We love this statement: “Reduce a negative and enact a positive.”

Our friends at The Green Air Project introduced the language that Team Inlu feels we’ve been working on delivering from day one… enacting a positive.

There are many ways to reduce: transportation, electricity, recycling.  But to “enact”…  to take a positive step toward something better…  THAT is the above and beyond part we love.

You can easily recycle.  But to take an extra step toward making something that’s “ok” to instead make something that is better… that is awesome… that is wonderful.  If only it were so easy.  Oh.  Wait a minute.  Hot Darn.  We ARE easy.  Inlu is that positive step chosen toward something better.

Thank you friends at The Green Air Project for giving us the language.   And for offering a simple tracking system to help everyone curb CO2 emissions.  It takes a village!

Question:
Is it tacky to organize a group gift for your child’s birthday?

Answer:
No, as long as it’s done in an etiquette-friendly way.

Here’s  the deal…
Inlu web invitations are designed to handle the gift giving of our favorite personal celebrations with the greatest etiquette and care.  As a result, we’ve seen guests, friends, family, and honorees absolutely LOVE Inlu for birthdays.  Here’s why…

1. Honorees receive something that they would not have otherwise been given because the item is either too expensive or no one knows what the person wants in the first place. Take my son, for example. He started saving for an iPad, but my husband and I knew that he wouldn’t be able to save enough in time for his birthday. It was all he really wanted. He was willing to not only work toward it, but to give up other gifts to have it.  If he used traditional birthday invitations he certainly wouldn’t have seen kids showing up with iPads for him!  Through such experiences, kids learn the value of saving to reach a goal.  And man, are they happy when that special gift is finally in their hands.

HINT:  Remember – Inlu is cash collection tool so if you have a child who has a few gifts on their wish list, you can use the funds to buy more than one gift!

2. Guests love Inlu too.  It just makes the birthday process soooooo much easier.  No shopping.  No guessing what someone wants.  No arriving late because they had to stop at the shop on the way – oh, and had to pick up wrapping paper and a card too.  (See our past blog: “Big Lesson From A Little Receipt”)  Sounds crazy, but we actually have Inlu users who contact us – to vent really – when they are invited to non-Inlu birthday parties and have to go through the grab-a-gift routine.  “Why doesn’t everyone just do an inlu?!” (We wish everyone would too!)

HINT: Creating an Inlu enables you to give people the option of whether or not to participate in the group gift.  If someone really wants to bring their own gift, they can RSVP without pitching in.  Language like this can help:  “Joey has been wishing for a new bike.  If in lieu of a gift you’d rather pitch in toward it he would be thrilled!”

INTERESTING FACT:  We love that guests really do use all of the options every Inlu offers:  When both a gift and a charity are offered, some give to just the gift, some to just the charity, and some give to both.  Some opt to keep their donation amount private, others do not.  Some add the credit card and transaction fee, some opt to subtract it.  (In fact we’ve heard from numerous guests how thankful they are that our system is so transparent and they are in control of where their money is going.)  The point is, Inlu invitations give your guests the information, options, and control they want when invited to participate.

3. Organizers’ lives are easier too.  We’ve seen it over and over again. Just like ‘getting into’ Facebook that first time, organizers can have a fear of the unknown.  However, once a person creates an Inlu for the first time, and sees the RSVPs, contributions, messages from their guests, they are delighted – and amazed at how easy it all is. (Not to mention they also receive great praise from guests for making their lives so much easier!)  Check out this former blog post with TESTIMONIALS.

HINT:  People like to use Inlu as a birthday reminder to family and loved ones too. This way birthdays aren’t forgotten and everyone gets to participate in a meaningful way. Your family will come to rely on you sending out that Inlu for each birthday and other special occasions.  They will, in fact, demand your Inlu!  “When are you doing Susie’s Inlu?! I don’t want to be left out!”  (We love family.)

4. The Planet loves when people use Inlu.  We just have to reiterate it.  When people pitch in for something that is truly wanted, less waste will go to the landfill.  Think about this stat from one of our favorite eco-friendly sources www.storyofstuff.org,  for every 1 can of trash you bring to the curb,  7 (seven) more cans of trash are used in the production process before you even bring your stuff home with you in the first place.

Reducing waste while giving what’s truly wanted is a win win for everyone.

5. Charities are happy too.  With every Inlu you have the choice to support a charity – either in lieu of a gift, in addition to a gift, or as the “overflow” option once your gift cap has been met.  Our users have supported over 100 charities of across the U.S.  Even small contributions matter and Inlu makes it simple and easy for you to make a difference.   (Check out these Inlu kids in action supporting the charities they care about.)

Here are some samples:
1. A birthday invitation with both a gift and a charity.
2. A birthday reminder announcement to family for a gift only.

For more information about how Inlu helps parents in general check this out:

Check out our new segment specifically for parents!

It’s filled with examples of how Inlu can help parents streamline giving, ease the collection process for school efforts and more, and give their kids a chance to make a powerful difference.

(See some Inlu kids feeling the pride of empowerment here.)

We’re working on a number of segments that make it easier for folks to understand how Inlu can help.  We’d love your feedback!

Here are some of our other recent segments.

Bridal Showers, Group Wedding Gifting, and “In lieu of flatware registries.”

Group baby gifts from the office, tying charitable contributions in to a meaningful gift that lasts forever, and finding local businesses who offer the perfect baby gift.

Raising funds as a group to register for any race,  perfect group gifting for the athlete in your life, and empowering people to turn their personal athletic challenge into a meaningful cause for any purpose.

Coming up next… Eco-Heroes and Inlu 4 Dudes!  Please send your comments and ideas our way.  Email us at: support@inlu.com  THANKS!

