Posts tagged as:

in lieu of gifts

25 Charities, Causes and Nonprofits REAL Inlu Users Have Supported (BTW, Inlu Users Rock)

by inlu blog patrol on October 20, 2011

Our users have supported MANY charities in several IN LIEU OF contexts, like:

In lieu of gifts, send gift monies (in one sum!) to help a cause.
In lieu of collecting many small checks, pool contributions together for one  easy fundraiser!
In lieu of wasting $ on wrapping paper, they’ve pitched in smaller amounts as a group to give back to the planet.
In lieu of bake sales,  users have simply created an Inlu to support schools, nonprofits and more.

Here’s a list of 25 randomly selected charities, causes and planet-happy ways our users have given back to help others:

  1. Best Friends Animal Society, Utah
  2. Cheetah Conservation Fund
  3. Burlington City Arts
  4. NOFA Farmer Emergency Fund
  5. Donation to the “Church they were married in…” St. Patick’s Cathedral
  6. Autism Speaks
  7. Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
  8. U.S. Luge Association/ I Slide 4 Nodar
  9. Visiting Nurses of Vermont
  10. Dayton Children’s Hospital, OH
  11. Kennedy’s Cord Foundation, KY
  12. Alzheimer’s Association
  13. New England Center For Homeless Veterans
  14. Sutter Aubrurn VNA Hospice
  15. Life Rolls On
  16. Homocide Survivors Fund, AZ
  17. Camp Dudley William J. Schmidt Scholarship Fund
  18. Champion Against Bullying
  19. Children’s Hunger Fund
  20. Teaching Tolerance, AL
  21. Intertribal Friendship House
  22. Pennies For Peace
  23. Ashlee’s Charity for Junior National Young Leaders
  24. Discovery Charter School
  25. Southeast Valley Youth Football, AZ

Want to create an IN LIEU OF charity collection? Visit inlu.com and

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Watch This! Wednesday: Inlu 25th (Month) Anniversary Flashback!

by inlu blog patrol on October 5, 2011


As we head full steam into October, we want to take the time to let you know that all this month, we’re celebrating YOU our users and our Inlu experiences over the past two years (25 months actually). All month, we’ll be bringing you bits and pieces that will celebrate what you have done as users and loyalists AS well as some of our highlighted moments. Let’s kick it off with a nice little flashback video!

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30 Gifts to 30 Strangers (In Lieu of Receiving, Celebrate Giving!)

by inlu blog patrol on September 26, 2011


At Inlu, we spend a lot of time focusing on the joy of group giving- the art of many people pitching in for something special, a group donation (or both). We focus on the rewarding, empowering feeling of creating less excess, hassle and wasted resources (like trees and shipping and all that jazz). We love the social companionship that comes from collaboration.

What I’d like to call out today is that fabulous feeling of giving (even if it’s your day to be receiving!).

When I saw this clip, I became absorbed in the enlightened sentiment: that giving is bliss.

Sometimes we focus way too much on what is ours, what is owed to us and what we “own” in this world.

This video was put together by Lucas Jatoba (and a group of friends so it had that collaborative excitement), a Brazilian living in Australia. This year, he wanted to do something different to show his appreciation for Sydney, a city he had grown to love. Here, he let the universe lead, which is something we should all try more often (I know I need to!).

Imagine doing this on your next birthday! You could use Inlu to collect funds to go out and give 21, 30, 45…whatever your next number… handmade, local or organic treats to complete strangers.You could deliver 30 baby blankets to a shelter. You could walk into a youth center and deliver 30 basketballs, jump ropes and dodgeballs. Whatever!

(And, yes, they used wrapping paper but that doesn’t mean this tradition couldn’t be tweaked to lessen the landfill and expand the love! Just one more twist of creativity in the wrapping department and this would be pure joy for people and the planet).

If I had seen this before my birthday last week, perhaps I would have given out 30 random Daisies, Lake Champlain Chocolates and Starbucks Coffee Gift Certificates to 30 Strangers (because yeah, I totally just turned 30). VIEW MY SAMPLE INSPIRED BY ’30 Gifts to 30 Strangers’

What twist on the gift giving tradition can YOU come up with?

Collect for something, give back. Tip o’ the hat to the gifting hero in Australia!

