GENERAL FAQs:
Where do you get the items to make your gifts?
Our items come from you! All our gifts are made using items that have been donated to YCSAB.
How do you know that the families who receive gifts are really in need?
The simple answer is that we don’t know. YCSAB has decided against asking gift recipients for specific income information or for proof of income. Instead we simply ask, ‘Are you in financial need?’ and provide them some criteria guidelines. If the answer is yes, as defined by that person, we proceed to find out what they need for their baby. We do this to:
- Build trust with recipients. Our recipients are experts in their own lives so we have chosen to trust them to know if they need financial help. We don’t believe that poverty is as simple as an income level. While income plays a large role in people’s quality of life, so does the ability to have personal choice and control;
- Ensure that families receive our gift when they need it, not just when their income information and paperwork becomes verified, or once a family gets the proper I.D. to fill out forms; and to simplify our project.
Steps we take to help put donors at ease:
- We remind gift recipients that our project is for families who are in financial need and for those who have no other way to provide for their baby. This reminder ensures that people are self-evaluating their level of need.
- When a family or advocate isn’t sure if they should apply, our website provides a list of sample families we are hoping to help.
- Approximately half of our gifts go to families who have been referred by a social service or health advocate and therefore their financial situation has been assessed and found to be a fit for our project.
- Even though we don’t ask for income information, many of our recipients share with us what poverty looks like for them. Those who express their appreciation often tell us how this gift means a huge amount to them, not only because of the financial help but because the gift validates their worth and their baby’s worth.
Is your project faith-based?
We believe that all parents deserve support regardless of their religious or lack of religious beliefs. We support all families.
DONOR FAQs:
What do you accept for donations?
Please consult our list here for items we are currently accepting.
What do you need the most for donations?
The item that is most in demand is sleepers in sizes newborn to 18 months.
I can’t drop my donation off to a drop spot and I don’t want to ‘Make One Gift‘; can I still donate it?
As we are a volunteer operated project our resources are limited, but under the right circumstances we have Delivery Coordinators who may be available to pick up from you. Contact us and provide us with the following information a) what items you have to donate b) what size vehicle can best handle the donation c) your pick up address d) your preferred method to be contacted e) how soon you need the donation pick up and f) is your donation from a smoke and bed-bug free home?
I am having problems using the map to find a Drop Spot; what can I do?
You can contact us at info@youcantspoilababy.org and we will be happy to help you find the Drop Spot most convenient for you.
Can I be a donor if I only have a few baby items to give?
Yes! Check the map to find the province-wide Drop Spot closest to you or apply to ‘Make One Gift‘ and pick up the needed supplies from our stock to complete your gift.
I don’t have any baby clothes/items to donate but I want to help. What can I do? There are lots of ways you can help! You can apply to ‘Make One Gift‘ using our stock or you could donate money (even the smallest donation helps!) or you could volunteer with us. Another way to help is to tell people about our work and interact with us on Facebook.
VOLUNTEER/PARTNER FAQs:
What is the time commitment to volunteer with YCSAB?
We are dedicated to finding the perfect role that fits the time you have to give, either as a core volunteer or as a one-time volunteer. If you want to be a core volunteer and have 2 hours per month to give, consider applying as a Delivery Coordinator volunteer. Have 3-5 hours to give a month? We’d love to have you as a Donation Coordinator, the gift makers of our project! Or if you want to volunteer one-time, apply to ‘Make One Gift‘ and over a maximum of 6 weeks, spend 3-5 hours creating and delivering a gift to a family in need.
What do you need the most help with?
We need help reducing our waiting list. To do this we need either core or one-time volunteers to make baby gifts, either as a member of our core team as a Donation Coordinator, or as a one-time volunteer as a ‘Make One Gift‘ volunteer.
Can my children help?
Yes! If you are eager to involve your children in volunteering there are so many ways to help. So far we have had kids offer to collect baby items, create and decorate baby gifts, and even help deliver the gift with their parent/s. Some kids donate money from their piggy banks, ask for baby items instead of birthday presents and donate those to YCSAB, and some sort through their toys and bring them to a drop spot. The skies the limit. If you need help thinking of a way to involve your children contact us.
I have a pet, can I still volunteer?
Yes. Our goal is to provide baby gifts that are pet and dander free, as many gift applicants and their families have allergies. So if you want to volunteer to make a baby gift, either as a core volunteer or one-time volunteer, just be sure to keep the baby items away from pets/dander, and freshly launder clothing just prior to the gift leaving your home.
Will you advertise for our business on your website/Facebook page if we make a donation?
If you would like your donation publicly acknowledged, please contact us to discuss the details. In the past, we have either made a post on our Facebook page or added your business to our website under ‘Partners’. Occasionally we aren’t comfortable posting a link, if the website isn’t aligned with our projects values, but we are happy to discuss that with you if that arises.
‘MAKE ONE GIFT’ FAQs:
How will we know what to provide the gift applicant we get matched with?
We will email you their application form, which includes a list of the items they need the most as well as items they would be happy to accept, and items they don’t need. Upon contact with the family, you can confirm any additional questions you may have with them. Please know that there is no pressure to provide the entire list of needed items for the family, as they are told that it is a wish list and that we try out best to make each gift consistent and include a set of baby clothes from sizes newborn-18 months, one ‘wish list’ item, at minimum three other baby items and if applicable, a big sibling gift.
How long will it take to be matched with a family in need?
You can expect to be matched within one week . This doesn’t mean you need to have your gift ready in one week, just that we will email you the family’s info.
I am making a gift but don’t have enough clothes and/or baby items to make a complete gift, what do I do?
You can pick up stock from us, or collect items by asking your social network if they have items or money to purchase items to contribute. It is better for the environment to reuse items, so feel free to purchase second hand baby items, as long as the items are from a smoke-free, bedbug-free home. Places like Kijiji or Used Winnipeg, or many Facebook buy/swap/sell groups can be useful to find large amounts of clothing and items for great prices. Also, we may have extra stock of items at our Drop Spot locations. Contact us to inquire.
If we send YCSAB a photo of the completed gift to use on social media will it be anonymous?
It is totally up to you. We love including pictures of completed gifts on our Facebook page, but if you want to remain anonymous we will respect your wishes. Many donors enjoy writing a few sentences expressing the sentiments of why they decided to volunteer with YCSAB. If the photo includes the gift applicants, we would need for them to give verbal or written consent to post the photo.
If you still have a question please contact us.