New Year's Day holds a special place in Japanese culture. During this season, families come together to celebrate the dawning of a new year by engaging in traditional activities, such as Otoshidama. Otoshidama is the tradition of presenting children with a monetary gift in the form of a special envelope that bears the new year's zodiac sign (next year is the Snake). We hope you join us in celebrating and honoring the long-standing Japanese tradition of Otoshidama by gifting or renewing a membership for someone you cherish dearly today.
While Otoshidama is typically reserved for youth, our campaign is open to any family or friend who would enjoy the gift of JACL membership! That could be your friend, sibling, parent, co-worker, or any special person in your life. Whether you think your giftee could benefit from our scholarship opportunities or become a future leader for the organization, JACL has something to offer for every member.
Otoshidama ends 1/2/2026, so we hope you gift a membership today!
*Otoshidama campaign begins November 24, 2025 and will end January 2, 2026
1 Power of Words Educational Handbook
For every membership that you purchase, your giftee will receive:
2 Graphic Stickers (Kamaboko & JACL Logo) & 1 Bookmark
Student/Youth Member Benefits:
Apply for scholarships up to $5,000
Preferential status for the Kakehashi Program (delegation trip to Japan)
Apply for our internal fellowships & internships
Be part of our National Youth Student Council (NY/SC)
Join our Young Professionals Caucus (YPC)
Apply for any of our leadership summits & retreats
1 Free New Year’s Issue of the Pacific Citizen - Print Edition
Special Perks for ALL Members:
Free digital subscription to the Pacific Citizen newspaper
Free admission to the Japanese American National Museum
10% off all tiers of Taiko Community Alliance Memberships
Networking, cultural, & educational events
Take advantage of this AMAZING limited time deal:
$5 rebate when you gift a 2-year membership
$10 rebate when you gift a 3-year membership
$150 rebate when you gift a Sapphire Life Trust membership
$250 rebate when you gift a Ruby Life Trust membership
$500 rebate when you gift a Diamond Life Trust membership
Rebates are instant and will be automatically applied at checkout.
Click here to learn about Membership Categories (scroll to the beige section).
At JACL, every member counts. By giving the gift of a membership today, you help develop and support programming that inspires change and invest in our next generation of advocates. Otoshidama ends 1/2!
Chapter Resources
FAQs
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Yes to both! We couldn’t think of a better idea! (Also, if you purchase a life membership, we appreciate payments by check because it saves us on the credit card fee!)
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We plan to mail giftees their membership cards and welcome packages every two weeks starting in December.
Please place your order as early as possible to ensure that your giftee can receive their membership around the time you wish for it to arrive:
- If you wish for your giftee to receive their membership near December 25th, please submit your order by Thursday, December 14th.
- If you wish for your giftee to receive their membership near New Year's Day, please submit your order by Friday, December 22nd.
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If you wish to pay by check, please print and fill out our Otoshidama form and mail in a check to: JACL Membership, 1765 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115. Please use memo “Otoshidama”.
Please note: if you are mailing in a check and form and would like your gifted membership to arrive in time for December 25th or New Year's Day, please do so as soon as possible, as it takes our office additional time to process.
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Click here to learn more about our membership categories (scroll down to the beige section).
Click here to find a chapter. If you can’t find a chapter near your giftee, you may select “National Associates”. Your giftee can always change it later!
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Absolutely! Please email mbr@jacl.org with their name and the address you’d like the package to be sent to.
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All except the market value of the Pacific Citizen ($12 for Digital Edition or $29 for Print Edition) of your gift may be tax-deductible. Our EIN for your income tax reporting is 94-1245885.
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Yes, please email mbr@jacl.org. You can easily do so with a credit card or check and customize your plan to your needs (for example, pay $285 a month for 10 months).