FAQ

If you cannot see the answer to any of your questions below then please contact us. Please note it is better to contact us by email. We will get back to you within two business days.

What is Generous Party and how does it work?

Generous Party was launched in Feb 2010 initially to Australia then in time to New Zealand.

It is an online children's party planning tool - but with a difference. It allows children along with their parents to plan creative and charitable birthday party.

It works like this: Parents and the birthday child (the “party hosts”) can plan their party by choosing from a variety of online invitations available on the site.

The parent and child then choose one charity to support from a list of charitable causes / charity to support. (However when the online gift contributions are received by the Party Host they can choose to support what charity they wish).

Party invitations will be sent to guests via email (better for the environment) and instead of bringing a wrapped gift purchased in a shop guests are asked to make to bring a painting, art piece or drawing from home and to make a secure online gift contribution on Generous Party.

All gift contributions from guests are pooled and after deducting a 15% administration fee, Generous Party sends the party proceeds to Party Host to donate to their charity or charities of their choice.
I would like for my child to have a Generous Party Birthday Party but he is reluctant what should I do?

Discuss with your child that they will receive small gifts - paintings and drawings - made by their guests at the birthday party.

Tell them that birthday they will also get one gift but it will be a gift(s) of their choosing on behalf of all their guests.

Tell them that having a Generous Party Birthday Party means that they will also get to help some families and children in need. You might also want to tell them that they will still get their party and cake.

However if after explaining this your child is still reluctant to have a Generous Party then leave it. Let your child have the birthday that they would like. It is their birthday after all! Next year your child maybe more mature and possibly more open to sharing their birthday gifts with people in need.

Can my child and I choose two or more charities to support?

No. On the invite you can only choose one charity to support. However when you receive the online gift contributions you can distribute to whatever charity or charities you wish.

I would like to print out a copy of my childs birthday invite to keep can I do this?

Generous Party provides you with ecard invites both for your convenience and also because it's kinder to the environment (less use of paper). However that being said we realise that particularily when children are younger you may want to keep a physical copy of the invite as a sentimental reminder of your child's special day. That's why we have provided a facility within your account area for printing out a paper copy of the invite for your memory box.

I have sent my child's guests their invites but we have decided to change the nominated charity we would like to support can we do this?

Unfortunately not. Once you send an invite to your guests you cannot change your nominated charity on the invite. However you can change party details (e.g location) and even the party invite design but you cannot change the charity. And remember once you receive the pooled online gift contributions you can distribute to a charitiy or charities of your choice.

Can I send my child's guests a thank you note after the party?

Of course. Once your party is over we suggest you login to your account and close your party. If you forget to do this we will send a prompt email to you 7 days after your party date. You will then be prompted to send a thank you note to your guests. You can use the Thank You notes as a chance to thank your child's guests for their gift contribution.

Will my child get any presents if they have a Generous Party Birthday Party?

Yes. On the day of the party if you have indicated on the invite that you would like your childs guests to bring a painting or drawing them your child will receive these gifts from their guests.

Other great eco friendly gift ideas that your guests can bring from home can include some cut offs from their garden, an old book from home home, some fruit from their garden.

All gift contributions from guests are pooled and after deducting a 15% administration fee, Generous Party sends the party proceeds to the Party Hosts who can donate a portion of it to a charity or charities of their choice.

How do I invite my child's birthday guests?

After you register and choose an ecard invite and nominated charity you will be directed to a page where you can enter the email address of your party guests.

How do the birthday guests make a gift contribution?

When you send guests an invite they receive an ecard invite and a personlised link in the email which they can click on. This link brings them to a secure part of the Generous Party website where using PayPal they will make their online gift contribution and also can leave a message for your if they wish.

Will I be able to see how much each guest contributed?

Yes. However no one else will. Only the Party Host will be able to see how much each guest contributed.

Can guests contribute any amount to the gift contribution or do they have to contribute a certain specified amount?

Guests can contribute either $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, $30, $35, $40 and $50. It's up to the guests how much they would like to or can afford to contribute. If one of your guests prefer they can also indicate that they would prefer to make no online gift contribution when they RSVP.

