General
Receiving Gifts
Giving Gifts
Creating and Managing an Account
Managing an Event
Miscellaneous
What is Rainfall of Envelopes?
Rainfall of Envelopes is a free service that makes it easy to request, give and receive money gifts for any event. Money gifts are practical and always appreciated, and can be very meaningful when used towards a home purchase, honeymoon or college fund. Gifts can be made using the convenience and safety of credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts or PayPal transfers. Our tools allow you to easily, safely and politely request, collect and track gifts through the convenience of the Internet.
How does Rainfall of Envelopes work?
Rainfall of Envelopes works like most gift registries. For example, in the case of a wedding, a couple can register for money gifts through Rainfall of Envelopes in addition to their traditional gift registry. Just like with most gift registries, the couple can inform their guests that they are registered with Rainfall of Envelopes. Guests can then purchase gifts, and submit a personal message through our site.
The uses for Rainfall of Envelopes are endless. Rainfall of Envelopes has been used to collect and track charitable donations, for payments for surprise parties, and for gifts for weddings, baby showers, holidays and much more!
What do I need to set up a Raifnall of Envelopes Acount?
All that you need to set up a Rainfall of Envelopes Account is a PayPal email address. PayPal, which is owned by eBay, is the global leader in online payment solutions with more than 150 million accounts worldwide. Click here to set up a free PayPal account now. Signing up for PayPal only takes a few minutes.
Can I see some sample Rainfall of Envelopes events?
Click here. to browse some of our current events.
Why is Rainfall of Envelopes better than a traditional gift registry?
Rainfall of Envelopes provides a polite way to request money gifts as
an alternative to the traditional store gift registry. Unlike store
gifts, money gifts allow the recipient to purchase what they want, how
and when they choose. The recipient may use the money towards a more
meaningful gift, such as a home down payment, honeymoon or college
fund. By using Rainfall of Envelopes, gift givers can be confident that
the recipient truly wants a money gift.
Why is Rainfall of Envelopes better than cash or check money gifts?
Rainfall of Envelopes is safer and much easier than receiving cash or
checks in person or by mail. The service allows individuals to make
gifts with the convenience of a credit card. No more losing cash or checks at your event, greeting cards or
postage charges! And Rainfall of Envelopes enables givers to earn
points or miles by using a credit card.
Is it appropriate for me to register with Rainfall of Envelopes and with a retail store?
Of course it is! If you register with Rainfall of Envelopes, you may
also choose to register at retail stores for the specific items that
you would really like to receive. Alternatively, you may choose not to
register at any retail stores and instead use the money you received
from Rainfall of Envelopes to make all your purchases.
Are my gifts and personal information safe with Rainfall of Envelopes?
Absolutely. Rainfall of Envelopes encrypts all of your sensitive personal information on our servers with industry leading (IEEE compliant) security protocols. All of our transaction pages utilize the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. Finally, all of your gifts are deposited directly into your PayPal account (click here to set up a free PayPal account now). PayPal, part of eBay, is the global leader in online payment solutions with more than 150 million accounts worldwide.
What are your fees?
Rainfall of Envelopes is free! When you receive gifts, you may pay a small fee to PayPal.
Is it appropriate for me to ask for money gifts for my event?
Yes. Money has always been an acceptable gift for most occasions. Store gifts became popular when advertising convinced consumers that "it's the thought that counts." This caused problems with duplicate and unwanted gifts, leading to the creation of the gift registry. These registries have become so popular that it is now considered inappropriate not to offer a gift registry for a wedding or other large event. As a result, many individuals now find it difficult to politely request money.
Rainfall of Envelopes solves this problem. If you let your guests know that you are “registered” at Rainfall of Envelopes, they can give you a money gift that can be used towards a home purchase, honeymoon college fund or other meaningful gift of your choice. Rainfall of Envelopes also allows you to share with your guests of your intentions for their money gifts. Your guests will feel confident that their generosity is being put to good use.
Even the experts at The Knot support the idea of money gifts. Click here to read their positive article.
Do I need a PayPal account to give a gift?
No. Rainfall of Envelopes will accept any credit card, debit card or bank account transfer in addition to PayPal.
After giving a gift, you ask me to send emails. Do I have to?
No. This step is optional and it allows you to tell your friends and family about this great service.
How much money should I give? What is an appropriate gift amount for a wedding?
There is no set formula. The amount spent on the gift should consider:
- your budget
- your affection for and relationship with the recipient(s)
- regional and cultural customs
- the nature of the event
The most important factor is your budget, which should take into account all of your event-related expenses, such as travel or the purchase of a bridesmaid dress.
Your relationship with the recipient is also an important factor. Close friends should receive a larger gift than mere acquaintances.
