ECHOage – Throw a Party. Give a Gift. Do Good.

The  Mint Chip Mama - Echoage

Facebook @echoage @ECHOage_parties

We are all blessed. I’m hoping you too have more toys that you know what to do with, more clothes than you have room for and as a holiday or birthday approaches you wonder how you could possibly fit anything else in the space where you live!

In talking to lots of friends – especially as their second child’s milestones approach – the idea of “no gift parties” has come up a lot. Also while the idea of contributing towards one big gift is one most people like, a classy way to ask for it has yet to exist. Then there’s the top shelf gift request – “in lieu of a gift, please donate to X charity in the guest of honor’s name”.  I love all of these ideas. Which is why when I heard about ECHOage – I wanted to learn more.

The  Mint Chip Mama - Echoage

ECHOage

Created to provide the go-to solution for “a better way to celebrate,” ECHOage streamlines party hosting and gift giving, while teaching charitable kindness and generosity. The party host simply chooses an ECHOage online invitation, the desired gift for guests to contribute towards, a charity to support, enters the party details, and hits “send”. Once sent you can effortlessly track and manage RSVPs, notes from guests, and the gift/charitable contributions in real-time.

The Mint Chip Mama - Echoage

At the time of RSVPing, your guests can gift any amount – with half going towards the guest of honor’s big ticket item (and honestly they’ll like it better than the clearance item you bought after giving up because nothing magically shouting “Me! Pick me! I am the perfect gift for your child’s friend you never heard of”!) and half going to the charity of your choice.

The Mint Chip Mama - Echoage

It’s Even Tax Deductible!

What was that? Did you say donating to a charity? Why yes! For gifts over $30 you get a tax deductible receipt to show Uncle Sam how freaking savvy you are as a gift giver.

The Mint Chip Mama - Echoage

So you’re telling me it is a win-win. ECHOage‘s online service makes inviting guests to parties less stressful, gift giving more meaningful, and you save on your taxes? Perfection.

Invitations

ECHOage‘s vast array of invitations include kid’s birthdays, adult parties, baby/bridal showers, baptism/communion, bar/bat mitzvahs, and more. Some of their most popular requested gifts have been tablets, bicycles, sports gear, and cameras – to name a few.

The Mint Chip Mama - Echoage

While being charitable is an around-the-year sport, as the holidays approach, think about sending out your party invitations through ECHOage. You can capture the true holiday spirit and teach your kids (and yourself) a lesson about giving back. They’ll get the (enter ridicules thing they HAVE TO HAVE that you refuse to buy here) they want and you’ll know it can fit in your house. Unless it’s one of those giant stuffed animals nobody should own.

The Mint Chip Mama - Echoage

ECHOage Heritage

Since its launch in 2008, over 20,000 parties have raised nearly 5 million dollars for charities such as Autism Speaks, CancerFree Kids, Free Arts, Healthy Child Healthy World or one of the other 300+ charities in ECHOage’s roster. More importantly ECHOage celebrates young children as Heroes to “echo” or acknowledge their charitable accomplishments. Take a look at the page. The smiles are pretty big!

Don’t believe me? Check out this article from one of my favorite brands – Mabel’s Label’s – about the “10 Reasons to Host a Birthday Party That Gives to Charity”. They had me at chocolate… Hey – while you’re there, help support my daughter’s school and buy some labels!

Now what will you do with all that newly gained free time you previously wasted buying birthday presents? Feet up. TV on. Lemon drop martini in hand. (Oh is that just my fantasy?)

******Giveaway******

You may know I’m OBSESSED with the newest shoe innovation for the winter – the Stride Rite Snoot. It is the first snow boot that transforms into a sneaker so your child can wear it all day in school! I know. I can’t deal.

Snoot

Enter to win a pair of Snoots (!) by commenting below with your most clever post-gift opening strategy. Do you have return, regift, reallocate to other holidays piles? Give us the scoop and we’ll give you the Snoot (and PS – there’s a Frozen one! I told you – I can’t deal!)!

Winner chosen Friday, November 6, 2015.

Published by Stacey Wallenstein

Stacey Gish Wallenstein created The Mint Chip Mama blog in 2013 to share her love and passion for giving children meaningful life experiences and helping moms like her navigate the challenges and benefits of raising children in the New York metropolitan area. Before becoming a full-time mom in 2010, Stacey spent the better part of the preceding decade as a high-end customer relationship management (CRM) professional for some of the most well-known brands in the hotel, luxury, fashion, and beauty industries, such as Harrah’s Entertainment, Chanel and Christian Dior, Inc. She managed customer loyalty programs for thousands of clients around the country and created social media strategies for a span of industries including healthcare services, restaurants, consumer packaged goods, specialty foods, local attractions and retail locations. After 13 wonderful years in Manhattan (the last three of which spent as a city mom), Stacey and her husband moved to Long Island in 2014, where they now reside with their three children (13, 10, and 7). There, she is a founding member of her local Parenting Center, which provides classes and coordinates events designed to educate and inform parents while fostering an environment of support and friendship within the community. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Stacey has been active in the New York area alumni organization for nearly twenty years, serving as a board member on the school’s University of Michigan Alumni Club of New York City. She also holds a Masters in Psychology from The New School in New York City. Please check out The Mint Chip Mama in the Press: The New York Post, Psychology Today, NY Metro Parents, New York Family, Parents Magazine, Newsday, News 12, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt: Kids, NerdWallet, Big Apple Kids Guide, and more! The Mint Chip Mama was also nominated as "The Best Blog On Long Island" for 2022, 2023, 2024, one of the Top 20 New York Mom Blogs & Websites, and one of the Top 100 Mom Lifestyle Blogs on the web! For more updates, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest.

6 thoughts on “ECHOage – Throw a Party. Give a Gift. Do Good.

  1. This is such a great idea! I have always tried to give gifts that don’t take up a lot of space and/or are practical – ie, name labels, clothing, books, a small/travel toy or game that can go in a suitcase or diaper bag for use while out and about, etc. We try to return for store credit everything we can and to re-gift things when we get more than one of the same. But it is hard as my son is one of the younger ones, retorts usually have to go to younger friends and relatives!

  2. I have a gift collection pile. I usually keep the gifts just incase I forget a birthday. However when I regift I don’t just give the gift the way I got it. I’m very creative so depending on what it is I would try to transform it and add my own personal touch. If it’s clothing items for kids. I cut it up,sew it up and make it look completely different to my taste or I turn it into stuffed toy

  3. I am such a regifter, but I also hoard my kids gifts so I can spread them out throughout the year. I have a few birthday gifts from April my daughter got from friends sitting in a box and I may even regift them to her for Christmas.

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