I’m a two-bird, one-stone kinda shopper during the holidays. I like to make that list, check it a-neurotically-bizarre-number of times, and then shop Shop SHOP! Online shopping was made for people like me.
But, becoming a mamma has softened my checklist-wielding self a whole lot. My daughter is beginning to understand that the holidays are a special time of year. I want her to grow up with warm and beautiful holiday memories of us giving back to our loved ones, to our community, and to our world.
My list-making side says “there’s no time for that! Get out the laptop while she’s napping and order all your gifts from Indigo, like last year! Hurrrrrrry!”
My do-gooding side says “there are so many ways you want to help others. The holidays are a time to teach your daughter to do the same.”
And, my anxious side is worried that the “for good” gifts, like an acre of rainforest, will mean forced smiles come Christmas morning.
Thank goodness I can end this Freudian tug-of-war. I really can have it all this year. Efficiency, empathy, and an actual gift my giftees will love, all wrapped up in little gift card envelopes
(*Family and friends spoiler alert: Pretend that you are opening your gifts now, ‘cause you kinda are*).
I will be buying my usual Indigo gift cards and presents — but this time I’ll be doing it through FlipGive, while simultaneously raising money for a a cause that’s important to our family.
Put simply, FlipGive is an online fundraising platform that lets people turn holiday gift-giving into a fundraising opportunity. By setting up a Shop Smart holiday fundraiser, people earn up to 50% back while they and their friends shop for holiday gifts from great retailers. All in support of causes that touch their hearts.
Very little. This is me setting up our family’s Shop Smart holiday fundraiser:
Looks pretty stressful, yes? It took me no more than 5 minutes.
1. Choose: Choose a retailer to create your fundraiser around, and choose the cause your family wants to support. Any school, sports team, church, club, or community group can use FlipGive to raise money.
2. Create: Create your fundraising page in minutes. Up to 50% of every purchase goes back to your cause of choice. The percentage depends on which retailer and which package you pick.
3. Invite/Include: Have your family and friends ALSO do their shopping through your fundraising page to help support your cause. We loves us some healthy competition in our house, so talk a little smack if you need to motivate your shopping-team!
4. Sell/Buy: FlipGive provides the tools to help promote your cause and remind people that they can shop AND give back at the same time.
5. Receive: In the case of our campaign a direct donation will be made at the end of the fundraising period.
The result: Your friends and family get great gifts. Your cause gets some dough. And you get to do it all in your pajamas.
Couldn’t be more simple.
In Canada, you can shop through Indigo, Lowe’s, Bench, Organics Live, ALDO & coming soon, SHOP.CA. See flipgive.com for complete list of brands.
Not sure what kind of Shop Smart holiday fundraiser you want to set up? Don't panic. You can simply shop in support of an existing cause, community, school or sports team that is actively fundraising on the FlipGive platform.
You will wish you were Oprah-rich when you see the incredible catalogue of worthwhile causes you can shop to support. Your holiday purchases will trigger corporate donations that buy books for schools with empty library shelves, or build a better local daycare.
I’m giving you a licence to overspend and feel great about it.
In our family’s holiday traditions, we light the menorah, eat latkes, (lovingly) argue about and choose a Christmas tree, bake, and visit our Dugger-sized immediate families. We play an uber-competitive present game on Christmas Eve, and open our gifts together in the morning. We laugh. We hug. We spoil the babies. It is bliss.
I love our traditions, and that they are growing along with our little girl. This is the year we begin the tradition of buying presents which give back — twofold.
So I’m armed and ready with my list, my clipboard, my tea, and my computer…
I’m ready to shop smart — with a little extra heart.
Are you?
This is proudly sponsored by our friends at FlipGive.
www.flipgive.com
FlipGive makes it easy to help your kids and community while shopping for great holiday gifts.
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