The Good Givers Toolkit

Your handy guide to bringing holiday cheer!

What is Good Givers?

In the past, holiday toy drives have often revolved around a Santa Claus figure giving out presents to children, while parents watch from a distance. Unfortunately, this approach can sometimes make parents feel less important and remove their agency in low-income communities.

That's where “The Good Givers” comes in – an initiative that shifts the focus from the giver to the recipient and empowers parents in low-income communities. This annual toy giveaway puts the needs and preferences of children first, and ensures that parents have an active role in selecting and providing gifts for their families. Why? Because:

They know their children better than anyone else.

We don't have to be heroes in their children's lives.

From our family to yours, thank you and happy giving!

Finding a Partner

There are many communities that can be served by the Good Givers. The first step to finding a partner is choosing who to reach out to.

Avoid partnering with schools. it is difficult to single out low-income students in a way that does not compromise their dignity. Maneuvering book bans and rules regarding toys can also make working with a school complicated.

It is generally advised to partner with a low-income apartment complex for the following reasons: the income brackets are already validated, the property management generally knows which families are experiencing hardship, and transportation of the toys is easy and convenient for the parents because the giveaway occurs where they live.

Once you find a complex that meets your requirements, reach out to their management or leasing office. Once you have a scheduled time and date for the event, sign the memorandum of understanding (MOU) - which lists expectations for both parties.

A few important points to remember are that this is a child-free, guardian-only event; this is not a PR event or poverty tourism. Do not post pictures of the parents on social media. We want discretion to allow the parents to be the heroes. We want this to be an extension of kindness to a community that needs our help.

Toy Selection

When organizing a Good Givers event, selecting the right toys is crucial to ensure that every child receives a gift that brings joy and excitement. The toys you choose should not only be entertaining but also safe, age-appropriate, and inclusive.

Before purchasing, make sure you have enough space to organize, store, and transport the toys carefully. Nobody wants a crushed box on Christmas morning.

Decide what the age limit for this event will be. You have two options: you can make the event just for children 12 and under or you can expand it to teenagers and include gift cards, such as a $25 gift card to Amazon or a local supermarket. If you choose the 12 and under option, make sure your intake process limits gifts per family to the kids 12 and under

Focus on high-impact gifts in big boxes that you would buy for your children. Remember how you felt on Christmas morning opening a big box and keep that in mind while shopping for toys. Do not buy cheap toys. Do not buy toys from Dollar General or any store that tends to have safety issues with their toys.

If possible, start purchasing early. Some toys sold around Christmas can be of a lower quality. From a budget standpoint, it is great to purchase toys that are on sale throughout the year, but do not include seasonal toys, i.e., Easter or Halloween toys, simply because they were on clearance. Remember we want the kids to feel special, not like these are leftover toys.

Balance is everything. Get toys for a variety of ages, interests, and for both genders. Include gender-neutral toys. Resist the urge to only buy Barbies and Hot Wheels, and do not include toy guns or weapons. Include art kits, sports equipment, science kits, games, puzzles, and musical instruments. All educational toys are a bonus. If the apartment complex where you are holding the event is predominantly minority, buy toys that are representative of that group. The groups represented in the toys should be diverse.

Remove all price tags prior to the event.

It is best practice to avoid religious toys in order to negate unnecessary backlash.

Volunteers

Selecting volunteers for a Good Givers event is a critical step in ensuring the event's success. The right team can make a significant difference in how smoothly the drive runs and how enjoyable the experience is for everyone involved.

Do not underestimate the transportation and setup process. Make sure you have enough volunteers to help load the toys for transportation to the location and for set up.

When possible, secure volunteers that can help the parents transport the toys back to their apartments and at least one volunteer who is bilingual.

The property management company may also be able to provide volunteers, which can be very helpful.

Volunteers will not interact with children, so finding volunteers should be less arduous. To help with the process, we have provided a volunteer commitment form that includes what the expectations are for volunteers.

Volunteers are encouraged to wear elf ears, shoes, or other Christmas attire to make the event more fun for the parents.

Although injury is unlikely, we cannot guarantee anyone’s safety during this event. Make sure your volunteers are careful when handling scissors and heavy boxes.

Toy Distribution

Distributing toys at a Good Givers event is a task that requires careful planning and organization to ensure that the event is both joyful and efficient. The distribution process is the culmination of all your hard work and planning, and it's essential to make sure that it goes smoothly to create a memorable experience for the children and families involved.

Each child will get 2 gifts, one large and one small. We suggest separating the large toys from the small toys prior to arriving in order to make the setup process easier and faster.

Keep food and drink out of the space to avoid any spills that might ruin the toys.

Be sure to have three to four tables: one table for the big toys, one for the small toys and the remainder of the tables will be a gift wrapping station. Encourage parents to wrap presents prior to taking the toys to their apartments. Taking unwrapped gifts into a small apartment increases the chances that the child(ren) will see the unwrapped gifts.

Some parents will simply take supplies to wrap the presents and leave, and in order to accommodate for this have to-go bags prepared with scissors, multiple rolls of tape, markers, gift tags/stickers, bows, and wrapping paper.

The goal is to give the parents everything they need to make the holidays a success, including batteries for the toys.

Keep large shopping bags on hand to help parents transport gifts to their apartments.

We want there to be equal opportunity to get in-demand toys for all parents attending. To ensure this happens, give parents entry in a staggered manner and do the same with in-demand toys. I.E., if you have four scooters, put two out in the first half and the remaining two out in the second half.