I'm afraid my guests will feel unsure and uncomfortable about how much to contribute. Can you suggest an amount they could contribute?

We understand that people can feel a little uncomfortable about other people knowing how much they have contributed to a gift. That is why it is only the Party Host who will know how much a guest has contributed. Guests can choose to contribute between $5 and $50. They can also even choose to make no gift contribution and instead give a birthday gift instead.

Will my guests see the invite when I invite them to my child's Generous Party?

When you invite your guests they will receive an email telling them they have been invited to your child's party. When they click on the link in the email it will bring them to the RSVP page on Generous Party where they can view the full invite (and an explanation of how Generous Party works) and RSVP by either accepting or declining the invite.They are then directed to the contribution page where they can contribute between $5, $10 $15, $20, $25, $30, $40 or $50 to you child's gift.

Do the birthday guests get a tax receipt too?
No. The guests are making a gift contribution to the birthday child. They are not making a donation directly to the charity so they will not receive a tax receipt from the Party Host's nominated charity. Only the Party Host (parent of the birthday child) will receive a tax receipt from the nominated charity once they have received the pooled gift contributions and made a donation to the charity of their choice (assuming the charity has DGR status).

I have a guest who said they cannot come to my child's party but who have indicated they would like to make an online gift contrbution. Can my guest do this?

Of course. When your guest clicks the email telling them they have been invited to your child's Generous Party with a special link in the email, they simply click on the link and it will bring them to a page on Generous Party where the invite will be displayed . They can RSVP saying "Sorry can't come" and can also leave a message to you as well as make an online gift contribution.

My guest said they did not receive the invite.

Ask your guest to check their Spam or Junk Mail folder. The invite could be here. You can also suggest they go to the website and click on the "Find a Party " button this will provide your guest with a new invite for your child's party. Alternatively you can resend the invite by logging in and clicking 'send' next to the guests name.

My guest has no internet access or email and I want to invite them to the party how do I send them an invite?

Your guest can bring their portion of the gift contribution to the party and give it to you. You can then choose to either give it to your nominated charity or add it to the gift portion for your child.

My guest has no internet access. How will they make a secure online gift contribution to my child's gift?

My guests said they never received the invite, what should I do?

You can resend the invite by logging in and clicking 'send' next to the guests name. Ensure the email address is the correct one for your guest and that there is no typos or spelling errors.

Some of my guests have not RSVP'd and my child's party is next week what should I do?

Guests can sometimes not RSVP until a few days before the party. If a guest has not RSVP one week prior to the party they will receive an email reminding them they need to RSVP to your party. However to prevent this happening consider putting the RSVP date at least 2-3 days before you really need the final numbers.

How does Generous Party distribute the money raised from my child's party?

All online gift contributions from guests are pooled and after deducting a 15% administration fee, Generous Party sends the remaining gift contributions to the parent to distribute to the charity or charities of their choice.

How will I receive the money that my child's guests have contributed online?

What lessons can my child learn from turning their birthday party into a Generous Party?

Children can learn a multitudes of important life lessons including the power of creativity, the power of giving; how every person young and old can make a difference to this word and the lives of the people we share it with and how each of us can do our bit to helping the environment.

What lessons can adults learn from hosting a Generous Party?

Even adults can sometimes forget about the power of giving! We believe the most important lessons adults can relearn is that every person – young and old – can make a difference. That we all have a responsibility, no matter how young or old to strive to make this world a better place. We can learn about being more conscious about the types of gifts we give to children ensuring that they are kind to the environment and don't contribute to more landfill; we can ensure that when we do give a gift that we consider wrapping gifts in art drawn by our children rather than gift wrapping paper.

Can I use Generous Party for adults birthday parties and weddings and other celebrations?

Well yes of course! However please note at the moment Generous Party was designed with children's parties and celebrations in mind.

Children' birthday parties are the most visible event where a lot of gifts – many unwanted and not needed - are received leaving a lot of wrapping paper behind. Given the ever increasing need of so many charities and the feeling of charity fatigue that is permeating our society we felt that Generous Party could become an intermediary in helping parents and children give back.

