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Stumped for holiday gift ideas?

A recent survey from the NRF indicated that, as of the second week of December, 41 million people had not yet started their holiday shopping, and 47.1 percent didn’t have it all done.

If you are among those still searching for suitable holiday gifts, than this blog is for you.

Remember that during tough economic times, nonprofit organizations and charities tend to struggle along with everyone else, perhaps even more, and, in turn, so do the people in need they work to support.

Donating to one will not only potentially help out somebody in great need, but it will make you feel good as well.

Below are a few charities I feel are worth supporting.

Happy holidays to everyone! 

— The Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF). I think this charity, co-founded by music mogul Russell Simmons, is a great cause. Founded in 2007, the DEF is a nonprofit international organization established by individuals in the diamond and jewelry industry, including Simmons.

The DEF’s mission is to raise money for education for economically disadvantaged nations in Africa where diamonds are a natural resource.

The DEF’s first beneficiary is CIDA City Campus, an institution of higher learning in Johannesburg, South Africa, that offers scholarships for economically disadvantaged students. I can personally attest to the validity of CIDA, which I visited during a trip to Africa this past May.

The DEF already has donated nearly $10 million to the school and is looking to do more.

Both individuals and businesses can donate to the DEF.

To learn more, visit DiamondEmpowerment.org.

— Star of Africa. Last month, the Royal Asscher Diamond Co. held an event to launch “Star of Africa,” its new charity program focused on helping the people of Sierra Leone.

Civil war once raged in this nation, noted for being the center of the trade in blood diamonds (it was, in fact, the setting for the 2006 film Blood Diamond).

Today, civil war has left the country rife with poverty, but Royal Asscher, a diamond company with a history dating back to 1854, wants to help change that.

The goal of Star of Africa is to raise money to work with various charities to help the people of Sierra Leone rebuild the cornerstones of their society: health care, education, economic stability and societal relationships.

The first stage of the program is a partnership with nonprofit World Vision that aims to get the children of Sierra Leone out of the country’s diamond mines and into school.

To donate to the Star of Africa’s effort with World Vision, download the form at left and fax it to (646) 861-4975.

For more information about Star of Africa, contact Rebecca Smith with Royal Asscher, (212) 922-1908 or rebecca@royalasscher.com.

— Love Heals. I wasn’t familiar at all with this cause when I attended a benefit for Love Heals on Dec. 10 at Kwiat’s beautiful flagship store in Manhattan.

But I think lack of education is at the core of so many societal ills that you can never go wrong when you empower people with knowledge.

The event, sponsored by Kwiat and Gotham magazine, featured actress Julianna Margulies (nurse Carol Hathaway for you ER fans, pictured above, fourth from left, in the black dress), who was decked out in Kwiat diamond earrings and bracelet. 

The mission of Love Heals (officially called “Love Heals, the Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education”) is to educate young people about HIV/AIDS so they can make informed choices as they mature.

Since 1992, New York-based Love Heals’ HIV-positive speakers and trained health educators have reached more than 300,000 young people, parents, educators and community leaders.

For more information, visit LoveHeals.org.

— Treatment Action Group (TAG). The Diamond Information Center’s Sally Morrison recently was honored by this organization for her years of work in the fight against AIDS (congratulations again Sally!).

The group fights for better treatments, a vaccine and a cure for AIDS.

For more information, visit TreatmentActionGroup.org. 

Full House

Thanksgiving weekend and some head's up retailing proved jewelry can still pull them in. Brothers David and Jeffrey Harrison, owners of the Cartersville Jewelry Exchange in Cartersville, Ga., offered shoppers a chance to strike it rich while benefiting wounded soldiers. 

The Harrisons gave away two 2-carat solitaires on Nov. 30 in their Treasure Chest promotion. They also donated 10 percent of the day's sales to the Fisher House Foundation's Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. The money specifically will help build housing for the families of injured returning soldiers as they go through rehabilitation.

Well done David and Jeffrey!

E-mail, e-mail on the wall, who's the smartest one of all?

Like yours, probably, my inbox has been swamped by retail holiday e-mails the past few weeks. Most are from my favorite retailers for personal consumption, while others are from companies I like to watch professionally for trending.

Free shipping, the leg up for savvy marketers over the past few holiday seasons, isn't cutting it this year. Consumers are like water flowing downhill. They'll naturally find the quickest route of least resistance. Many, if not most, I assume, have established favorite retailers based on the locus of price and selection, with secondary aspects like shipping having become expected service requirements.

My list of online stores is international. And in one case, I receive free shipping year-round from England for product at much cheaper prices than I can find here at home. Guess where I'm shopping?

