Campaign Details:
● Dates: November 24-30, 2025 (Black Friday week)
● Offer: One coral planted per gift voucher purchase over $100 AUD or equivalent currency.
Multiple gift vouchers purchased in one order, multiple corals planted.
● Location: Sumberkima, North Bali, Indonesia, in partnership with Metamorfosa NGO
● Transparency: All participating customers receive December photo updates of planted corals
How a coral planting experience in Bali inspired our most meaningful campaign yet
When I went snorkeling in Sumberkima, North Bali this November I wasn't expecting to find the inspiration for our Black Friday campaign. But as I carefully secured fragments of coral onto metal frames alongside Metamorfosa's team, something clicked: this is what gifting should feel like.
Not the dopamine hit of a discount. Not the temporary high of "saving" money on something you didn't need. But the profound satisfaction of creating something lasting, of being part of regeneration rather than just consumption.
As a freediver, I've spent years exploring underwater ecosystems across dozens of countries. I've witnessed the slow degradation of reefs firsthand - the bleached coral, the declining fish populations, the silent warning signs that most people never see. But in Sumberkima, I got to be part of the solution instead of just documenting the problem.
Meeting the Man Rebuilding an Ecosystem
Ketut Totok was born and raised in this coastal village. He watched his home reef system deteriorate throughout his childhood and early adulthood. The culprit? A devastating combination of climate change and cyanide fishing, where chemical liquid is used to stun fish.
But Totok understood something crucial: this wasn't just an environmental issue. It was an economic and food security crisis.
The local fishing community in Sumberkima, families who have relied on these waters for generations, watched their catches dwindle as the reef died. Healthy coral reefs are the foundation of marine ecosystems, providing shelter and breeding grounds for the fish that sustain both livelihoods and dinner tables. Without the reef, there are no fish. Without fish, there is no income, no food, no future for coastal communities.
In 2019, Totok founded Metamorfosa as an NGO with a mission that goes far beyond conservation: bring the reef back, and you bring back the community's ability to thrive.
Today, Metamorfosa protects a three-hectare marine area where over 35,000 corals have been planted. The corals I helped plant will become habitat for fish that will feed families and support the local fishing economy for decades to come.
Why This Matters for Black Friday
Let's be honest: Black Friday has gotten a little out of hand. It's a manufactured frenzy that encourages people to buy things they don't need, at discounts that are often inflated, creating waste that damages the very ecosystems we should be protecting.
At Gifting Owl, we've always believed experiences over things. Our platform exists because we know that memories matter more than stuff, especially for digital nomads, expats, and grey nomads who've chosen mobility over material accumulation. Running this business as a digital nomad myself, I've seen how people who travel and live internationally think differently about consumption. They've already made the choice to prioritize experiences and connections over accumulating possessions.
But this year, we wanted to push further. What if instead of offering discounts that drive impulse purchases, we offered impact that drives intentional choices?
Introducing: Our Black Friday Coral Planting Initiative
Here's how it works: From November 24-30, for every gift voucher over $100 AUD (or equivalent in your currency) purchased through Gifting Owl, we will plant one coral fragment with Metamorfosa in Sumberkima, Bali.
Your support will help create something that will grow, provide habitat for marine life, protect coastlines, support local fishing communities, and potentially outlive us all.
When you send an experience voucher through Gifting Owl, whether it's for a cooking class in Paris, a surf lesson in Portugal, or a wildlife tour in South Africa, you're also contributing to the regeneration of one of the world's most vital ecosystems and the communities that depend on it.
Every customer who plants a coral during our campaign period will receive an update in December, with a photo of the planted coral.
The Experience Economy Meets Regenerative Tourism
What struck me most about working with Metamorfosa wasn't just the coral planting itself, it was the model. Totok has created something that allows travelers to participate meaningfully in conservation, a locally-led project that understands conservation and community wellbeing are inseparable.
The fishermen of Sumberkima aren't obstacles to conservation, they're partners in it. Metamorfosa's work is restoring not just coral, but the education and involvement of local fishermen and the economic foundation of the coastal community.
As someone who's built a career around meaningful travel experiences, this is the kind of tourism model I want to support: one where visitors contribute to regeneration, not just extraction.
Choose Impact Over Impulse This Black Friday
So this Black Friday week (November 24-30), we're asking you to think differently about that shopping cart.
Before you click "buy now" on another gadget that'll be obsolete in two years, consider giving an experience that will create lasting memories, and help restore a living reef that sustains an entire community in the process.
No discount codes. No countdown timers. No artificial urgency.
Just genuine impact, one coral fragment, and one meaningful gift at a time.
Ready to make your gifting matter? From November 24-30, every experience voucher over $100 AUD you purchase through Gifting Owl plants one coral with Metamorfosa. Explore our global experience vouchers.
Interested in learning more about Metamorfosa? Visit their website here.
