Step by step
- 1
Name the appeal
Go to wishorium.com/start?kind=toy-appeal and type what the appeal is called, like your charity’s name. It goes on the cover.
- 2
Add the gifts, one per child
Paste a link from any shop, pick from our shop, or type a gift in. In the note, say who it’s for as an age, like “Boy, 7”, never a name. Twenty selection boxes are twenty wishes, so twenty people can each circle one.
- 3
Claim the link
Pick the web address supporters will open, like st-marys.wishorium.com, and make a free account to keep it. Then say where gifts should be brought and by when, in the welcome letter on the first page.
- 4
Send it to supporters
One link, on WhatsApp, in an email, on your newsletter or a poster. Supporters don’t need an account: they type their name when they circle.
- 5
See who’s giving what
Your gift slip at the back of the book lists every circled gift and who’s bringing it, for the thank-yous and for ticking them off as they arrive.
What supporters see
A wish book that looks like the old toy catalogue: your cover, a welcome letter from you, then the gifts in sections. Each one says who it’s for, like “Girl, 5”, with a picture and a shop link if you added one. When someone circles a gift, everyone else sees it’s taken.
- No account to circle: they type their name
- What’s taken is shown, so nothing doubles up
- A shop link if you added one, or they buy it where they like
- Only you see who circled what
Children stay anonymous
Never type a child’s name or add a photo. “Boy, 7” and “Girl, 3” are all a supporter needs to choose well, and all the list ever shows. The welcome letter is the place for where gifts go and the last day to bring them.
Twenty of the same thing
An appeal often needs the same gift many times over, and each one goes to a different child. Add it once per child, so each is circled by one person, or put “we need 20” in the note of a single wish and let people tell you how many they’re bringing.
Where the gifts come from
Anywhere. A wish can carry a link to any shop, or none at all. Nothing is bought or paid for through the list: circling just stops two people bringing the same thing. If someone buys through a shop link, the shop may pay us a small commission, which never changes the price.
Who runs toy appeals this way
Anyone collecting gifts for children they support:
- Hospices and children’s charities
- Refuges and family support services
- Food banks and community hubs
- Churches, Rotary clubs and schools
Questions from grown-ups
Is a toy appeal free to run on Wishorium?
Yes. Making the list, sharing it and seeing who circled what are free, with no limit on the number of gifts or supporters.
Do supporters need an account to circle a gift?
No. Anyone with the link can circle by typing their name. You can ask for an account in the list’s sharing settings if you’d rather.
How do we ask for several of the same gift?
Add it once, then choose “Need more than one?” on it in Manage and say how many, like 20. It goes on the list that many times, so each supporter circles one and you get exactly as many as you need.
Can we keep the list off search engines?
Yes. Switch off “Let search engines find this list” in the sharing settings, and only people with the link can open it.
How do supporters get the gifts to us?
However you collect them now. The welcome letter on the first page is where you say where to bring gifts and the last day to do it, and the list shows that date on its cover.
What do we keep about the children?
Nothing but an age and a gift. You never type a child’s name, and the list never asks for one.
Is it free?
Yes. Some shop links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.
Ready when you are ✨
Free, five minutes to set up, and the family don’t need an app.