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Kids + Parents + Inlu: Here’s the Scoop!

by inlu blog patrol on July 7, 2011

Pssst…Parents, Inlu is a great way for your child to get what he or she wants AND give the planet a break at the same time! That’s an awesome feeling even the little ones can appreciate!

And yes, some parents wonder “Is it ok to tell my friends what my kid wants for his/her birthday?”

The answer is obviously YES! when you stop to look at the bigger picture. Why?

Well, for one, Inlu is totally etiquette appropriate because the giving is always optional. Plus, it’s a huge relief for guests because they don’t have to spend time, money, and/or energy searching for that last minute guess on “what your child wants.”

But more importantly, they get to see their children feel the empowerment of making a difference.  Rather than letting words from this grown up explain, listen to the kids:

Sound like a good idea? GET STARTED on YOUR CHILD’s INLU HERE!

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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)

by inlu blog patrol on 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 don’t want to pay online?

It is always a good idea to include the option to send funds via check, especially when you are using Inlu to raise funds from a larger group (like an entire classroom or school fundraising effort). Inlu contributions are always optional- guests can still RSVP even if they are not comfortable pitching in online. The goal of using Inlu to collect contributions for gifts and donations is to ultimately make life easier. By offering both online and in-the-mail options, your guests can decide however they’d like to participate.

CHECK OUT A PTO SAMPLE

For example, your Inlu message could read something like this:

“We’re hoping families can pitch in to raise funds for the field trip fund.  On average, the school spends about $50 per student across the year.  Whatever you can contribute – whether its $5 or $50 – to support this would be very much appreciated.

You can pitch in online with a credit card by clicking the “contribute” button, or if you would prefer to send a check please make it out to “School PTO” and send it in with your student.  Thank you.”

Again, the most important thing is to keep everyone informed of the Inlu goal and the various ways to participate– this will make everyone feel welcome!

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Thanksgiving: Do Good in Your ‘Hood!

by inlu blog patrol on 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” (see live sample) and indicate when the collection will end, when the “can collection” will occur and where the funds will go. You (as the organizer), can opt to have Inlu send funds DIRECTLY to any local food shelf, OR you can collect contributions from everyone  and purchase goods at the grocery store on behalf of the neighborhood. Kids can help with the shopping and delivering the items to the food shelf.  In the Inlu message, be sure to ask neighbors to put cans in bags and leave them on their doorsteps.

Step 2: Print the Inlu (go to your dashboard and hit “print Inlu”). Ask your local neighborhood kids (with parent supervision:) to drop the printed Inlu flyers 1 WEEK PRIOR to the date of your food drive. On the date indicated in the Inlu, send the kids with their wagons around the hood to collect the non-perishables – canned food, toothpaste, pasta, diapers, etc.

Here’s PRINTABLE Inlu flyer sample:

Click to see a LIVE sample.

Step 3: Ask the kids to draw thank you cards that you can copy and leave on the door steps of folks who left food!  You can also thank everyone who contributed online to your food drive from your Inlu dashboard.

Food drives really make kids feel empowered to help others by offering a great lesson about community and appreciation for the Thanksgiving meal that will be served later this month. Be sure to share the Inlu online and get people chatting! Team Inlu is always here if you have question.  We’d love to help.  And PLEASE…. if you do a food drive Inlu, we’d love to hear back from you about your neighborhood experience!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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