy and engage with suppliers who are thinking ethically and sustainably, and who are focused on doing social good.  When you shop with organisations who are committed to engaging with these suppliers, you know that you’re getting quality products and services, while simultaneously contributing to the work that their suppliers are doing. Whether they’re creating jobs, providing resources for marginalised communities, or working towards a more sustainable future, you can feel good about where your hard-earned dollar is headed. 

Look Further Afield

Finding the perfect gift can be tricky, no matter who you’re shopping for, but when you step into the world of social enterprises, you’ll see there’s a range of different businesses you can buy from with even more product diversity than your local shopping centre. One of the best parts of diving into the social enterprise world for Christmas is discovering new creators, producers and visions to support going into the New Year.  Aggie Global is a great example of social procurement in action, taking the stress out of the Christmas shopping madness. Their mission is to connect farmers to everyday consumers, through technology. Their hope is that by creating these connections and creating a strong network, they can improve small farmer’s access to resources and people, all in the name of addressing food security. 

Buy All Aussie Gift Boxes or Pain-Free Christmas Gifts

Aggie Global has created three Gift Boxes, prime for the gifting season! Each box contains a carefully-curated selection of delicious, surprising and all-Australian made, grown and owned products from small farmers and producers all across the country.  For the people in your life who love to experiment in the kitchen, their Local Cooking Gift Box is perfect, filled with all the best products to cook up a storm. Meanwhile, their Indigenous Gift Box showcases products that celebrate native foods and the traditions of our Indigenous communities across Australia. For those that just want to jump straight into the festivities, their Christmas Gift Box is jam-packed with crowd-pleasing products to take the silly season to the next level. 

Purchasing from Aggie Global is a simple way you can support producers all over Australia, get acquainted with new products and be proud of your contribution to a social enterprise that is working to improve food security. You can buy one of Aggie Global’s Gift Boxes here before November 18 for delivery in time for Christmas.

Gifts for Good: Giving Presents With Purpose This Christmas