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The Family Giving TreeNational Expansion Host FAQs |
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The Children How can my company sponsor children? Can employees sponsor children through a portal on their company website?
General How will FGT deal with the recent toy recalls? How many wishes need to be sponsored this year? Each year we try to grow our operations to match the significant number of underprivileged children with the incredible generosity of our sponsors. Through the Family Giving Tree, MyTwoFrontTeeth.org and our sponsored sites, close to 8,000 wishes were fulfilled online in 2006. This year, we’ve set the goal of branching out to help children in other states with the help of corporate and organizational sponsors and individuals like you. For the past eighteen years, we have mainly focused on the disadvantaged regions surrounding our headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area (such as East San Jose and Oakland). This season, we will be working with agencies in five other cities: Austin TX; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. So, for example, if you live in Austin, Texas, the money you donate will go towards fulfilling a gift wish for a child in Austin.
We research community organizations that work with underprivileged children and carefully choose our partners. We then give toy catalogs (25 toys under $30, selected by our staff) to these organizations to distribute among the children they support. On each profile card, the children tell us about themselves (name, age, favorite food, etc.), draw a picture on the back, and choose one toy as their holiday wish. Then we scan their picture and enter their information into the child's online profile so you can purchase the exact toy requested and have it delivered directly to the agency they are working with. Starting November 1st, just click on the "Sponsor a Child Now! " icon in the National Expansion section of the FGT Website and you will be able to browse through the children’s profiles and see their holiday gift wishes. Once you have found a child, just click "Sponsor this Child!" to place their gift in your wish cart and complete the checkout process using a major credit card. It's simple! When you find a child to sponsor, just click on the button that reads "Sponsor this Child!", and their wish gift will be placed into your wish cart. Once you have finished adding gifts to your cart, just click the “Checkout” button and complete the process using any major credit card. You will receive a confirmation email that can be printed out and used as a receipt for your income tax deductions. FamilyGivingTree.org centralizes the purchasing and wrapping, and we ensure that each child receives their gift in time for the holidays. How can my company sponsor children? Your company or organization can submit the Host Enrollment Form online at any time. You can sign your company up to participate in two ways: 1. Direct your employees to our Website to sponsor a child's wish. Employees will be able to choose a child's wish that they'd like to sponsor. There is a field to enter their company name, and we will record the total number of donations attributed to your company this way. If your company signs up to become a Host Company we ask that you commit to sponsoring a minimum of ten children. 2. We will create a customized portal on your Website so that your employees can sponsor a child directly through your company's website. You will be able to view live stats of the donations made by your employees at any time. If you request a custom online tree, we ask that you promote it within your company and help it receive at least 10 sponsorships online. Once you register, we will send you Family Giving Tree posters which will include space to write contact information for your company's host coordinator. We encourage companies to display these Family Giving Tree posters in their lobbies and other common areas and to run a story about the Family Giving Tree in their company newsletter. We can provide you with information about the program. Don't forget to tell your employees if your company offers a matching gift program!
The Family Giving Tree will help you set up a customized virtual site so that employees can donate to children directly through your Website. We will include a number ticker so that employees can see how many children are being sponsored by your company. We just need your company logo and you must commit to sponsoring a minimum of 25 children this holiday season. Please conatct Julie at Julie@familygivingtree.org for more information about getting your company a customized virtual site. How much does it cost to sponsor a child? The toys vary in price from $20 - $30, so w e ask sponsors to donate $25 per child. Simply complete the checkout process using any major credit card. You can purchase just one toy per child, but feel free to sponsor as many children as you’d like! Can I sponsor a child as a gift to someone else? Yes! Simply check the “sponsor as a gift” box on the Checkout page. Enter the name and email address of the person to receive the gift. They'll receive a message from you and a link to the profile of the child you sponsored on their behalf.
Your confirmation email doubles as a printable receipt for income tax deduction purposes.
If your company has a corporate matching program and you would like them to match your donation to the Family Giving Tree, fill out a matching form. Specify on the form that the match should go to the Family Giving Tree. After wrapping the gifts, Family Giving Tree staff and volunteers will ship them to our community organization partners. These organizations then ensure each child receives his or her wish in time for the holidays.
No. The Family Giving Tree is a self-sustaining nonprofit organization but does not use its proceeds in a for-profit fashion. Your donation covers not only the cost of the gift but also the processing, shipping, wrapping and final delivery.
Please visit the About Us section to learn more about Family Giving Tree’s vision, its founders, and our partner organizations. Each year our warehouse is donated to us in the Bay Area. This year, iStar Financial donated space for our Back-to-School and Holiday Drive. How will FGT deal with the recent toy recalls? The Family Giving Tree is well aware of the recent toy recalls. Visit the Toy Recall page of our website for more information. |