Holiday cards keep your friends and family posted on changes in your life, address and weight if you include the seasonal photo. They remind folks that you don’t see regularly that you care. A new Charlotte-based company’s cards take that a step further, allowing you to show the causes you support some love, too.
Goodness Cards founder Nate Baum says that he’s from a family “obsessed with greeting cards,” but hated old-fashioned greeting card shopping.
“One of my least favorite things in the world was the process of going to CVS, looking at 3,000 cards to find the right one, getting glitter all over myself and paying seven dollars, all the while knowing it’s going to end up in the trash,” he says.
But the true seed of GoodnessCards.com was born the year he forgot to send his stepmother a card for her birthday. “I looked online and saw nothing out there to remind you about dates and anniversaries online, and thought this would be a cool thing to do,” Baum says.
The business launched here in Charlotte in November, with a unique business model that gives back to charities with each transaction. The web-based store allows customers to build customized greeting cards using a variety of templates. The print cards can be personalized with individual messages and photos, and at $3.99 are about the same price as mass-produced stock you’d find in stores. Bonus: You can have the cards stamped, addressed and mailed from the website, saving an antiquated trip to the post office.
But the primary mission of Goodness Cards is to help charities and non-profits by raising funds and awareness. A dollar from each sale goes to the charity the customer chooses upon checkout, from a list of participating charities. There is also the option to donate an amount you specify, and to opt into the nonprofits’ mailing list. Local charities on board include the Humane Society of Charlotte, Beds for Kids, Back2Back Ministries, USO of North Carolina and Special Olympics of North Carolina.
The model gives charities another way to access donors, and lets them fundraise without being stuck with the leftover inventory until next year.
“Hopefully, we’ll take something as simple as sending a greeting card and use it to inspire people to live a more generous life,” Baum says.