Heartful.ly’s Valentine’s Day campaign is raising money for Syrian refugees

Heartful.ly, D.C.’s wedding registry for charitable giving, is now running its second annual Valentine’s Day campaign. And this year, perhaps more than ever before in the company’s short lifespan, the campaign is a political statement as well as a social values-based one.

That’s why, this Valentine’s Day, Heartful.ly is urging lovers, family and friends to #sharethelove with Mercy Corps and its Syrian refugee program.

#Sharethelove this #ValentinesDay by standing with #syrianrefugees. Donate clean water, blankets, books & more at https://t.co/rB6QYFxSdO pic.twitter.com/syBQRwBzRz

— Heartful.ly (@Heartful_ly) February 1, 2017

“We are witnessing a major humanitarian crisis on a scale that is hard to comprehend. It’s so overwhelming that our brains often stop processing what’s happening and we disconnect,” founder Kate Glantz told Technical.ly in an email. “However, we cannot allow ourselves to be fatigued or shut off to millions of people in crisis. Valentine’s Day represents a time when we’re already spending an insane amount of money to show people how much we care. I think there is no better opportunity to show compassion and kindness than to give back in honor of the people we love.”

But there’s more to it than that, and this is where the political statement comes in. In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries including Syria, the young company is taking a stand. “We disagree with how the Administration is turning their backs on some of the world’s most vulnerable populations,” Glantz wrote. “I want to make it very clear that Heartful.ly will always champion organizations that protect and serve all people — of all religions, of all nationalities — always.”

Heartful.ly, which began as (and is centered on being) a wedding registry for charitable giving, ultimately wants to be so much more than that. For Glantz the dream is to transform the way we think about celebrations, making birthdays and anniversaries and holidays the ideal time to give back.

Glantz said the company has learned a lot about running holiday-specific campaigns through last year’s V Day campaign, and a subsequent Mother’s Day campaign and holiday season “gifts for good” campaign.

For one thing, focus is powerful. Unlike in the wedding registry department where couples can build their own registry out of projects run by Heartful.ly’s myriad partners, the V Day campaign focuses on just one organization and issue — Mercy Corps and Syrian refugees.

“While it’s less universal and inclusive to focus on one organization, I learned that it ultimately rallies more support because the call to action is clearer,” Glantz reflected. “Too many choices can paralyze decision making and result in no transaction.”

Want to #sharethelove this Valentine’s Day? See the campaign, and donate, here.