[Trainsmoke DeLeon]

Hi crowd, may I crowd source you? I am looking for ideas on intangible gift ideas. Things like memberships and the like. What are some of that nature that you have and make good use of and would be happy to receive as a gift?
_________________
www.ilovedeleon.com
Keep Freedom Free - Buy This Record

[sweet tea]

bbg membership
_________________
Bumping ancient threads with bot-like bullshit

[UrbanCowgirl]

http://www.nudo-italia.com/. My boyfriend loved it.

[Mamacita]

Omg, I must be tired or something because at first glance I thought the title read "Inflatable Gift Ideas"
_________________
(\__/)
(=’.'=)
(”)_(”) "Gentrifire Extinguisher"

[UrbanCowgirl]

heya sweet tea...what's this bbq membership? i'm trying to google it, but i'm not sure which one you're talking about. i can think of only a gazillion people who would love something like that. thanks!

[VoodooNYC]

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens - great idea.

[bohuma]

[UrbanCowgirl]

Ha ha! Burn! Jesus, I'm of one mind today. Sorry 'bout that.

[Peanuts]

Personal Training Sessions; Massage or any other beauty treatment the person may like; tickets to a show/concert; gift certificate to a restaurant
_________________
Peanuts

[Toadette]

For the service-minded friend, how about a kiva.org gift certificate?

[sjknoll]

my coworker got me a subscription to cooks illustrated online last year and I love it! It's a much better resource than their magazine because you can get all the back recipes.

Also in response to tickets to a show/concert, you might be better off with a ticketmaster or broadway.com gift certificate so they can choose what they want to see.

[scarlett]

If you want Brooklyn, BAM offers great gifts. I have done yoga class packages for friends, museum memberships, Met/Lincoln Center packages.

[new2hood]

Celebrate Brooklyn membership, gift card to donorschoose.com.

I did a gift membership to the b'klyn philharmonic, and it's been a royal pain. that I wouldn't recommend.

[Mpmav1]

[OpossumQueen]

I've been doing some gift brainstorming today so this is fresh on my mind (re lenghty).

Love BBG membership.

A WCS membership works at the Bronx Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Brooklyn Aquarium, and maybe a Queens Zoo. Another one we make good use of.

Massage or mani-typs gc's are nice. Even better if you know the person, is actually scheduling an appointment for them. Those things often sound good, but some folks (myself included) often kind of forget about them but if there is a time attached, I'd go.

Magazine subscriptions are always good in my book: a few I'm considering for folks of varying ages: My Big Back Yard (for young nieces/nephews), Wired, Science News, Reason, American Scholar, Bon Appetit, and National Geographic.

If they like to upload pictures online, buy them a pro account on Flickr so they can have unlimited uploads. (Especially good for new parents with access to a digital camera).

Store gift cert's are good for places that are easily accessible online (REI for the outdoorsy folks, amazon for booksy, etc.). Then they can shop from the comfort of the couch.

Netflix for the video lover could be good.

Itunes gift cards.

Or, adopt a goat in the receiver's name if you're looking for something in the realm of the Human Fund. http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.2529663/

[OpossumQueen]

If you're doing something like a museum or zoo membership for a single person it would be cool to do a dual (or whatever allows them to take someone else) level membership, funds permitting. Unless the person really likes some alone time, but I always like being able to take someone to a museum or zoo with me.

[Mamacita]

You can donate to charitable fund in the name of the person?
_________________
(\__/)
(=’.'=)
(”)_(”) "Gentrifire Extinguisher"

[VoodooNYC]

[Comfortably Smug]

Sex

[Trainsmoke DeLeon]

[lemur11215]

I second both Heifer and DonorsChoose. I have given both as gifts and the recipients were very appreciative.

Of the two, I prefer DonorsChoose as a gift because they get the fun packet in the mail from the kids. Also, the gift card lets the person find a project they feel connected to.

[katbka]

Gave my friends tickets to Christmas Spectacular for their whole family, they loved it beyond belief!

[scarlett]

Give an alpaca from my parents' farm!!!!!!!

[OpossumQueen]

Yeah, tickets to shows are fun, too.

Not trying to hijack this thread to push Heifer, but growing up near the head offices, I was exposed to it a lot growing up and think it's great. I also have known people who work there in the past and they confirmed some things about the place, like that they have few paid employees and those employees are not paid massive salaries, and that the organization tends to use the money for it's purpose more than on fundraising compared to similar orgs.

I just read that they do wedding registries. If the bf and I ever get married, I think we'll be likely to say no gifts, but this might be offered for folks who really want to do something. How cool would it be to give/get chicks and goats!

From wikipedia:
Today, rather than shipping animals overseas, the organization purchases them in the country they are destined for. This puts money into the local economy, reduces transportation costs and promotes better health for the animals because they are already accustomed to the local climate, food and diseases.

Heifer International works to ensure that the gift of each animal will eventually help an entire community to become self-sustaining. Animals such as goats, water buffalo and camels are "seven M" animals: they provide meat, milk, muscle, manure, money, materials and motivation. Once its immediate needs have been met, a family is free to sell any excess at market. Heifer International provides a breeding animal along with the gift animal so that it can produce offspring. Participating families are required to "pass on the gift", that is: they must give at least one of the female offspring to a neighbor who has undergone Heifer's training. In time, that neighbor will pass along one of the offspring of its animal, and so on.

Heifer International is involved in several other progressive global initiatives which provide people with clean water, access to education and emergency housing.