ACTION KIT: Step-by-Step: How to Hold an Alternative Gift Fair in Your Community

Looking for a meaningful way to celebrate your values and support important charities this holiday season? Hold an Alternative Gift Fair in your community!

What Is an Alternative Gift Fair?

Alternative Gift Fairs provide a way for people to bypass the annual stress of holiday shopping and “stuff” accumulation while honoring friends and relatives with donations to causes that fit their values. They can be held anywhere from a local church or community center to a school gym or office space.

Alternative gifts fill a direct and tangible need, such as providing medical supplies for refugees or food and clothing for local families in need. They cost you less money, are less costly for the environment, and are less commercialized—but really, they’re all about infusing the holiday season with more: more meaning, more joy, and more fun. Family members and friends are touched to know that the gift they have just received will have a very real and meaningful impact on people and communities in need.

About Our Guide

With our Guide to Holding an Alternative Gift Fair, you'll get all the information you need to hold a fair in your community, featuring local and international charities that are working to make our world a better place. We provide the resources on soliciting participating organizations, assembling volunteers, and setting up the fair, as well as an optional eight-week timeline for planning the event (ideally starting in mid-October).

Download the guide