FAQs
Don't panic - if you have questions about Oxfam Unwrapped, you're in the right place!
But if you can't find what you need, please give our friendly team a ring on 0800 400 666 or 09 355 6500, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm and we'll be happy to help.
Select a topic from the list below.
1) What is Oxfam Unwrapped?
Oxfam Unwrapped offers a range of famously funusual gifts suitable for any occasion – Christmas, birthdays, wedding gifts, or fathers' and mothers' days. Choose an Oxfam Unwrapped gift like a cow or safe water and not only are you buying a great gift, you're giving someone living in poverty the chance of a better life.
There are 48 great gift ideas and prices start from just $5. These can be bought online with a credit card, by phone or by post.
When you buy a gift from Oxfam Unwrapped your donation will be used to fund projects that involve the item you buy.
For example, when you purchase a chicken, your money can help to:
- Buy local chickens
- Train families in how to care for their chickens and other farming methods
- Provide vaccinations for the chickens
- Provide market awareness training so families can make the most of their chickens
- And help cover the costs of producing the Oxfam Unwrapped catalogue
In more detail...
Your donation will go toward funding projects that your item represents in one of our five key areas of our work. This includes agriculture, health, education, livelihoods (jobs) and emergencies. This allows us to direct supporters' donations to where the need is greatest.
It ensures that we won't be in a situation where we have too many goats (and not enough food to feed them) and allows donations to best meet individual community needs within the project theme. It also means we spend less money on the administrative and logistical challenge of tracking individual donations down to specific items in one of the many communities around the world in which we work. We believe this is the most responsible and ethical way in which to work, and has the biggest impact on poverty.
2) What do we/my recipient get when we purchase an Oxfam Unwrapped gift?
When you buy an Oxfam Unwrapped gift you get a gift card that tells you more about your gift. This can be delivered to you to personalise and pass on, or sent electronically directly to the recipient. Or, if you prefer, you can personalise your card during the checkout process and then print it out at home.
3) What do the cards look like?
Each printed card will have a photo of the gift on the cover and a description of how that gift fights poverty on the inner left. The inner right is blank for you to write your message to your recipient. E-cards and PDF cards will have the same photo and description to go with your message.
4) What are the new gifts this year?
This year we've added six new gifts to our range for 2011. These are oral rehydration salts, a pair of goats, a flock of chicks, a flock of ducklings, a pile of poo, and safe water for ten people.
In 2010 the new gifts we introduced were: Chillies, Coconuts, Vanilla, Ginger, Honey bees, Organic bananas, Fetau trees, Family emergency kits, and the 'Poo' map.
5) How quickly will I get my order?
Please allow 7 working days for delivery. This may vary at busy times of year especially the countdown to Christmas so please order early.
We will dispatch your order by post within three working days of receipt. Please allow longer for international deliveries. If you're running out of time, you can choose a PDF card to be sent straight to your email address for you to print at home, or an e-card to be delivered straight to your recipient right now or on a date of your choice.
If your cards do not arrive within 7 working days, please call us on 0800 400 666 or 09 355 6500, (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm) and we will send replacement cards to you.
6) What is the cut-off date for ordering for Christmas?
Providing we have received your order prior to the 19th of December and you are in New Zealand, we expect to send your order to arrive in time for Christmas. Any orders received from the 19th of December will be sent by fast post to give them the best chance of arriving by Christmas Day.
7) My recipient hasn't received their e-card / I haven't received my personalised PDF card – what has happened?
There are two common reasons that an e-card or a PDF card does not arrive. The first thing to check is whether the email went to your or your recipient's SPAM or junk mail folder. Then check that the email address you entered was the correct one. If this happens, don't panic! We are able to resend e-cards and PDF cards, please call us to arrange on 0800 400 666 or 09 355 6500 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm).
8) How do I order?
Online: Ordering online saves Oxfam New Zealand money and is the way to send e-cards straight to your friends or family. Or, if you prefer, we'll send you paper cards to personalise and give to your loved ones.
Phone: 0800 600 700: Call us Mon – Fri, 9am to 5.30pm and place your order over the phone. Orders will take a few minutes to complete.
From the catalogue: There's an order form and instructions at the back of the catalogue that you simply fill out, tear off and send to Oxfam New Zealand, PO Box 68357, Newton, Auckland 1445. We'll send your gift cards back to you. Don't have a catalogue? Please call 0800 400 666 or 09 355 6500 Mon – Fri, 9am to 5.30pm, to give us your details and we will send you one in the post.
9) How can I pay?
This website accepts Visa, Mastercard & AMEX credit cards. If you don't have a credit card, you can send a cheque with your name, address and order details to: Oxfam, PO Box 68357, Newton, Auckland 1145. Or, if you prefer give us a call during office hours on 0800 400 666 or 09 355 6500, Mon – Fri, 9am to 5.30pm, to discuss other options.
10) What are the delivery costs?
To help cover the costs of sending your order, we include a fee of $1. If you need your order sent overnight, you can choose to have a courier within New Zealand for $5.
11) Where does the money go?
Oxfam Unwrapped has proved a very cost-effective way of raising funds for Oxfam's work around the world. Our aim is to make the best use of our supporters' money by making the biggest possible difference to the lives of people living in poverty around the world.
