Party perfection: raise the roof AND raise money for your fave nonprofits

Let’s face it: life is crazybusy. So I can totally see why more and more parents are turning to online party-planning services to lighten the load. But we’ve found one with a little extra do-gooding awesomeness to sweeten the deal.

A few years back we discovered ECHOage, a site which helps you can organize a fete for your kiddo that directly benefits more than 120 nonprofits.

They’ve evolved since then, with adorable invitations, and even the option to raise money or supplies for your child’s own own school which is not only wonderful, it takes the edge off having to sell a gazillion candy bars for fundraising.

Your kid simply chooses her dream gift–a playhouse, an iPod Touch, a (gulp) pony–and chooses a charity or school to support. When guests RSVP on the ECHOage website, they can make a donation of their choice, with half going toward your kid’s present, and the other half going to the chosen charity or school.

There’s even a printable ECHOage Tracker to help you keep track of guests, cell phone numbers, and allergy information. Plus the service will email you the day before the party to remind you to do things like charge your camera’s batteries. Neat.

It really does take away that awkwardness of asking for charitable
donations, which I know is polarizing in some circles. The one thing you may have to get used to, is the idea of specifying gifts (which may actually be doing your guests a favor), and seeing the amount donated by your guests. This all may or may not be Emily Post approved; but it certainly does show that your heart is int he right place, and it’s teaching your kid a wonderful lesson early on.

If you’ve been wanting to streamline your party-throwing process and give a little something back, ECHOage is once again a fabulous place to get the party started. –Lexi