From the category archives:

Monica Says…

Honoring The Day

by Inlu Blog Patrol on January 16, 2012

 

 

Dr. King was an outstanding orator.  And if you read his speeches in full, you will see that they are also timeless.  Though created for the Civil Rights Movement, the teachings can apply to our everyday lives. One of my favorite quotes:  “The time is always right, to do what it right.”

As I reflect on Dr. King’s work, encouraging each of us to make a difference everyday, I’d like to honor him by thanking one of my own personal heroes who’s done just that…

As a kid back in the 70′s (yes, I admit it),  I asked a friend why she was wearing a t-shirt bearing the name of a clothing detergent.

Of course she enlightened me.


Soon after I met her mother,  Charlene Ventura.  She was in the process of establishing the first shelter for battered women in Cincinnati, the YWCA Alica Paul House.   I was completely unaware there was a need for such a shelter until I walked into her office at the YWCA where they were filming a TV commercial for it.  Sitting in the window of her office was an actress with a jarring black-eye.  That was the day my eyes were opened to a new world.

Today Charlene Ventura, President and CEO of the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati, continues to help women in that area  and beyond.    She was hailed in Redbook Magazine as “One of Ohio’s Ten Outstanding Young Women” in 1978 and most recently as one of the region’s “100 Most Powerful Leaders” (2009, 2010, 2011).  Today, she is an inductee in the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame.

For her tireless vigilance and selfless devotion, she will always be on my hero list.  Thank you Charlene (A.K.A Michelle & Gretchen’s Mom) for showing me that an individual can make a difference.   And thank you for everything you have done to help so many women and families.

This Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, I celebrate the gift of empowerment that individuals like Dr. King and Ms. Ventura give us.

The path is not always easy.  But, as we say in Inlu-land… It’s wEarth it.

Submitted by: Monica Ostby

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An easy way to plan ahead.

by Inlu Blog Patrol on January 8, 2012

 


Time sneaks up on us.  And sometimes before we know it an important date or occasion is upon us with no time to map it out.
Our mission at Inlu is to help people avoid the last minute gifting rush-around that causes us to grab a random gift and go.  But it’s also finding the time to organize the event or party or collection that sometimes is the challenge.  We know… Ugh!

We all procrastinate.  It’s human nature.  It’s why we are never surprised in Inlu-land to see so many RSVP’s and contributions coming in after our system sends the automatic 2-day reminder to each guest.

We thought, well gee if this helps the guests so much, let’s help the organizers too.  Inlu’s Handy Dandy Reminder Service is a quick and easy tool that let’s you schedule a reminder for any occasion.

So easy.  Just think about the months in which you have something that Inlu might be able to help you with. (“Bobby’s birthday in August”, “Jenna’s wedding”) – perhaps even note that perfect gift you already thought of and are afraid you’ll forget… (“Mom & Dad’s anniversary – family photo with Wild cLover Photography“) then set a reminder date that’s 3 weeks prior to your possible occasion date.

It’s amazing how reminders can help people.  And for Team Inlu, every Inlu invitation and announcement matters.  We want to be there for you when you need us.

Hint!  You can also send a reminder to someone else…

I think you hear me… :)

So grab a cup of coffee, (and a take, what…  three minutes?) to get your inlu mojo in action.  Then… relax in 2012.
As always, we’re here to help… support@inlu.com

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Monica Ostby, President of Inlu.com Featured on Smartgirlsway!

by inlu blog patrol on December 1, 2011

Bio & Company Story:

Inlu Co-Founder, Jamaica Jenkins and I, both mothers of three, saw first hand how our beloved cultural celebrations not only have a negative environmental impact, but also miss out on technological advances that make life easier to organize. So, “in lieu of” excess, hassle, and waste, we created inlu.com, an online web invitation service with a built in group giving system. Inlu enables friends and family to easily pitch in for what is truly wanted as a group – toward ANY gift, ANY charity, or BOTH – and streamline the process for everyone. We’ve also tied in a patent-pending carbon footprint tracker that demonstrates the positive impact of giving as a group.

Today, Inlu helps people organize group gifting across many occasions, from birthdays to weddings, to non-profit fund drives. Since launching, over 100 different charities have been supported – some multiple times. And unique gifts have been given: from birthday skateboards, to newlywed first home deposits, and growing family double strollers, to a wheelchair ramp for a neighbor in need.

