Struggling with your wedding registry? Maybe you have all the cookware and kitchen appliances you could ever need. Your home is well-stocked, and you really don’t want any more stuff. If this sounds like your situation, a charitable gift registry may be a great choice for your wedding. As charitable wedding registries grow in popularity, more options are available for channeling your guests’ gift-giving desires

Technology Simplifies Charitable Giving

Before the rise of charitable registry services, nearlyweds would provide the contact details for their nonprofit of choice and tell guests to donate directly. Now, more couples are passing up traditional wedding gifts in favor of setting up charitable registries. Charity registries are especially popular with couples who “have everything” and aren’t interested in cash gifts or funded trips.

The New York Times’ Paul Sullivan points out both regular and online charitable registries have grown in popularity over the last several years. Internet and e-commerce technologies have helped fuel this growing trend. This is thanks to the relative ease of setting up online portals and the associated infrastructure. Instead of having guests send checks or money orders to the charity, online registries allow them to give using their checking accounts, credit cards, debit cards, or online financial service providers like PayPal.

Online Charity Registry Providers

As the trend grows, couples have more options for encouraging their guests to donate. As one of the most popular charitable registry services, the Good Beginning lets nearlyweds choose from a wide range of nonprofit organizations. Its partners include animal welfare, arts, education, child advocacy, healthcare, environmental, human rights, crisis assistance, and hunger relief organizations. According to its FAQ, 89% of donations go directly to charitable groups. The remaining 11% is split between administrative salaries and credit card processing fees.

Those who can’t decide on just one charity are in luck: The Good Beginning lets you select up to five organizations for your registry. If you select the Petfinder Foundation, Black Lives Matter, and the Transgender Legal Defense Fund, for instance, your guests can choose which group gets their gifts and even give multiple times.

Other Registry Options

The Good Beginning is one of the first dedicated charitable registry services, but more providers are stepping up to the plate. The Knot Gifts Back is a hybrid of traditional and charitable registries. For each gift a guest buys for the happy couple, The Knot donates a percentage of the purchase price to the couple’s nonprofit of choice. Universal registry providers such as Zola, MyRegistry, Blueprint, and Amazon have also added charitable giving options. Nearlyweds can even set up charitable registries through cash-only services like Zankyou and HoneyFund.

Help Your Guests Get on Board

Wedding-related charitable giving has become more common. However, some guests may not know about charitable registries or may expect to give you traditional gifts. If you’re asking attendees to donate directly to your favorite organization, the Spruce’s Chloe Taylor-Blais suggests sharing the details in your invitation mailing. Meanwhile, you can post information on your wedding website about your charitable registry, the organizations you’re supporting, and how to give. Charity registry services usually provide documentation for your guests to use at tax time. Just remind them to request receipts if they’re directly donating to your nonprofit. Finally, keep in mind that some people will insist on giving you traditional gifts. Try registering at a store that supports your cause, or consider donating any gifts you receive to charity.

As social realities change, weddings have also evolved. Charitable wedding registries offer excellent alternatives to traditional gifting. If you want donations to a nonprofit group instead of receiving gifts, you must clearly communicate this to your guests. With an organized approach, both you and your chosen charities will benefit from your generosity.