Learning to Gift Through Thoughtful Experiences
Gifting is never easy.
Before you decide to brainstorm a list of things to buy for a team member or client, consider gifting experiences instead of material items. Here are 5 reasons why gifting experiences can be a fantastic way to show your appreciation:
Create Memories
The most obvious benefit to gifting experiences is the ability for your employee or client to create lifelong memories. Research shows that 78% of millennials prefer to be gifted an experience rather than a physical gift.
Experiences have the potential to create emotional and powerful memories that last a lifetime. To create the most memorable experiences, begin to tailor the experience to their needs, wants, and interests. It can be a unique cooking workshop for a friend who wants to improve their repertoire of cooking recipes or a pottery class to create finished items that are unique to them! Whether you’re involved in the experience or not, a well-planned invitation to these experiences will create wonderful memories and contribute to a long-lasting connection.
2. Discover New Things
Experiences allow people to try new things. Whether it is taking the right person outside of their comfort zone or an experience that has always been on their bucket list, they are bound for a unique opportunity. You can also surprise someone with something they can learn! Learning certain skills and experiences can be very rewarding and these outcomes can be lifelong skills, or a newfound passion for the individual to continue to pursue.
3. Perfect for People Who Are Hard to Shop For
Gifting to colleagues or clients can be an extremely stressful process and it can often be hard to know what type of gift will be appreciated by a diverse group of people. Experiences can be a variety of different things to try and it can be a wonderful opportunity to show them how much you know them or it can be something that is right for everybody. Remember experiences can range from unique subscriptions, in-person workshops (or virtual as well!), a getaway, food experiences, or even a consultation of sorts!
4. Build a Connection
Unlike physical gifts, experiences can be an opportunity for social interaction and for people to build a human connection. Whether you’re planning it with the person, for the person and someone else, or for a group, these experiences can build connections in different ways. Experiences can benefit relationship building and create stronger bonds because collaborating with others allows us to learn about each other and form deeper relationships.
A large cooking workshop can be a wonderful experience for individuals to meet new people as they tackle the same task, or your team of coworkers can participate in the same event to build stronger team connections through thoughtful collaboration! A tailored vacation or weekend away for a pair can be a wonderful experience to learn new things about each other and be able to relax with one another. Whether they participate in a long itinerary or relax during this getaway, the small interactions with the surroundings or people you meet along the way can really shape lasting memories that will shape the overall experience.
5. Environmental Impact
Aside from the gesture of gifting, gifted experiences are more likely to have a lower carbon footprint than material items. With such a large range of activities available, you can pick and gift from many sustainable options. Virtual workshops and activities are some of the best examples of being able to do things from the comfort of your home and also be able to participate sustainably. Whether it is clothing gifted to you from your coworker or merchandise items from an event, these items are often cycled out and contribute to the landfill problem that is already continuing to grow. Gift experiences with thought for your recipient and the environment as well.
Gifting experiences can be a powerful way of showing how much you care for the recipient or it can be a way of creating stronger bonds through relationship building or teamwork. The versatility of experiences is different from material gifts and good experiences are more likely to create stronger bonds or memories along the way for you and the recipient(s) to cherish for a lifetime!