Participate With Us!

This is up to each partner as the recipient of the gifts. Donors receive a card describing the gift either for themselves or in another’s name. For example, past gifts have included:

• $5 to provide lunch for a child without at Joy Greisen Jewish Education Center.
• $10 for a box of nails provided to a Habitat for Humanity house.
• $10 provides music education to an underprivileged child from Turnagain Arts Community Alliance.
• $50 buys 110 small cans of mixed fruit for hungry kids from the Food Bank of Alaska.

• It is best to have a range of gifts from less to more expensive so donors have a choice.
• Gifts must offer nothing to the buyer except satisfaction. No memberships, subscriptions, tickets, etc.
• People prefer that their gift not be a “drop in the bucket” towards a larger fund. For example, “buying a bus pass for a client” is usually preferred to “contributing to a transportation fund.” The dollar amount for each gift must be specific, not a range. $10-$30 won’t work.
• In Jewish culture, 18 is an important number. Having one or two gifts in increments of $18 is useful for Jewish shoppers. Other gifts can be in increments of $5 or $10.

• CBS provides a table and two chairs. Participants provide the staff, decorations, and any necessary literature.
• CBS provides gift cards and envelopes with sheets of clear labels for each gift offered. Participants place the label on the gift card as someone makes a purchase. Donors can then take the gift card to the calligraphy table to have it finished.
• All monetary transactions happen at the partnicipants’ tables, who take the checks, credit cards, cash, or whatever according to their policies. An internet connection can not be guaranteed so we suggest having cellular-capable devices for card transactions—and possibly manual entry as a backup.
• CBS provides multi-part receipt forms so both parties have a copy.