We have seen our early adapters embrace this easy to use tool – with over 20% having used Inlu more than three times in the short time we have been live. One Inlu enthusiasts has already participated in over 25 Inlu collections. We hope to see the word about Inlu spread, so that everyone can experience the joy of our celebrations, without the hassle, excess, and waste that we all agree we can do without.

To read the entire page and view other 100×100 entrepreneurs (like our friend, Janice Shade of TrueBody Products), click to visit SMARTGIRLSWAY.com

Click to visit Smartgirlsway.

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4 Ways to Handle Inlu Gift Collection Funds

by inlu blog patrol on November 10, 2011

how inlu works

We like chatting about all the fabulous ways to spend final gift collection funds. Today, we want to focus on the four main ways Inlu Gift Collection funds are pooled and sent.

(As the Gift Collection Organizer, you can choose how to handle your Gift Collection Funds)…

1. Consolidate and Send

Simply coordinate the collection and indicate that Inlu SEND the consolidated funds to someone. This can be the person or purpose being honored, or another person who will purchase a gift for the person being honored. You don’t know what the final collection total will be until your Inlu closes. This is perfect for gift certificate type giving – where the final amount is less important than the gift itself.

2. Purchase Ahead of Time, Reimburse Your Wallet

Consider the consolidated funds to be a REIMBURSEMENT to you. If you want to pre-purchase a gift for someone (for example, a new bike), and you want whatever donated funds to go toward that gift, then consider those funds to be a reimbursement back to you. This is helpful for things like birthdays when you want a specific item to be ‘opened’ at the party. Buy it whenever you want. And know that the collected funds will find their way back to you after your collection closes. The collection might not meet your total cost.

3. Many Honorees, One Contribution (Alternative Reimbursement)

IF a you are coordinating a SINGLE Inlu meant for MULTIPLE HONOREES (ie, 3 COACHES GIFTS, 1 contribution PER family), it is best to use the Inlu as a REIMBURSEMENT to you. The Inlu system enables you to list ONE person and address to which all funds can be issued. You can see the final amount collected on the day of your Collection End Date, divide that amount as you see fit, and purchase multiple items (like individual gift certificates) yourself. For example, if you collect $90 you can purchase 3 $30 gift certificates. Use the Inlu funds to reimburse yourself.

4. Direct-to-Store Group Gift Certificate

Purchase a single GROUP GIFT CERTIFICATE from our growing list of partners. In this case, the gift funds are sent directly to the shop and held as a gift certificate in your honoree’s name. The Inlu system issues a gift certificate announcement to the person being honored with the messages from all who contributed, as well as their group gift certificate number registered with that store. Nice and easy!

Know an awesome little local shop that should become a partner? Lets us know! Businesses LOVE when their own customers refer Team Inlu. You will help an awesome local business compete with ‘the big guys’ when they become a partner. —> Email us support@inlu.com!

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Inlu + Fundraising = Easy, In Lieu of Writing and Collecting Checks!

by inlu blog patrol on August 27, 2011

If you want to put the FUN back in fundraising, consider using Inlu to collect contributions from families and extended families of students! Whether it’s an extracurricular group or a classroom list, Inlu is an easy, life-simplifying option for parents who are UBER BUSY.

How it works: In lieu of hosting, coordinating and planning a bake sale or selling “stuff” that will end up in a landfill, or losing high profit percentages to third party fundraising companies, just do this: send an Inlu PTO/ PTA invitation (if you want to have an actual event) or simply send an announcement– you kindly ask parents pitch in and it’s done.

The funds are pooled and sent in ONE check to your school! How simple is that? And the best part? We’ll donate our profits back into your fundraiser.

Think of busy parents today- they do everything on the fly! It’s perfectly reasonable to simplify THIS bottom line: schools need funds. Busy parents need an easier way!

Think about it, ask around…TRY IT!

PS We’re always here to answer your questions… customerservice@inlu.com

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Big Lessons from a Little Gift Receipt

by inlu blog patrol on January 20, 2011

Ok, so I’m cleaning out my wallet and find a receipt from a birthday party my 5 year old daughter attended.  We had no idea what to give the birthday girl, but knew she loved princesses.  So, we do the mad dash to Kmart to pick up a grab-and-go gift… my daughter insists on getting a princess Barbie.  (She LOVES princess Barbies and so do her friends.)   Oh, and a gift bag… and a bow, because as usual, I’m running late and have to go from store to party.  Sound familiar?

