This holiday season an unlikely hero has emerged: the fruitcake. Too often ridiculed for being old-fashioned and “dense,” the holiday fruitcake is taking back the season by becoming the ultimate gift that gives – and regifts. PayPal is using the fruitcake – virtually – to raise money for 25 deserving charities as part of its second-annual Regift The Fruitcake campaign.
Regift the Fruitcake is a fresh approach to stale gift-giving. It brings fruitcakes of all shapes, sizes, fruits and nuts together with celebrities and charities for a fun but serious mission – to prove that fruitcakes can make a real difference in the world.
Through PayPal’s Regift the Fruitcake campaign, anyone can become a fruitcake hero and support one of the featured charities in just three simple steps.
1. MAKE: Log on to create a fruitcake on behalf of a featured charity
2. DONATE: Make a donation to a charity using your PayPal account,
3. REGIFT: Use Facebook Connect to regift the fruitcake to friends all over the Internet.
“Fruitcakes will no longer be seen as the holiday doorstop, but a stepping stone to a higher cause,” said Amanda Pires, senior director at PayPal. “The more fruitcakes that are regifted, the more chances fruitcakes have to make a real impact on important issues like fighting cancer, reducing poverty and rescuing animals. Finally fruitcakes will get the respect that they deserve.”
Sweet Charities Support the Cause
“There’s no shame in regifting this fruitcake,” said Cameron Sinclair, founder, Architecture for Humanity. “It’s the hero of the holidays — the one brick shaped bad gift you can feel good about passing on to all your friends.”
“Our supporters aren’t typically huge fans of actual fruitcakes,” said Cyndi Court, EVP, Resource Development & Marketing, Boys and Girls Club of America. “But this year, PayPal’s viral fruitcakes will rise above the usual sweaters from grandma and become a gift they’ll love receiving – and regifting.”
Donations and Prizes
For a full list of participating charities click here. As part of the program, PayPal will award the charity that raises the most money with $20,000; the second runner-up will get $10,000; and the third place charity will get $5,000. The most active users will also be rewarded.
Every week, the person with the “Top Fruitcake” (by points, based on number of regifts and donations generated) will win an ASUS Eee PC 1000HE Netbook. At the end of the campaign, the user whose Fruitcake has earned the most points will win a $5,000 grand prize.
