In-celebration giving

Motherhood and the path towards it is filled with many happy milestones. You can make these special days even more meaningful by using them as an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of other mums and mums-to-be.

Give a Gift to COPE to Celebrate Your Baby Shower or Baby’s 1st Birthday:

If you are planning a baby shower or a 1st birthday party, here are some ways you can incorporate a donation to COPE into your celebration:

• Request a donation in lieu of gifts by including words such as the following in your invitation: “In lieu of a gift, I (or we) would be honoured if you would instead make a donation to the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE). COPE is dedicated to helping with the emotional and mental health challenges of becoming and being a parent. This cause is dear to my (or our) heart and you can learn more about it and how to donate at cope.org.au.”

• Instead of favours, give your guests a more profound “present” by making a donation to COPE in their honour.

• In your thank you notes after the party, tell your guests that in honour of the day which they helped make so special you have made a donation to COPE.

• Make a group donation with your mothers group as a symbol of the key role that you played in each other’s lives over the last year. You can organise a mothers group donation for a group birthday party or in advance of attending each other’s parties.

Don’t forget to take pictures of the party and post on social media using #readytocope #keepingmotherhoodreal and tagging COPE.

Throw a Virtual Baby Shower or Birthday Party:

If you’ve decided to skip the baby shower or birthday party all together, you can still use this special time in your life as an opportunity to raise funds for this important cause. Visit our COPE Fundraising Hub and click on “Celebrations.” You will be able to easily set up your own virtual celebration to support COPE, and have all the tools available to easily raise funds and share with your family and friends.

Here is some sample wording that you can use when inviting others to “attend” your party:

“Celebrating this birth/birthday is a blessing to me (or us/our family), but it is also an opportunity to change the lives of others. This is why I am using it as an opportunity to throw a virtual baby shower/birthday party to raise funds for a charity near to my heart, the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE). COPE is dedicated to helping with the emotional and mental health challenges of becoming and being a parent, and I (or we) would be honoured if you would join me (or us) in making a donation to this very worthy cause.”