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Charitable Wedding News
A forum connecting weddings, communities, and philanthropy
IN THIS ISSUE:
- In Focus: Alternative Favor Ideas
- Charitable Favors Made Easy with the I Do Foundation
- Links: Ideas from The Knot about Creative Ways to Give Back
- Nonprofit Spotlight: A Unique Favor from the Heifer Project
- Couple Profile: Couple Uses Favors to Take Action Against Hunger
Charitable Wedding News is sponsored by the I Do Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps couples share some of the joy and generosity of their weddings with the charitable organization of their choice. Comments or written contributions can be sent to Lisa Jenkins, editor, at Lisa@idofoundation.org. www.IDoFoundation.org
With the plethora of miniature boxes of candy, personalized key chains, and other small baubles available as wedding favors, it comes as no surprise that many couples are looking for unique favor alternatives that will stand out from the crowd and won't get left on the table. Here are just a few distinctive parting gifts that will last well past the reception.
Eco-Favors
Couples can demonstrate their commitment to the environment by giving their guests earth-friendly favors. For a gift that guests can enjoy every day, couples can consider small potted plants, flower bulbs, or note cards embedded with wild flower seeds. For a more sustainable option, couples can adopt an endangered tiger (www.wwf.org) or contribute to the conservation of one acre of land in the Amazon Rainforest (www.ran.org). For a donation of just $1 per guest, the Arbor Day Foundation (www.arborday.org) will plant a tree in a national forest in honor of each guest.
Donated Favors
Couples can share their good fortune with their guests and their community when they make a donation in place of traditional wedding favors. By donating a certain amount per guest, or giving one lump sum, couples can extend the impact of their wedding favors beyond their guests to those in need. It has become customary to indicate on cards at the reception to which organization donations have been made. Some organizations that offer this service include St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org), and the I Do Foundation www.idofoundation.org/welcome/favors/.
'Reflections of You' Favors
It can be hard at a wedding to spend time with each guest, so 'Reflections of You' favors can help couples share a bit of themselves with their friends and family. Some couples have given I.O.U. notes from the bride and groom promising each guest a favor such as "a year of email," "one coffee date," or "a postcard from the honeymoon." Other couples have shared an original love poem or the couple's own story on pretty stationary. For a special wedding memento, couples can take a Polaroid with each guest as they arrive at the reception - or even take two, so that the couple is sure to have a picture of everyone at the party.
CWN: What have you noticed about the trend of charitable wedding favors?
BR: The idea of charitable wedding favors really started to take off in the past year or so. It seemed to begin as a way to celebrate family members who were not able to be a part of the celebration - couples were making donations to groups like the American Cancer Society or other health related organizations. Now, we're seeing couples supporting all kinds of charities. Brides and grooms are embracing charitable favors as another way to make their wedding more personal. There's nothing especially meaningful about a bottle of bubbles, but a donation to the charity where the bride volunteers or where the groom serves on the board of directors really means something.
CWN: How does the I Do Foundation's charitable wedding favor service work?
BR: It's really quite easy - couples register at www.idofoundaton.org and begin by selecting the charity they would like to support - we have a list of recommended partners or couples can nominate an organization of their choice. Then, through a simple two-minute process, couples decide how much they would like to donate per guest and the kind of acknowledgement cards they would like to order for a small fee. The tax-deductible donation is made online, and then the I Do Foundation ships their place cards and makes the donation to the charity. We don't have a specific amount that we recommend, but we're seeing donations anywhere from $1 to $5 per guest.
CWN: What is the etiquette of charitable wedding favors?
BR: Some brides have asked us about this, and of course, we always encourage them to consider how their friends and family will react. However, we find that most guests respond really positively to the idea. They like what it says about the couple, and they appreciate the gesture.
3) Links: Ideas from The Knot about creative ways to give back
For more ideas for favors that give to your guests and the world, check out The Knot's "Favors" section for the article on charitable wedding favors: "Sweet Charity: Alternative Favor Ideas." Profiling four couples, the article describes the process, cost, and outcome of each couple's charitable choice.
www.theknot.com
4) Nonprofit Spotlight: A Unique Favor from the Heifer Project
The Heifer Project (www.heifer.org) offers a very unique wedding favor option: a gift of livestock. From the Heifer Project website: "Heifer animals (and training in their care) offer hungry families around the world a way to feed themselves and become self-reliant. Children receive nutritious milk or eggs; families earn income for school, health care and better housing; communities go beyond meeting immediate needs to fulfilling dreams."
Through the Heifer Project's "Gift Ark," couples can choose how many and which livestock to purchase for families in need. Two donkeys can supply animal draft power for farmers in Zimbabwe; two goats can help two Romanian families provide milk for their children and earn extra income; and two sheep can help United States families produce wool. http://catalog.heifer.org/giftark.cfm
"We felt that we wanted to bring some social consciousness to our wedding," Mariah explained. "It's pretty hard to do that, but ever since we discovered that the I Do Foundation does charitable favors we were excited. We were turned off by the idea of having cheap, disposable gifts; they are such a waste because people don't really want them. They would just sit on someone's shelf. We felt that charitable wedding favors were right up our alley."
Mariah and Daniel see their favors as a reflection of their core values and the issues most important to them. By supporting Action Against Hunger through their wedding favors, they are letting their friends and family share in their priorities.
"First we decided we wanted to support a group that works internationally, and then the next priority in our minds as to what the world needs is work against hunger. I think the environment is important, but if people can't feed themselves, they will have to cut down forests to farm," Mariah said. "So I felt hunger is the most important issue. I think the problem is with distribution, not lack of resources, and Action Against Hunger seems to work toward redistributing resources."
I Do Foundation
The I Do Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, whose mission is to bring a charitable focus to special life events. The Foundation helps engaged couples raise charitable wedding donations through three channels:
Gift Registry: When couples register with our partners-including Target, Linens 'N Things and Amazon.com-up to 8% of all spending is donated.
Travel: The I Do Foundation's partner, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, donates 5% of all honeymoon packages and 4% of guest hotel lodging purchases.
Donation Registry: With our flexible Donation Registry, guests can make a donation directly to charity in place of, or in addition to, traditional gifts.
Favors for Charity: The Favors for Charity program allows couples to make donations in honor of their guests in place of (or in addition to) traditional favors.
To learn more, visit www.idofoundation.org or contact Customer Service.
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Copyright (c) 2003 by the I Do Foundation.
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