Chances are the people over 50 on your gift-giving list don’t need another mug, candle or coffee grinder. Why not give them something that will help them discover their encore career?

Here are some gift ideas for friends and family members on your list who are looking for a meaningful vocation in midlife:

Books. Among the excellent books on the market that help people find their encore careers are:

• The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventures in the 25 Years After 50 by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot
• Fifty Is the New 50: Ten Life Lessons for Women in Second Adulthood by Suzanne Braun Levine
• Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector by Laura Gassner Otting
• A Long Bright Future: An Action Plan for a Lifetime of Happiness, Health, and Financial Security by Laura Carstensen
• And, of course, our favorite here at Civic Ventures: Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life, by our founder and CEO, Marc Freedman.

You can also download our new Get Started Guide, which offers answers to 10 of the most frequently asked questions about finding an encore career. It’s free.

Technical training. A lack of computer expertise can be a barrier to getting hired in an encore career. It’s essential to be familiar with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint for many jobs; understanding how to use social networking on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter can help you find a job. Marci Alboher, our in-house encore careers specialist, suggests offering those who need to brush up their technical skills a gift certificate for training through a local YMCA, Jewish Community Center or university extension program. Or, she says, “Why not invite a younger family member who is at ease with technology to offer an IOU?”

Online courses. Another option is to give a gift of online training. The Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) helps nonprofit professionals put technology to work for their causes. NTEN Webinars are listed here; to qualify for a $60 pass which is good for one free Webinar at the member rate, enter coupon code Encore-60 in the discount field in the online shopping cart. Lynda.com offers online training ranging from basic computer skills to advanced Web design and digital photography and offers holiday gift subscriptions starting at $25 per month.

Some organizations, like the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group (NPAG), offer Webinars at no charge. NPAG’s next Webinar, which is designed to help people transition from the for-profit to the nonprofit sector, is called “Jumpstart Your Job Search in 2010.” It will be offered January 13; click here to register.

Experiential learning. Career counselors recommend that midlife career switchers expand their networks and learn as much as possible about a new vocation before committing themselves to a transition. One way to sample life in the nonprofit sector is to combine volunteer work with a vacation. See About.com’s “VolunTourism” page for a good roundup of volunteer/vacation opportunities around the world that you may wish to book for a friend or loved one.

Contributions. What about those people on your list who tell you firmly that they don’t want a gift? One option is to donate in their name to a cause they feel passionate about. This year’s Purpose Prize winners are working on world-changing ideas that could use support. Take a look at these 2009 awardees, who have a “Donate” button on the home page of their organizations’ Web pages:

• Elizabeth and Stephen Alderman, Peter C. Alderman Foundation
• Judith Broder, The Soldiers Project.
• Don Coyhis, White Bison
• Tim Will, Farmers Fresh Market
• Marcy Adelman, Openhouse
• Duncan Campbell, Friends of the Children
• Connie Siskowski, American Association of Caregiving Youth