2

Apr

2013

Boho Loves: Action Aids Alternative Gift List Service.

 

Action Aids Alternative Gift List Service

Today on the blog it’s all about the Wedding Gift List. There are so many options these days for couples when it comes to the gift list. Most couples seem to have moved away from the traditional store registry gift list, choosing to ask for money or donations to their honeymoon. BUT have you or would consider giving money to charity? A wedding gift list is the perfect time to do your bit for your chosen charity while educating your guest at the same time.

Many couples choose to mix charitable donations in with their normal gift list, while others choose to solely have the charity as the only source of gift. There are many companies that offer these wedding gift list packages but today I want to talk to you about action aid.

action aid

‘We want a world without poverty, so we work with local people to fight hunger, seek justice for women,  education for children, and to help cope with emergencies.’

Action Aid have been in and out of my life for some years now. My mother used to sponsor a child in Africa when I was a child and I took up the batten when I was older. They are a wonderful charity doing amazing work for people across the world, so I am delighted to have them on the blog today to tell you more about the wedding gift list service they run.

action aid 1 action aid

‘Here at Actionaid we offer couples the chance to ask for money to be donated to a good cause rather than have a traditional gift list. We believe that many couples now live together or often have the things they already need prior to getting married- so this a great way for them to make a difference and feel good about it on their big day.
By signing up to the wedding charity gift you receive a welcome pack before the special day. It outlines some of the programs the money goes towards, how to set up your online donation pages and the option to order information place cards for your guests.’

 

Increasingly, many couples already have everything that they need and donating to a great cause is a way to make a wedding even more special. Here’s what some of the couples had to say: 

Carol and Matt Pennigton got married on 1st September 2012 after being engaged for a year. Matt proposed to Carol on Bonfire night with a view of the fireworks. The wedding was held in a small chantry chapel. She described the wedding as “the perfect day”. The most moving part of the wedding was saying their vows and making a commitment to each other. Carol has supported ActionAid since the loss of her first husband, where she raised money and visited Peru with the charity and has been a supporter ever since. When she got married she was in a great place in her life and wanted to give something back, both herself and Matt already had everything they needed so would recommend other to “go for it” and donate as part of their wedding gifts.

action aid

Rob and Fiona Harrand were married in July 2012. They had an intimate wedding at the picturesque location of Castiglione del Lago, Italy. The most memorable part of the day for Rob was seeing Fiona walk down the isle of the 500 year old town hall. Rob and Fiona had already been living together, Rob said “we’d already done the whole buying toasters and tea towels, and we’d asked people to come to Italy” which is why they decided to ask for donations to charity instead of receiving traditional gifts.  It was a great way for them to add to the day “we came away with a good feeling, we had an amazing day and we managed to give to charity.”

action aid

Steve Apelt and his wife Vanda wanted to have a wedding that felt like a festival. They got married on June 3rd 2012, rather than hiring a pre-decorated hall they held the wedding at a local mill and spend the morning with their friends and families decorating it in bright colours and lights. It made the day last longer and felt more personal to have anyone they loved so involved. They decided to donate money to ActionAid as an alternative wedding gift because they already had much of what they needed. Steve said: “It was such a positive thing to do, for someone less fortunate to benefit from our happiness.”

action aid

 

If you are interested then action aid will send you out a wedding pack

The wedding pack includes a letter of thanks for choosing to donate money to charity via ActionAid. It also provides a case study, of someone that money could go to helping. With the welcome pack you can choose to order place cards with the case study printed on them, so guests have an idea of where the money goes too, rather than it being an abstract idea of money going to an unknown cause. Once you’ve signed up online you create your page where people can donate and leave you messages.

ActionAid UK Community Fundraising Wedding pack.

The pack explains how to get in touch if you’d like to have a charity table at the wedding, you can have balloons and signs to make it stand out. To get an idea of just how far your money goes we provide  a list of some of the projects the money goes too.

 

What your money could do

  • £25 could train a child in Afghanistan to become a tailor
  • £40 could provide a hand pump for a well in Sierra Leone, providing six people with clean water for life
  • £75 could provide 14 AIDS orphans in Malawi with nutritious porridge for one year – sometimes the only guaranteed food they receive
  • £125 could supply a whole class of students with all of their learning materials for one year in Ethiopia.

 

You can set up your very own wedding page at www.myactionaid.org.uk, where you can easily add photo galleries, blogs and information about your special day. Friends and family can also donate on this page securely and without any loss of commission.
We can provide wedding cards to send to friends and family with further information about our work. And to make your special day even more of a celebration, we will send you a certificate with the total amount that you have raised for ActionAid.

 

To find out more or to sign up to the alternative wedding gift list visit:

www.actionaid.org.uk/weddings
www.actionaid.org.uk
[email protected]
02031220508

 

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