30 Gift Guy!

PS If you’d like to know the gifts he handed out, here they are: (Follow him on twitter or check out his website for lots more on the experience: lucasjatoba.com)

The gifts: a Wallabies rugby ball, 30 minute massage voucher, a painting, a skateboard, a scarf, “the doggy bank”, chocolates, bottle of champagne, a teddy bear, a mini tree to hang pictures, a Japanese porcelain tea jar, mini garden tools for kids, scented oil infuser for the home, iTunes music voucher, mini boxer shorts for a new born baby, origami book, “happyland village vet” (toy for a kid), scented soaps and candles, illustrated photo album, a big soft penguin, aromatic moisturizers and shampoos, books, dvds, other toys for kids and more!

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Angelina Jolie Inspires the World by Giving Back ‘In Lieu Of’ a Hefty Paycheck

by inlu blog patrol on June 16, 2011

photo via ecorazzi

In a recent photo shoot, Angelina Jolie is said to have given up her $10million dollar Louis Vuitton paycheck to benefit Cambodia! (Visit Ecorazzi for the full scoop). We say, that’s cool and oh-so-inspiring. Plus, if she can do that, we can all give up a few bucks “in lieu of” wrapping paper and/or excess to benefit a cause, right?

Not inspired enough? This year she and her hubby, Brad, gave $2 million the Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary in Namibia. “The gift was made in honor of their daughter Shiloh, who was born in country.” I bet they’d be jazzed about our Inlu users, don’t you think? I mean really, kids giving back to save cheetahs (while getting a gift) or friends supporting causes as a group in honor of someone special, or group gifting to curb landfill while giving something awesome? I think we’d all get along in the happy planet bubble. At least I like to think so!

Here’s the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation website, complete with contact info. Don’t forget the United Nations if you’re looking for similar causes in the Jolie-Pitt avenue. Or dive in more and snoop around looktothestars.org and see which charities Angelina has helped in the past.

PS Of course, if you get the chance to make $10 million, it’s probably a good idea to keep a good chunk of it! LUCKY. (Fine print: Inlu has no affiliation or promotional ties to Angelina or her causes! She’s just cool).

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Cool! Celebs Give Back “In Lieu of Gifts”

by inlu blog patrol on March 23, 2011

Photo via Ecorazzi

Hooray for the rising trend that says,  IN LIEU OF GIFTS, GIVE BACK! (BTW, we kinda saw this coming…wink, wink.) Check it out – Justin Bieber, Jessica Biel, Adam Lambert, and Prince William and Kate are just a few of the celebs making our planet happier by giving back for their celebrations.

We LOVE, LOVE this stuff! And happily, we help our users participate in this same kind of feel-good giving experience. You don’t have to be a youtube star or a hollywood hero or part of the royal family to make a difference. Every Inlu user can feel fabulous about giving to a charity on any occasion: birthday, wedding, thank you, etc. Inlu makes it simple for you to get a gift AND give back (in lieu of wrapping paper, multiple gifts, cards, etc) OR simply skip the “stuff” and all the contributions are pooled into one sum and sent on behalf of the honoree. Little efforts add up to a lot of good, including:

  • reduced waste on wrapping, cards etc.
  • less driving and shipping
  • supporting a cause
  • simplified gift giving
  • shopping local
  • giving local
  • giving meaningful gifts, skipping the rest
  • social collaborations

Plus, with each Inlu, users generate points that represent roughly how many tons of CO2 emissions were reduced by group gifting with Inlu. For every 10k points, Inlu donates to plant trees. :) (Read about Inlu’s Planet Points)

Other celebrity “in lieu of” efforts: Rachel Zoe, Will and Jada Smith, and Eat Pray Love‘s Elizabeth Gilbert (in her book, she asks “in lieu of gifts” for her friends to pitch in and purchase a house for her friend in Bali).

This year, you can make a difference (while getting something sweet!) by using Inlu.com.

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Winter Dreaming: 11 Idyllic Inlu Group Gifts

by inlu blog patrol on January 25, 2011

Well, it’s a tad cold up in the Northeast. And I’m kind of over the frozen fingers and ice blocked toes. I’m inside, wearing a beanie, a scarf and a sweater. It’s not my favorite time of year. It’s not really anyone’s idea of a good time to watch the temps drop to well below zero. And so, I thought, dang, what’s a better “group gift” than the gift of getting out of here?

Maybe it’s not gonna happen for me, but perhaps this will inspire a lucky wedding couple, long-time-love-birds or a family member who could use a break from this crazy, cold winter. Just think, if everyone pitched in, skipped the individual gifts, gift wrap and cards and all that jazz, you or someone you know could be on your way to a sunnier, “happy place” on planet earth.

