Register to Give; Not to Receiveby Heather Long | More from this Blogger 28 Jun 2006 06:32 AM More and more, couples preparing to say their vows are benefiting from dual incomes and upwardly mobile careers are forgoing traditional gift registration for their wedding presents. Instead they are sending an outline listing their favorite causes and charities and asking for donations to be made in their names. There are online resources where you can set up a gift registry requesting donations to your favorite charities or causes. Turn Your Wedding into a Celebration Couples are enjoying the opportunity to turn their weddings into celebrations of philanthropy. They can ask guests to donate to charities in their name or in their own on the day of the event. Many couples prefer the donations go directly to the charity or through their wishlists to the charities rather than to collect checks for them. It gives everyone the feeling of being involved. The I Do Foundation is a Washington charity that focuses its efforts on couples that want to promote philanthropy as a part of their ceremonies. They cite that about 10 percent of all couples planning their weddings are incorporating philanthropy into their ceremonies. 2.3 Million The Conde Nast Bridal Group shows that about 2.3 million Americans will get married this year. That's about 380 million wedding guests. If only 10 percent of 380 million wedding guests donated $50 to a charity as a part of a wedding philanthropy gift that will net about 1.9 billion dollars potentially for charities as a whole. In the world of philanthropy - this is a great resource. Raising money through a wedding for charities is not as commonplace as one might imagine. It's a new idea that many couples might embrace if they were aware of it. Couples who are interested in doing philanthropy need to brace themselves, however, there are many guests who may feel puzzled over the request and insist that they want to give something to the couple. In those instances, ask for cash gifts and make the donations yourselves. Either way, raising money for charity through your wedding is a great way to share your joy especially if you don't need towels, pots, pans, a fruit juice bowl or plates. The I Do Foundation has raised about $1.5 million for charities since 2002 - with 1.1 million of being donated last year through their wedding registry on its Web site. What do you think of combining philanthropy with your wedding planning and using an online registry to donate gifts to charities close to you? Related Articles: Brad Pitt - Actor, Father and Mr. Generosity? Learn more about Heather Long  Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago. Relevantmarriage tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags charity, donations, gift registry, philanthropy, wedding planning Discuss this article
|
Marriage categories |