Many etiquette experts believe it is a myth that your gift should equal the recipient's cost of having you attend the event. However, our experience has shown that it is reasonable for you to consider the cost when making your gift. For example, more expensive events are held in regions where larger gifts are expected. Weddings in New York City or San Francisco are especially expensive and so are the expected gifts—$200 to $500 per couple at a friend's wedding is common, and these weddings typically cost $150 to $300 per person.
Finally, the type of event will affect the appropriate amount of your gift. As a general rule, gifts for a baby shower are smaller than gifts for a bar mitzvah, which are smaller than gifts for a wedding.
Creating and Managing an Account
Why do you ask me my security question when I try to edit my account?
Rainfall of Envelopes carefully guards your private information and
therefore requires that you answer this security question even though
you are already signed into the system.
How do I delete my account?
If you wish to delete your Rainfall of Envelopes account, you must
submit your request to our customer support department via email to info@rainfallofenvelopes.com.
Please be sure to specify the email address associated with
the account you would like to have deleted. Your account will then be
removed from our system within 72 hours.
What is an Event Title?
The Event Title allows you to name your event. This will appear in
search results and on your event page. For example, Bill and Ted called
their party "Bill and Ted's Most Excellent Party" while Derek and Missy
called their wedding "Our Wedding."
Who is the 1st Person or the 2nd Person?
We recommend that you list yourself as the 1st person and, at your
option, list another person, such as your fiancé in the case of a
wedding, as the 2nd person. Such listings help your guests find your
registry.
What is my "Personal Website?"
The personal website field allows you to display a link to a web page
of your choice. Many users link to MySpace pages or theknot.com
pages.
After registering, you asked me to send invitation emails. Can I work on my registry first and send emails out at a later time?
Absolutely. If you don't wish to send out emails at this time, just
click on any other actions in the right column or sign out. You can
send out invitations on the site at any time by returning to "view your
registry" and then selecting "Add/View Invites" for your event.
Can I have more than one event?
Yes! You can have as many events as you wish for any type of
gift-giving event -- weddings, birthdays, fundraisers, parties and
more. Sign-in to "view your registry" and click on "create a new event."
How do I link to my Rainfall of Envelopes page from my wedding page, blog or Evite page?
Please visit your Rainfall of Envelopes page and copy your unique URL from the address bar in your browser. You can then paste this URL on any website, email, etc. Your URL will be in the form: http://www.rainfallofenvelopes.com/give.asp?eid=XXX, where XXX is a number that is unique to your event.
I have more than one event. I selected "Edit Your Event" and
chose my event, but the system did not take me to a page where I can
edit my event. What should I do?
If you have more than one event, you must first select the one you wish to edit. Once you select an event, we
will take you to the general Event Registry page for that event. From
that page, you can then select "Edit Your Event" in the right column
and the correct page will appear. We realize that this is not an ideal
experience and we are working to improve this functionality.
I have more than one event. I selected "View/Add Invites"
and chose my event, but the system did not take me to a page where I
can view or add invites. What should I do?
If you have more than one event, you must first select the one you wish to edit. Once you select an event, we will take you to the general Event Registry page for that
event. From that page, you can then select "View/Add Invites" in the
right column and the correct page will appear. We realize that this is
not an ideal experience and we are working to improve this
functionality.
I edited my event but when I returned to view my event, my edits did not appear. What happened?
Please make sure that you click the "save changes" button at the bottom
of the page. Your edits will only be saved when you click this button.
I recently registered with your website. However, I cannot find my event when I search for my name. How long does it take before the event is listed in your directory?
Your event will appear in our directory immediately. If it does not appear, you have likely marked the event as "Inactive." In order to activate the event, please sign in and go to the "Edit This Event" link in the right navigation section of the site. Then, please make sure that the box next to "Active" in the first line is checked and click on the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of your screen. Your event should now appear when you search for your name.
I would like to delete one of my events. How do I do this?
Please uncheck the "Active" button on the Edit Your Event page and then
click the "Save Changes" button. This will inactivate your
event, preventing it from displaying in event search results.
Why am I not receiving mail from Rainfall of Envelopes? Why are my guests not receiving email invitations?
Rainfall of Envelopes messages may be undeliverable for various
reasons. Depending on the settings of email inboxes, notifications may
be filtered as spam or junk/bulk mail. Please check these folders in
your email service.
I am throwing a surprise party for my friend and I want to set up an account so her guests can pool their money together and buy her a meaningful gift. How can I do this without letting her know?
You should set up the account in your own name on Rainfall of Envelopes and inform the other guests to contribute to the event in your name. Because the account would be in your name, the money would be sent to you and then you can purchase the gift for her.
Your FAQs did not help me or I have a problem and need to contact your customer service. How do I do that?
If you have any questions, feel free to email us at info@rainfallofenvelopes.com to contact customer service. Because we are a free service, only offer telephone support for critical issues, but we promise to answer your email questions promptly, usually within a few hours during the business day.