Get ready to daydream.

1.Hotelito Desconocido. In Mexico. Near sand and water. Eco friendly. Windmill water power. No phones. Perfect.

2. Machu Picchu Sanctuary- “The only hotel near the famed Inca ruins, Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge matches luxurious comfort with ancient splendor.” – Kiwi Collection Yes please.

3. For the ladies: Pura Vida Adventure in Costa Rica. (Co-ed available too.) Looks good to me!

“Our surf and yoga retreats truly embrace the “pura vida” way: meeting new friends, sharing the sport of surfing, practicing the art of yoga, relaxation, laughter and fun.”

4.  For the entire family…Papillote Wilderness Retreat on Dominica, “the Nature Island of the Caribbean.” This eco-resort is smack dab in the middle of a rainforest. Sounds perfect! You wander. Eat mangoes. Love life. The website says it features “Comfortable, charming rooms overlooking gardens, mountains, waterfalls and pristine rainforest wilderness.” Ok. I’m sold.

5. I’ve been dreaming about this one for a long time: Atlantis. Dolphins and waterslides await. AND there’s plenty of quiet beach around.


6. Hawaii anyone? Kona Village Resort. It’s a pristine slice of rustic, tiki-hut-heaven on earth. The beaches, the pools, the hammocks by the sea. Aaaahhhhh….I can already feel the sunshine on my face.


7. Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica. El Sapo Dorado is “The jewel of the tropical rainforest.”- Why not? Nearby boasts monkeys, ziplines, canopy tours and fresh food. Certainly beats today’s activity of bundling up for 30 minutes to head to the grocery store.

8. A little closer to reality: Canyon Ranch Spa Miami Beach. Ok, well, it’s still a fantasy but I’m gonna keep dreaming about this perfect getaway gift.

“Housed in the historic, superbly restored Carillon Hotel, Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach will enchant you with its exquisite design and matchless ocean views. In a serene atmosphere of casual elegance, you will relax in a lavish suite, float in one of our four sparkling pools, savor award-winning cuisine and discover unsurpassed Canyon Ranch spa, fitness and wellness services.”

9. Head south. Check out some Mayan wonders. Recharge on life! This escape is filled with mystical wonder. HACIENDA CHICHEN RESORT & YAXKIN SPA -”Mexico’s Best Green Jungle Resort and  Eco-Spa Wellness Destination within the majestic Mayan site of Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico.” … ” Hacienda Chichen has recently been named one of the Top 50 Wellness Destinations in North America by National Geographic and its Yaxkin Spa has been selected in the Ten Best Eco-Spas of the World.” No twisting my arm. I’ll go!

10. A tad alternative to pure relaxation: pure adrenaline with Wide Open Baja Off Roading Tours. Sounds like a rally of time. I know a few people who would welcome this adventurous excursion right about now. This girl included. It would certainly shake me out of hibernation mode!

“You’ll explore the vast expanse of  Baja’s wide open spaces. Pristine beaches, beautiful desert vistas, steep inland canyons, quaint villages, historic stops and of course exhilarating off-road driving is waiting for you.”

11. Big Sur Getaway at Ventana Inn & Spa. This resort on over 200 acres of wooded, oceanside property, is serenity at its finest. Plus, they take all kinds of earth-friendly initiatives to keep the land as it should be. Check this place out and tell me it’s an AWESOME group gift idea!

And so, now that you are all daydreaming about that escape from the mid-winter freeze, I’ll leave you to go back to my icy and imaginary-filled existence…for now. Cheers and Happy Inlu-ing!

-JJ

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Big Lessons from a Little Gift Receipt

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 [...]

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Featured Inlu: BTV Skate Park- Buy a Brick!

December 15, 2010

Hey friends! Guess what cool Inlu collection is going on right now? The “Buy a Brick and Support the Skate Park” campaign just launched as part of the Burlington Skate Park Redevelopment Project. This much anticipated, NEW concrete park will attract skaters from all around the region. Anyone is welcome to contribute and no amount [...]

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Birthday Idea: Harry Potter Theme Party for a Cause

November 16, 2010

….This is a big week for Harry Potter fans! To celebrate, we have a do-good birthday party idea. For the party, let friends know it’s a Harry Potter theme and you’ll be going to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! If you’re up for the full theme experience, there are lots of simple or [...]

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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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