Beyond Belief Network Guides: Gift Wrap for Charity

During the rush of the holiday season, your volunteer group can kill two birds with one stone: run a gift wrap center to make gift wrapping more fun while raising funds for charity.

Tips to Get Started

• What is it? Gift wrap centers are exactly what the name suggests; a location where individuals can have their already purchased gifts wrapped. For those volunteer groups who don’t have the time to organize such an event on their own, there are plenty of non-profit organizations, such as the Red Cross, that host gift wrap centers and usually need volunteers.
• Wrap up a cause.  In order to get as much attendance and attention as possible, advertise in your community. Run a newspaper advertisement. Place flyers in areas with a lot of foot traffic.   Utilize social media to help get the word out. Plan to announce the event at least one week in advance.
• Needed supplies. You’ll need some basic supplies to host your gift wrap center. Most of these items can be donated by your volunteers, but budget carefully for the items that you will need to buy. The items you’ll need include: wrapping paper, gift tags, ribbons, tape and scissors. Check with party supply stores and wholesalers for some of these items. They’re likely to have great prices. You may be able to borrow some tables from the location (mall, school, etc.), if you request them.
• Payment. Customers often pay by donation, depending on the size of the gifts they need wrapped. While you can advertise a suggested donation, you’ll have to leave this decision up to the customer. Never try to pressure a customer into donating more than they feel comfortable giving! It’s a poor reflection on your volunteer group. Professional service with a smile will always yield better results.     
• Remember Foundation Beyond Belief Beneficiaries. Remember, hosting a fundraiser on behalf of Foundation Beyond Belief or any of its beneficiaries counts as two events. Perfect for those teams looking to quickly raise their team’s BBN level. You could even use your event to raise funds for FBB’s year end drive, which raises funds for us to run our programs for another year.

Volunteers Needed

If you decide to host a gift wrap center, you’ll need volunteers. You should have:

• Contact. An individual who contacts the shopping mall, community center, or other location to check rules and regulations regarding gift wrap centers. They should also be the one to reserve a time/spot.

• Wrappers. Several volunteers who handle the actual gift-wrapping. Make sure you have plenty of competent wrappers! No one wants to receive a badly wrapped gift. If you’re not certain about your volunteers’ gift-wrapping abilities, here’s a suggestion: Prior to the event, organize a meeting solely for wrappers to attend. Teach gift-wrapping techniques and have attendees practise gift-wrapping empty boxes of varying sizes. Taking the time to assess your volunteers will save time and resources at your event.
• Cashiers. At least two individuals who can handle donations and keep a close eye on the cashbox.
• Directors. At least two individuals in multiple groups with signs/flyers who can direct interested customers to your group’s location. Perfect if your group is hosting a gift wrap center in a large location such as a shopping mall. The Cashier and Director positions are ideal for eager volunteers who aren’t proficient in gift-wrapping.  

Questions or Concerns?

If you need help with planning your event or have additional questions, the best way to contact Beyond Belief Network is to use the contact webform, which enables us to track the resolution of your question: foundationbeyondbelief.org/contact-bbn. You can also email us at bbn@foundationbeyondbelief.org.