Birthday parties made easy, okay easier!
Filed Under Tips & Tricks | May 13, 2008
Move over Evite, there’s a new way in town to make birthday parties easier, and it does a whole lot more than send invites and reminders. ECHOage is the brainchild of Toronto mamas Alison Smith and Debbie Zinman. The duo were looking for a way to make their kids’ parties more meaningful, cutting down on some of the incoming – sorry, we have to say it – junk, protecting the environment and supporting a good cause, they came up with the idea of ECHOage.
How do they wrap that all up in one package? With ECHOage you and your child choose a charitable cause together, then, through their site each guest contributes an online donation of $10 to $30. After a a 15% administration fee is deducted, half goes to the charity you choose, and the other half goes into a gift fund for your child so you can choose one great, meaningful gift.
And how is that environmentally friendly? Well EHCOage organizes the invites, the RSVPS, thank you notes and the payments, they even send the host a tax receipt for the portion donated to charity which cuts down on paper. They also gather contact info and allergy info about guests, making the parties virtually worry-free. Plus all your guests have to do is logon and pay up, which means no driving to the toy store, shopping, wrapping or returning of gifts. All of which is better for the environment.
Why is this more meaningful? Well, it gives children a practical, hands-on way to make a difference and allows you introduce ideas like supporting those in need, protecting the environment, and having a positive influence in the world. And yeah, we know that for many kids quantity beats quality, so in their FAQs they have helpful ideas for convincing your children that one meaningful gift is where it’s at. We only wish they had a few more charities to choose from, but we’re guessing their list will grow quickly as ECHOaging your parties catches on.
Just think, all that will be left for you to do is pick the venue, hone the guest list, source the food and pick that one great gift – practically a walk in the park!
ECHOage: www.echoage.com
Note: if there’s a charity you’d really like to support that’s not on the ECHOage list yet, you can also check out the Giving Pages on the Canada Helps website. You can set up a page for a person or cause and then have the donations tracked and sent to the charity of your choice. The only catch, there’s no meaningful gift involved, so this is best for young kids who aren’t into “stuff” yet, or if you’re going to take care of the gift yourself.
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[...] final idea may seem like sacrilege to parents but is met with enthusiasm by many kids. Have an Echoage birthday. Invitees donate instead of bringing presents – the money is split between a chosen cause and one [...]