The Royal Choice: Wedding Charity
The Royal Choice: Wedding Charity
While I wait for my invitation to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s April 29th Royal Wedding – I’m sure it will come any day now, won’t it? – the engaged couple made news by leaking their plan to give back to charity through their wedding.
A recent headline from Britain’s Daily Mail blared: “No china, toasters or bed linen – by Royal command: William and Kate shun traditional wedding list for charity donations”. Close family are reported to still be giving the royal couple gifts, but the 300 reception guests and many more ceremony attendees are being told to donate to charity.
Given that the guest list is made up of the wealthy and powerful, a charity registry (a registry similar to a traditional gift registry, except that guests can give donation gifts to the charities of your choice) could mean millions of pounds for some of the couple’s favorite causes.
But you don’t need to have your reception at Buckingham Palace to generate money for your favorite cause. In fact, charity registries are becoming more popular every year, and with William and Kate’s influence, the trend will surely grow even further. Imagine the social impact that could be created if just a portion of the $200 million US bridal market went to charity!
How to Create a Charity Registry
Whether you do-it-yourself or use an online site, it’s never been easier to create a charity registry. Industrious brides have incorporated their favorite charity into their big day for years. The advent of the Internet only made the practice easier, more sophisticated, and more wide-spread.
Sites like mine, I Do Foundation (www.idofoundation.org), offer tools to help couples give back to their favorite charity. Larger nonprofits such as Heifer International (www.heifer.org), American Institute for Cancer Research (www.aicr.org), and DonorsChoose (www.donorschoose.org) also make it simple to give to their cause at your wedding. Whatever you choose, all you need is a few minutes to create a charity registry like William and Kate. Here’s how:
1. Choose your charity
Talk about what’s meaningful to you both. Here are some questions to discuss:
- Is there an issue that is your passion?
- Do you want to honor a loved one by choosing their favorite charity?
- Is there a local community group that you want to share in your celebration?
- Is there a charity that reminds you of a lost family member?
- One for each of you? Choose several charities for your registry.
Still not sure what to choose? Sites like JustGive (www.justgive.org) and Great Nonprofits (www.greatnonprofits.org) offer tools for finding the charity that’s right for you, and provide direct links to charity’s websites to go even deeper.
2. Set Up Your Registry
Once you’ve chosen your charity, spread the word that you’d prefer a donation in lieu of traditional gifts. Note that for some, including gift information on invitations is controversial. Some charities provide invitation inserts, and online sites often have free tools to create a registry home or wedding website and reach out to your guests.
3. Collect and Donate
Online sites accept credit cards and make the donation process simple and transparent for your guests. They also make your donation feel more like a traditional gift. If you choose to go it alone, be sure to let your guests know where to send their checks and be vigilant about tracking and sending their donations to your chosen charity.
4. Thank your guests
Send out thank you notes for all gifts. A good idea for those who give to a charity is to include some special information regarding the charity in your note. Many online sites let you see a list of all your gifts and guests’ addresses, making the thank you process easier.
5. Keep the Party Going
In surveys more than 95% of I Do couples tell us that they plan to donate to their charity after their wedding. Staying involved with your charity let’s you relive your wedding bliss for years to come, and helps the organization achieve real results. Why not use a site like www.justgive.org to give on your anniversary? There’s nothing more regal than that.
Grant La Rouche, I Do Foundation
As the leader of I Do Foundation, Grant works to establish the idea of charitable weddings as a norm for brides and grooms. By working closely with corporate and nonprofit partners, we have established a host of ways for couples to celebrate generously™. Grant brings fifteen years experience creating social change for entrepreneurial nonprofits and businesses including Ashoka and Experience Corps. He envisions that in ten years when someone returns from a wedding, people will ask: “Who was the best man? What color were the bridesmaids’ dresses? And what was the couple’s charity?”