So the marketers have been battling on a new field this year, where they need to establish themselves on the higher ground, especially given the economic circumstances. And now, with a week and a half until Christmas, we've entered the critical phase. For many, the retailing season will be won or lost over the next nine days.

Bam. Walmart hit my inbox this morning with a compelling list of "unbelievable online specials." And I have to say, while I've become somewhat jaded by claims, this one roped me in. The claim was just too powerful in combination with the timing--true even though I've finished all my holiday shopping (theoretically).

Increasingly, online retailing is maturing to place the field of competition squarely where it's been for traditional retailing for years--a question of who can offer the best product at the best prices and marketed the best.

The other thing that hit me was that Walmart prioritized three categories that, I assume, it believes would have maximum above-the-fold impact on potential shoppers. These were electronics, toys and "great gifts," which was illustrated graphically by a "wine lover's bundle."

Clicking through on that final catch-all category, I found an 0.45-carat total weight pair of diamond stud earrings buried toward the end--an ignominious showing for jewelry, and this from the largest seller of fine jewelry on the planet. Not very encouraging as a cultural statement about the allure of our product. 

Manage your fears

In this business downturn, fear could be running rampant through organizations—yours included.

But keep in mind that just because you read about the economic crisis in the newspaper or hear about it on TV, that fear might be unfounded.

Nevertheless, don't show your fears to your employees. It sends the wrong message and can cause your employees to lose faith. Instead, manage your fears by finding an outlet for releasing them.

Exercise and healthy eating are always good: The fitter you are, the stronger your emotional well-being. Some find hope in their faith, which can powerfully release fear. Others find it in helping others; for example, by coaching a Little League team or by teaching at an adult education center. Finally, watch a favorite comedian: Laughing out loud can help chase the demons away.

Once the recovery starts, you, and your company, will be stronger and healthier.

Jan Brassem is founder of Eclipse Global Consulting, LLC, a firm that assists jewelry retailers who are expanding into foreign markets and/or sourcing globally. You can e-mail him at Jan@EclipseConsulting.com.

No downturn in Dubai?

I’ve been back a few weeks now from my latest trip, this one to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was one of those trips where I was gone less than a week (after flying for 12 hours), but it felt like I had been gone for a month, so much happened while I was there.

The conference I was sent to attend—the Middle-East China Diamond & Jewellery Summit—didn’t result in any spectacular revelations—more, seemingly, was said at the recent “emergency” summit in Antwerp, Belgium—but I did gain a better understanding of what’s going on with the diamond supply pipeline in light of the global financial crisis, and I did take away some impressions about this particular corner of the world, which is always essential when traveling, whether for business or pleasure.

During the conference, several speakers talked about the growth of markets in both the Middle East and China, and growth indeed seems to be the watchword in Dubai. 

Anywhere you go in the city, everywhere you look, there are towers going up, with seemingly no master plan for connecting them, creating neighborhoods, unclogging the roads and making it livable. In fact, the Almas Tower (pictured here), a vertical version of Antwerp's Diamond Square Mile, if you will, which will essentially house Dubai’s growing diamond industry, is part of a development called Jumeirah Lakes Towers, a development of 87 high-rise buildings, (yes, you read that correctly), both residential and commercial. 

Is it just me, or does this seem just a wee bit overly ambitious in this economy? While the super-rich were at one time shielded from the downturn, talk to any analyst today and they will tell you this: Today, nobody is immune. The downturn is going to hit everyone, everywhere, even if certain people, areas of the world, or industries don’t want to admit it.

Now, don’t get me wrong—I enjoyed my time in Dubai. There was a lot to see and do, and I met some fabulous people during my six-day stay there. And, as always, I enjoy traveling to new places as it gives me yet another perspective on the world. I just have to question how much they are growing in Dubai and if today’s economy can support such growth in any market.

So far, so good

We were very happy on Monday as we rolled up the first weekend sales report. Taken as a whole, the industry followed general retail to exceed expectations, according to those we interviewed.

Talks I've had with retailers throughout the week have confirmed that. Black Friday was indeed a bigger day than most had predicted.

I am hearing, however, that the pipeline, across most if not all product categories, continues to be clogged. Inventories at retail are high already, and credit and finance issues, among other dampeners, are keeping retailers from spending to increase those levels.

Instead, I've heard from many that they've increased trunk shows. There's a merchandising benefit there, of course, in addition to the marketing and traffic-driving aspects.

As promised, we'll continue to report the weekend sales results each Monday. Good luck this weekend!