So, lets have some fun with the math shall we? (This is one wild word problem. Stick with it! You’ll appreciate it, seriously.)
Above is the actual gift receipft from that party.

Check it out:

Gift = $10.99
Gift Bag = $1.89
Bow = $1.99
Total = $14.87

(26% of the expense was for the gift wrap)

Now, that was just our ONE single gift.  But at the party, there were 10 kids there who probably spent about the same.

Gift =  $109.90                        Wrap = $38.80

And that was just one party.  Surely there were at least 10 birthday parties across Vermont that day?

Gift = $1,099.00                        Wrap = $388.00

And surely if there were that many in Vermont, then there would have been that many in all the other 49 states, right?

Gift = $54,950.00                          Wrap = $19,400.00

Oh, and that’s just in one weekend.  Surely there must be just as many birthday parties in the other 51 weekends in the year, right?

Gift = $2,857,400.00                        Wrap =  $1,008,800.00

Oh, and that princess Barbie we bought?  Yeah… she already had that one.

So, we have as many as 260,000 princess Barbies… that yeah… they may already have.

Now picture this.

What if these party hosts use Inlu to let everyone know what’s really wanted? Imagine if everyone pitches in their contribution to a snazzy $100 gift (like maybe the princess Barbie castle to go with? ) in lieu of ten, $10 gifts (that yeah… she probably already has). It would reduce the sheer number of “things” without touching the feel good effects of giving and receiving something awesome.

And gee, in lieu of $1,008,800.00 spent on wrapping paper and bows, maybe they ask guests to pitch in for charities too.   Pretty cool to pitch in for wanted (and not currently owned) gifts, and over one million dollars go to benefit charities across the country, right?

Finally, lets expand this a bit, shall we?  This is not just about kids birthday gifts.  Every week across the US there are adults having celebrations for their special birthdays, baby showers for moms having number 2,3, even 4, and there are wedding showers for folks who don’t need more flatware.  There are all kinds of events happening every week where the old school grab-a-gift occurs.

So for the sake of argument, lets say that for every kid’s birthday party, there are two other gift generating parties every weekend, right?

Gift =  $8,572,200.00                                    Wrap =  $3,026,400.00

Wouldn’t if feel awesome if we (you, your friends and family, and us) all worked together to send over $3million in what would have gone to wrapping so many small gifts, instead to charitable organizations that really need the support? And to know that the gift recipients all got what they really wanted?  Awesome.

Having slight math geek tendencies, we ponder these calculations everyday.  It’s what keeps us going and determined to provide people with a smarter way to be the perfect party host…So that maybe, in lieu of a quarter of a million receipts looking like this… (for gifts they already have…) maybe people will give Inlu a try.

Be a host/hostess hero – make gifting easy for everyone, save the world, and make that special someone very very happy.

Post byMonica, aka Shoulderpads

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Etiquette, a la Inlu (Part 3-of-5)

November 12, 2010

Monica chats etiquette surrounding asking friends to pitch in for a group gift or donation. To get up to speed, visit previous posts #1 and #2. Don’t feel like clicking back in time? No prob…start right here! Etiquette FAQ: What if my guests want to contribute to an Inlu but don’t have credit cards or [...]

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Thanksgiving: Do Good in Your ‘Hood!

November 2, 2010

It’s  already November! Thanksgiving is well on its way. This year, Inlu would like to suggest inviting local kids to collect food from neighbors. We’ve outlined an easy, fun way to rally support for your local food shelf in three easy steps: Step 1: Create an Inlu. Call it something like “Our Neighborhood Food Drive” [...]

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Inlu Explained (Like Totally)

October 11, 2010

Ok, so many people have asked “how did you come up with the idea for inlu.com?” and we say, well, it kind of found us. As busy moms we found ourselves in a trap. A trap that felt something like this: TRAP 1: Receive invitation to party. Forget to RSVP on time. Run around at [...]

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Etiquette, a la Inlu (Part 2-of-5)

October 5, 2010

Voila, MORE Etiquette Tips from Monica. Have you noticed, there’s a growing trend for organizers to say “no gifts” or “in lieu of any gifts please give to charity?” We noticed. We also noticed someone inevitably brings a present anyway!  That can lead to a mix up and feelings of confusion. That’s exactly why Inlu.com [...]

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