It is a challange to work for your skill. After just 3 weeks, in wich I often did RP instead of skilling, my char is still "useless". But I´m happy of every single skill point I worked for. By just making it a gift, we would also take away the possibility to "grow" with your charakter. And it might become boring, because there is no challange anymore.
And I don't think, that we really can win players by making them gifts. One thing, that was mentioned, was the graphic. As an older player, I don't care that much about it, but other player might have gotten used to the modern graphics. Even though I also would like play around with the lookings of my char.
But besides skill points and graphic, I think a warm welcome is the best way to keep new ones stay.
*This is just ment for newcomers like me, in the case of the Grimworld players I agree to give them some points, because they already have worked for it, even so it was not here. And as I understood right, they did the same for Illarion players. I like the idea of introducing them in a quest.