When is the right time to invite friends to chip in for a gift? We get this question often from users. Our answer (or suggestion) is always the same: invite your friends to occasions when you would typically expect them to give you or your child a present like a birthday, Xmas, Christening, Baby shower, Bar Mitzva, Graduation, etc..
Purposit is all about gifting for children. But does that mean that it can only be used for child-related events or occasions? Not at all! If you want, you can use Purposit to fund gifts for your kids on your own birthday or events related to you (eg. wedding anniversary).
To give you some colour, I wanted to share my experience using Purposit for my own 40th birthday.
I’m one of those guys who does not like to celebrate his own birthday. But my wife Johanna – as she always masterfully does – convinced me that 40 was a special milestone and should be celebrated with friends and family. So we organised a dinner party.
We sent a SAVE THE DATE email to my friends a month in advance as many would need to arrange babysitters or someone to look after their kids for the evening.
After a few days I started receiving SMSs from friends asking what I wanted. My usual response was “I don’t need anything.. you know.. having you there is already more than enough..” or something cheesy (but honest) like that!
Interestingly, many of these friends started suggesting that I should use Purposit then. In their view, if there was nothing I really wanted, why not use this occasion to get something that would be beneficial to my kids?
In all honesty, I had thought about it before. But as the founder of Purposit, I did not want to put friends in an awkward position like “Well, that’s my app so you must use it!”. But as more friends kept suggesting it, it felt right to use it.
As for children, knowing what gifts to buy for an adult – especially on special dates or milestones – can be quite difficult and time consuming. What I didn’t realise was that friends were happy to give something that would be useful – if not for me, then for my children.
So we went ahead and created an event invitation on Purposit under my eldest son’s profile. I chose 2 gifts that had a special meaning to both me and him. As the first gift I chose a trip for him to visit his grandparents in Brazil when he is older (8yo) so he can practise Portuguese and learn more about his father’s heritage. The second one was a charitable gift – the idea was to raise funds so in a year or 2, when he understands the concept of giving to charity, we can make that contribution to other kids in need. Both gifts are very close my heart and my friends knew that too, so it all felt very personal for everyone involved.
So did all my friends use the app? The answer is no. About 90% of them did and I was thrilled with that. That said, a few preferred to give me a gift. Some had already bought it by the time they were invited via Purposit, while others had already something special in mind for my 40th.
Then you may be wondering if I was disappointed that not everyone used the app or webapp. Of course not! This is what we always expect to happen with Purposit. While we want friends and family to have guidance on the gifts that we believe matter to our kids, we do not want to completely stop them from finding something meaningful by themselves if they prefer to do so.
The gifts I got from these mates were definitely in that camp. They had a special meaning for them and for me. They represented our friendship and our history together. I could tell that those friends spent a lot of time and effort on them and I just loved their gesture.
Equally I loved the messages I received from my friends using the app. I tried to reciprocate ‘the love’ by sending individual thank you cards so they were really appreciative of that.
Gifting via Purposit can and should co-exist with presents given by friends who know what to give, which may be a function of how close they are to the child or to the parents. It is all about meaningful gifting regardless of where it comes from. What was clear for me though was that I did not get anything that was not unnecessary. That was a first in who knows how many years. Looking back at gifts from past birthdays, I still have items I got that I’ve never used or worn. Those days are over!!
I know some people might think “wait a second, it’s my birthday so it should be about me”. If that’s how you feel or there is something you want to get for yourself, you should definitely let your friends bring gifts for you. But if you – like me – feel like you will get more satisfaction by getting presents for your kids than receiving something for yourself, then Purposit can be a powerful friend on your next birthday or celebration.
All being said, the most important part of my birthday was the time I got to spend with my dear friends and family. That in itself was a priceless experience that will last forever. And perhaps because I used Purposit for my birthday, when I saw all my friends there to celebrate with me, I also felt like a child again. A 40–year-old one.