We would also love to hear your feedback about whether you would use this site for your grown up party. Please email us.

Help! Some of my friends say I am depriving my child of birthday presents what can I say to them?

Well try this...

That your child has chosen to help those in need by donating a part of their gifts to children who are sick or disadvantaged; that your child will still get a gift but rather than lots of small gifts they may not want or need instead they will receive one special gift from all their guests; that you child will still get their party and birthday cakes not to mention favor bags (if you choose to do this) but they will also get the feeling of knowing they are helping to make a difference and finally that you and your child are helping the environment by ensuring that you party does not lead to more waste through wasted wrapping paper etc.

How does having a Generous Party Birthday Party benefit the environment?

By your guests not having to drive around to purchase your child a present and by not having to wrap a present in wrapping paper your decision to host a Generous Party for your child's special celebration is helping to help the environment.

When should I Close my Party and what does this mean?

We suggest you CLOSE YOUR PARTY after you have held your child's Generous Party. Once you CLOSE YOUR PARTY you can then send your guests THANK YOU notes.

How do I Close my Party?

Simply login to your account, locate the party and click the button that says “CLOSE PARTY”.

I'd like to give my child a Certificate in recognition of turning their birthday party into a Generous Party. What's the best way of doing this?

Once you CLOSE YOUR PARTY you can click the button that says “PRINT CHILD CERTIFICATE. This will allow you to print a child certificate for your child recognising their generosity for hosting a Generous Party. Your child can then hang this certificate in their room, or if appropriate bring it into share with their, Childcare, Preschool, Kindergarten or School friends.

If you want you can even print out a certificate to give each of your guests.

What do I do if people bring money to the party instead of making an online gift contribution?

You can choose to give this money directly to your nominated charity or add it to the gift portion for your child.

When will I get the money from Generous Party so I can buy my child their birthday gift from their guests?

Within one week of Closing your Party you will receive an email asking for your Account Name, Account Branch, Bank Name, Account Number and BSB Number when you provide this information to us we will send you by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) your portion of the gift contribution within seven business days of receiving your details.

My child has agreed to hosting a Generous Party for their birthday party but I am afraid when they day arrives they will be upset at not having any birthday gifts, any suggestions?

On the morning of your child's celebration remind your child that that their guests will not be bringing a gift purchased from the shop but that their guests will be bringing a small drawing or painting they have made.

That after the party you may hang these paintings in their bedroom. Remind that them that their guests have also contributed to a special gift which you will be purchasing on their behalf for your child after the party.

[If you want and are able to you might choose to purchase the gift on behalf of all your child's guests prior to their birthday party and before you receive your child's portion of the contributions).

Remind your child also how they chose a charity to help. Ensure your child understands they are still celebrating their birthday party with their friends and will have a their cake and their favor bags (if this is part of the party).

How do I get my tax receipt from my child's nominated charity?

When you receive your pooled gift contributions from your guests via Generous Party it is up to you which charity or charities you donate to and how much. Different charities have different policies and procedures about when you will receive the tax receipt when you make the donation. Check with your nominated charity for more information.

Will guests get a tax receipt from the charity?

No. When guests make an online gift contribution they are contributing to the gift for your child. They are not directly donating to a charity.

Can I receive the funds the purchase the gift for my child prior to their party?

Unfortunately not. When your child's party date has arrived or is past you can CLOSE THE PARTY. Within a week of this occurring you will receive an email asking for your bank details (Bank name, account name, BSB, account number) which will allow us to transfer your portion of the gift contribution.

How will I receive the funds?

You will receive your portion of the online contribution by electronic funds transfer (EFT).

What does Generous Party do with the 15% admin fee?

Generous Party needs to pay costs to keep the site functioning including paying hosting fees, online transaction fees, banking fees and fees associated with the ongoing maintenance and functioning of the site. Without the administration fees we cannot operate and provide this valuable service and alternative choice for party planning to parents and children.

Is Generous Party just in Australia?

At the moment yes but we aim to soon open it to the New Zealand market and who know's the world!

Is Generous Party just for children's birthday parties?
The ecards were designed with children in mind and the site was launched with children in mind. However the good news is the growns up version is coming soon...