“Tis the season of shopping.  So, why not shop and give to charity at the same time.  NonprofitShoppingMall (NPSM)  makes it easy to do just this.  NPSM is a unique web-based tool that uses online shopping to drive revenue to nonprofit organizations.  NPSM lets you shop online for the items you normally buy, the brands you regularly choose at the prices you normally pay.  Then, a donation is made to charity you select from a list of participating nonprofits. The retailers who participate on NPSM pay a commission for the sales and a significant portion of those payments go to the nonprofit you have selected.  Stores include GAP, Northface, Staples, Target, Macy’s, iTunes, eBay, Athleta, and more! It’s do-good multi-tasking:  holiday shopping and charitable giving! 

© YesKidzCan!, 2010

We’ve all hosted or gone to a party where there are lots of lovely leftovers, extra paper products, remaining decorations, and unopened drinks.  One organization sees these extra items as goodies that can go to homeless shelters, senior centers, relief agencies, or recycling centers.

Special E is a green business that literally rescues items left over from special events such as weddings, banquets, galas, conferences, bar mitzvahs, or first communions and then repackages and uses the items for donations to family shelters, relief agencies, hospitals, and other nonprofit organizations.

The overall process for using Special E is simple:

• You (or your caterer if you are using one) calls the company to explain what event you are holding and the items you’re using.
• Once the event is over, Special E sends a “rescue squad” to the event to assess the items that are no longer in use.
• Special E identifies a list of nonprofit organizations that will receive your supplies and coordinates the donation.
• There is a fee associated with this unique service that ranges depending on the size and type of event.

As you are party planning, you can involve your kids in the process.  You can share the staggering fact that 32,000,000 tons of food are thrown away each year. But by coordinating with Special E, you are providing food, special touches, or recyclable items that reach far beyond your party guests and family!

Wouldn’t it be great if you could buy your favorite sports or concert tickets and generate a donation to a charity you care about at no cost you?  That’s why we love the idea behind Charity Partners, a nonprofit organization that focuses on developing everyday giving opportunities for people while they purchase ordinary items.

Charity Partner’s first fundraising program is geared to music and sports fans and is called Tickets-for-Charity.  The concept is simple.  Tickets-for-Charity offers the same or better price for tickets of big name entertainment, sports, or theater events.  With your ticket purchase, a donation is made to your selected children’s charity.  Better yet, 100% of the donation amount made from ticket sales goes to your cause.

Currently featured music gigs on their website include U2, Widespread Panic, USHER, and tickets for sports events such as the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics.  Tickets-for-Charity prides itself on offering hard-to-get seats.

Pick a concert you can go to with your kids.  Have your kids help you select tickets to give as a special gift.  You will have fun or give some fun – all the while directing much-needed funds to charities!

Contest Winning Reusable Halloween Bags

Chicobag, an earth-friendly tote company is teaming up with the nonprofit Green Halloween to hold a contest for kids ages 1-13 to design a trick-or-treat bag that best represents “the spirit of Green Halloween.”  For example, kids could use solar powered flashlights while trick-or-treating or use reusable bags to hold their goodies. Through the contest, the company is hoping to encourage eco-friendly habits in kids that last a lifetime. Kids email their designs to www.Halloween@chicobag.com by November 5.  The winning creation will be used on next year’s bags.

Sixty  years ago this Halloween, UNICEF inspired ghosts and goblins in neighborhoods across America to take to the streets and gather small change while trick-or-treating.  Six decades later, kids everywhere continue to make a big difference helping UNICEF to provide nutrition, medicine, education and other necessities essential for healthy kids.

By collecting mere coins, kids can make a big difference:

• $120 will immunize 171 children against polio disease for life;
• $68 will buy 10,000 water purification tablets; and
• $300 will provide enough packets of therapeutic nut spread to feed 193 malnourished children a day.

This Halloween, rally kids in your neighborhood, scouting organization or other favorite group of friends to help their peers around the world by collecting coins.  Just click Halloween Party, and register to receive all kinds of materials and resources to make it a spooktacular event.   Or, go online, create a web page using their tools, and invite friends to “trick-or-treat” online.  Believe it or not, there’s even an application for trick-or-treating using mobile phones. And, some kids may be motivated knowing that Selena Gomez, star of Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place is the national spokesperson for Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and will be busy getting kids to fill up their boxes and throw parties as well! UNICEF has made it easy and fun to make Halloween a family tradition that includes spirits of the spooky and generous kind!