Kate Richards was nervous when she pledged her birthday at The Good Registry that her friends might not want to donate - but as it turned out she had nothing to worry about. Kate's friends donated more than $300!
She says: "It feels great to know that I’ve raised over $300 for the SPCA just by having a birthday!"
Kate has been a supporter of The Good Registry since getting behind our crowd funding campaign in late 2017, so she saw her birthday as the perfect opportunity to set up her own registry and give it a go.
"As I said to my friends and family, I have enough ‘stuff’ and can buy my own drinks, so I really didn’t need traditional birthday presents, but the registry was an opportunity for those who wanted to make a gesture for my birthday to still do something meaningful.
"I chose the SPCA as I’m a big animal lover and also long-time supporter of theirs, both as a donor and volunteer. I really appreciate the work they do to help our animal community, and as they can’t get any Government support they’re entirely dependant on donations to keep going. I’m sure they’ll put the money to good use, and it feels great to know that I’ve raised over $300 for them just by having a birthday!
"Setting up my registry was super easy, and then I was able to share it via my social media channels, so even those not in Wellington to celebrate my birthday with me were able to donate. I’d not been sure how many people would actually do it, as I know some people don’t really like this sort of concept — I even donated myself just so it didn’t end up with no takers! Turned out I didn’t need to worry, and my friends thought it was a great idea. I’m hoping some of them will set up their own registries now when they have a significant gifting event!
"I have a few charities that I am a regular supporter of, and will donate to the big fundraising campaigns as they come around, but The Good Registry was a nice way to do something outside of those and actually make it about my event rather than a generic campaign. I particularly liked that I could select my own charity to support (though it was hard with so many worthy charities out there!), and I’d be keen to use the service again and help another charity. While this one was centred around my birthday, I like that you can effectively set up a fundraising event for any reason, and help some of our hardworking charities get a little boost.”
Thank you Kate, and we are sure that the SPCA will put your donations to great use!
Anyone can choose charitable donations instead of ‘stuff’ for any giving occasion at The Good Registry. It’s been used for birthdays, weddings, Christmas and corporate giving.
If you’re celebrating a special event and would like to help a charity you care about, you can set up a Good Gift Registry like Kate did. Or if you’re struggling to choose a gift for someone else, and you know they’d appreciate something GOOD, you can buy them a Good Gift Card — which they can use to make a donation to a charity that they care about.
If you have a story to share like Kate, we would love to hear from you too! You can email us at [email protected]
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