The baby shower is a great venue for which to solicit funds for a new mom.
Sometimes the mother-to-be is strapped for cash, in which case you can set up a donation station at the event.
There are several fun ways to set up a donation station that is fun and makes people smile as they hand over their dollars or their checks.
One suggestion would be to create a Money Tree. This is a branch or small coniferous tree that is set up near the doorway. As guests leave or come in, they are encouraged to attach paper money to the tree with clothespins. You can also provide small envelopes for them to put cash in and hang on the tree if that is preferable.
Your could also try stringing a Money Clothesline across one of the main rooms. Guests are encouraged to attach paper money with regular clothespins so that it dangles like laundry. You can also supply a pen so they can write messages of good will to the mom on the money.
A traditional bank for the new mom at a shower is the paper pail. T he pail is clearly labeled as Mommy Fund and guests are encouraged to step on the pedal and drop money in the bucket.
Another tradition is to take money is collected from guests by an appointed friend and gathered into a diaper, pinned and presented to the mother
Baby Bulletin Board – A bulletin board is set up with a picture of the mother along with a sign that encourages guests to pin money to the bulletin board
You could also try making a Money Daisy-.Cut a circle of cardboard (with a picture of the mother in the center if you like) and decorate the fringes with dollar bills. Encourage others to make the daisy “bloom”
More discreet methods of collecting money for the expectant mother include:
Buying a teddy bear or other stuffed toy that zips up and asking people to stuff it with paper bills or doing the same with a beautiful cushion and calling it The Financial Cushion.
One way to really surprise a new mom is to collect the money in an envelope and tucking it under her pillow in her hose or in her purse for her to discover later.
Opening a bank account in the mother’s name and then handing her the account book at the end of the party might also be a very charming idea. Package the bank book in a card or wrap it up to make this more of a ceremonial gesture.
At any rate this is certainly a gesture that would be appreciated by any new mother unless they are quite independently wealthy.