From our Peeps to yours…
Here’s wishing you a Happiest Holiday weekend
(be it Easter, Passover, Spring Exquinox, you name it).

Show us some love!
Every 25 likes for this picture on our Inlu Facebook wall by Sunday night,
and we’ll plant a tree!
Click here to make it happen!

Check out our new All About Baby page with loads of ideas on how to use Inlu to help with baby showers, group gifts, and even baby gifts that grow for 100 years!

There are so many ways to use Inlu, our team is working hard to explain just how – but in segments.  We already introduced our Wedding World.  Next up… Think 26.2…

More soon.
Please share.  It takes a village and we truly appreciate your help.  Thanks.

Yes!

Inlu is the perfect way to simplify the giving process when there are multiple wedding registries.  Think about it this way:   An Inlu collection is really a ‘jelly jar’ that either the organizer or the honoree can ultimately use for whatever is wanted.

IF you simply want to alert friends about an easier way to contribute to the bride and groom, “in lieu of going through the registries” you can direct the funds to go the bride who can ultimately use the funds to buy whatever is wanted – either from the register or elsewhere.  Here’s a sample.

IF you wish to create an Inlu to collect for certain item/s you can invite friends to go in on it together – and even pre-purchase the item from the registry yourself, then use the collected funds to reimburse yourself.  In this case you would want to direct the funds to “you”  (or the person pre-purchasing the gift.)  Keep in mind that you never know how much will be contributed.  Here’s a sample.

And everyone who pitches in can sign the Keepsake message board for the bride and groom so they know who pitched in. So easy.  So good.

There’s lots of wedding gifting ideas here.  We like to say that Inlu is the Wedding Party Power Tool!

Happy to help and answer any questions here:  support@inlu.com

So, I’m in the car and hear the song “Forever” by Chris Brown.  It’s the song Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz chose for their now famous wedding video on YouTube.

Jill & Kevin's Wedding Video on You Tube

Hearing the song, reminded me of that video, and how happy it made me.

Happy that this couple chose to share their awesome wedding happiness with millions of people.

Surely they didn’t expect their special day to become one of the most viewed videos on YouTube.  Nor did they expect there to be a televised reenactment on morning television.  Nor did they expect countless others to make mock-Kevin & Jill Wedding videos.

I’m sure they just did it because they were happy.

Once so many started watching, they took their happiness to the next level and invited strangers who were coming to watch their personal wedding video, to support a cause they cared about:  The Sheila Wellstone Institute, in hopes of “breaking cycles of violence in society.”

I’ve watched their video countless times, with my friends, with my kids.  Whenever a moment of happiness is needed – it’s a great place to go.

So today… hearing that Chris Brown song in my car on this sunny day, and instantly feeling that wave of happiness that Jill and Kevin brought to it… drove me to make my donation.

That’s the power of happiness.  I was more than happy to give because I am grateful for the happiness these strangers have gifted me with.

May the power of happiness be with you this fine almost-Spring day.

Monica & Hawk Ostby attend The 2006 Oscars

Believe it or not… Inlu President, Monica Ostby was lucky enough to have attended The Oscars back in 2006 when her husband, Hawk Ostby was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film Children Of Men.  It was a dream come true… and clearly makes Oscar Night a special time for their family.  (Check out Shoulder Pads – kicking off the Berkenstalks to go glam!)

Inspired during last night’s Oscar’s, The Ostby Family compiled a list of must-see-movies for the tweens of the bunch (13 & 11).   It’s a great list, so we thought we’d share it.  (Their youngest, age 6, will have to wait awhile for many of these!)

Grab some popcorn and start viewing… and maybe even invite some friends over for a movie party.   (See a sample of how you can use Inlu for YOUR movie party!)

The Artist
Ghost
Field Of Dreams
Something About Mary
The Natural
Alien
A Separation
North By Northwest
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Bodygaurd
World According To Garp
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Saving Face
Drive
Tree Of Life
Amadeus
Exorcist

The Oscars airs this SUNDAY – and Global Green is turning it into a green carpet event for everybody!

We are pysched that Global Green is using Inlu to encourage folks to host an Oscar Viewing Party with friends, and pitch in to support Global Green’s sustainability efforts at the same time.

Check it out!  www.inlu.com/globalgreen

According to About.com there are five major gifts that couples are jazzed to get.

1. Money. Young couples are often saving for a down payment on home, a car, paying off student loans and more.
2. An expensive item off their registry. It’s hard to ask for that super chic item on the registry, even if it is the only thing you really want. Inlu is here to save the day.
3. That uber sweet wedding night hotel room.  – memories, memories, memories they will be made, and why not do it in style?
4. A wedding gift that stands the test of time.  – this could be anything special to the couple, with Inlu it could be a charity donation in their name!
5. An extra sweet honeymoon:  A hotel upgrade, flight upgrade, anything extra to make that honeymoon even more special.

Of course each of these are easy to give with Inlu… where fabulous becomes affordable when everybody pitches in.

Inlu is the perfect and etiquette friendly way to coordinate MAJOR wedding gifts. Check out Inlu’s wedding page to learn more.  We’ll give you ideas, suggestions for the bride, suggestions for her bridesmaids and family.  All easy, simple, and etiquette friendly.  In the meantime, you make it easy for your friends and family to give the perfect wedding gift.  Nice.

Some of Inlu’s personal favorite wedding gift ideas?

• A tractor. (Yep, we love Vermonters.)
• A set of kayaks (Check out our awesome Group Gift Certificate partner: Outdoor Gear Exchange)
• A gift of kindness.  One Inlu wedding couple asked friends and family to support Vermonters coping with last year’s flooding.  Helping others is a wonderful way to start a new life together.

Questions?  Send questions to our Office Of Etiquette where we are happy to help you find just the right way to Inlu.    support@inlu.com