Holiday Spending Continues To Outstrip Charitable Giving, So Hoover ink PR Program Returns

Americans spent almost as much in two months on holiday items as they did all year on charitable giving in 2004. Holiday retail sales for November and December 2004 in the general merchandise category were up 5.7 percent, totaling roughly $229 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Charitable giving for 2004 topped $248 billion.

“I started the Holiday For Charity program in 2002 because I wanted to give more to charity and encourage others to give as well,” says Harry Hoover, managing principal of Hoover ink PR. “Fortunately, I am blessed with a comfortable life. I really don’t need Christmas gifts. So, I asked everyone who might give me a gift to donate to charity in my name instead.”

Hoover says the program is an easy way for individuals and companies to help their favorite charities. Here’s how Holiday For Charity works:

1. ask friends, family and business associates to donate to a charity instead of buying you holiday gifts

2. sell your gifts online at eBay’s GivingWorks, http://pages.ebay.com/givingworks/, and donate the proceeds to charity

3. register and shop at http://iGive.com, whose merchants donate a portion of each transaction to the charities of your choice

4. offer to do volunteer work in lieu of buying holiday gifts

5. donate directly to charity in lieu of buying holiday gifts for clients and customers

Hoover has set up a special Holiday For Charity section on his website, http://www.hoover-ink.com, to fully describe the program and provide links to charitable resources.

Hoover ink is a Huntersville-based communications firm that develops and delivers bottom line messages for businesses serious about their success. The firm develops and implements strategic communication programs for clients including Bank of Commerce, Brent Dees Financial Planning, Bray Law Firm, Carolinas AGC, Focus Four, New World Mortgage, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, and Wicked Choppers. Find Hoover ink on the web at http://www.hoover-ink.com.