Gifts in kind
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Gifts in kind (GIK) is a kind of charitable giving in which, instead of giving money to buy needed goods and services, the goods and services themselves are given. The motivations for GIK vary, but include:
- Concern for the environment -- Many donated goods are either second hand or otherwise surplus. If not donated to people who need them, they might otherwise end up in landfill.
- Relief -- During disasters and other humanitarian crises, companies and individuals often want to help. Giving goods that are already at hand is more cost effective for the donor than giving money to buy these same goods.
- Development -- Helping with longer term development in impoverished or otherwise distressed areas is a high priority for governments and large NGOs. GIK can be a significant component of a larger humanitarian development strategy.
GIK has several advantages over monetary giving:
- Donated goods are much less susceptible to becoming graft.
- The goods themselves would often end up as landfill. GIK provides a means, particularly for corporations, of doing social good with things that would otherwise be a liability.
In the last few years, a great deal of attention has been given in the humanitarian community to GIK. Organisations like GlobalHand have been established to help people who have things to donate find qualified recipients who need them.
