We’ve all been there, politely thanking someone for a gift we neither need nor want as we try not to think about the amount of money wasted on something we’ll never use.

That’s the tricky part about gift giving. If you want to maintain any sort of surprise, you just have to wing it sometimes and hope your instincts are right.

We can’t provide a magic guide to everyone’s perfect gift, but we can steer you to gifts that give twice by supporting causes that might be important to your recipient, such as human rights, eradicating hunger or saving the natural world. That way, even if your gift is a disappointment, your recipient will know that at least a portion of the money you spent is supporting something that’s improving our world.

And that might be one of the best gifts of all.

Not since Babar has an elephant been so endearingly and elegantly portrayed as this pint-sized version from the Elephant Project complete with (removable!) green velvet overalls. This soft stuffie is beautifully made, with a generous trunk and tufted tail. And it’s just the right size for little hands. Tembo and his friend Kiki (who prefers dresses) are just two of four cuddly animals offered by this Santa Barbara-based company, which sends 100% of its net proceeds to organizations around the world devoted to saving elephants from poachers and providing care for orphaned young. (P.S. If your gift recipient prefers big cats or dogs, check out Oba the lion and LuLu the dog. They have their own related support organizations.)

From $39 at the Elephant Project