12) Is my gift tax-deductible?
Yes. Both individuals and companies can claim back 33.33% of all donations to Oxfam and other eligible charities, right up to the total value of their taxable income. We will send you a tax receipt with your printed cards, or if you are purchasing electronic cards you can choose to receive your tax receipt via email.
13) Can I find out more about the people/projects my Oxfam Unwrapped gifts have funded?
Please visit our website www.oxfam.org.nz to see where your gifts have been used and what impact they have had on countless people's lives around the world. You can also sign up to receive our e-updates about our work and all the ways you can play a part in the fight against poverty. Unfortunately, we are unable to tell you exactly where the particular gift that you have bought will have gone, as this would be too costly, and mean that less money would be available to use where it is needed most.
14) For my Oxfam Unwrapped gift I was offered the option for Oxfam to use my money for ‘something equally important if necessary' – what is this and why do you offer it?
Many of our supporters enjoy the funusual nature of Oxfam Unwrapped gifts but want to maximise the value of their gift. By offering this option we enable those people to allow Oxfam to spend the money for any purpose, rather than the specific gift they choose, if necessary. This flexibility helps us because the needs of poor communities change. For instance, we may need to respond to a natural disaster, like a flood or earthquake, or we might need more funding for particular projects like stopping violence against women.
15) How can I get a printed catalogue?
Please call 0800 400 666 or 09 355 6500 Mon – Fri, 9am to 5.30pm, or email us oxfam@oxfam.org.nz to give us your details and we will send you one in the post.
Alternatively, you can download the catalogue (PDF, 4.5 MB) and print it out at home. There is also a low res version (PDF, 1.5 MB) but it doesn't look as nice!
16) How do you choose the Oxfam Unwrapped gifts that are sold and how do you price them?
We design our Oxfam Unwrapped catalogue around the needs of the communities who we work with, and all the gifts have been identified as essential by these communities. The prices of the gifts are based on examples of the costs of buying the items around the world. The price includes the costs associated with delivering and maintaining the item or service. For example, the price of a goat includes transport for the animal to reach its destination, vaccinations, training in animal husbandry, a project coordinator, market awareness training and the costs of running Oxfam Unwrapped.
17) Why does Oxfam support the use of animals through Oxfam Unwrapped?
The aim of distributing livestock through the projects of Oxfam New Zealand is about increasing the agricultural productivity and helping people to support themselves and earn an income.
Oxfam New Zealand's agriculture projects focus on the rural poor. In these communities, livestock can equal transport, power, fertiliser and food. Apart from farming activities like ploughing, seeding, fertilising and weeding, livestock are useful for a range of off-farm operations such as carting, cutting and collecting water. Some animals also provide additional food sources – like eggs from chickens and milk from goats and buffalo.
These projects give communities the opportunity to develop new skills such as learning how to get a fair deal when selling produce, knowing what their rights are and working together to get the best possible results.
18) But isn't it unethical to use animals?
Oxfam understands that there are ethical considerations when supplying animals as part of a development project and that these need to be balanced against the needs of the people we work with. The way we work ensures that the animals used in our projects are not merely distributed to communities with no further engagement. Instead, we form long-term partnerships with communities and often support agricultural projects over a number of years.
What this means in practice is that our staff regularly monitor and evaluate projects and that training in animal husbandry as well as vaccinations against disease are provided as part of the project.
Animal gifting is not a form of "intensive farming". Most domesticated animals in developing countries are not "farmed" as they are in the developed world. They are "kept" or "raised", usually by families or small communities, with herds rarely getting so large as to be termed "intensive farming".
19) What are Oxfam's contact details?
Call us toll-free 0800 400 666
Email us at oxfam@oxfam.org.nz
Mail us at PO Box 68357, Newton, Auckland 1145, New Zealand
Visit us at Level 1, 14 West Street, Auckland, New Zealand
20) I couldn't complete my order
If you have received an error message and are unable to complete your order, please call us on 0800 400 666 during office hours, and we will take your order. We appreciate your patience while we try to resolve this issue.
21) How do I sponsor a goat?
Give us a call on 0800 400 666 or email us at oxfam@oxfam.org.nz and we can set up your sponsorship!
22) What will the person I’m buying for get if I sponsor a goat for them?
They will receive a certificate of appreciation featuring our goat of the year, Georgie. Plus every quarter they’ll receive Georgie-mail, an update via email straight from the goat’s mouth!
23) What is Georgie mail?
Georgie mail is the email your friend/relative/colleague will receive every three months about what Georgie’s been up to and the work that Oxfam is doing in Papua New Guinea!
24) Where does the money go if I sponsor a goat?
The money you give will be used to support Oxfam’s work around the world. Our aim is to make the best use of our supporters' money by making the biggest possible difference to the lives of people living in poverty around the world.
25) How can I help spread the word about Oxfam Unwrapped?
There are many ways you can help spread the word about Oxfam Unwrapped:
- Share the gifts you like on Facebook or twitter, or email them to a friend
- Print out this poster and put it up at your workplace or university
- Use Oxfam Unwrapped for your company’s Christmas gifts this year
- Set up a wedding registry or wish list with us for your wedding, civil union, birthday, baby shower, anniversary or other important occasion
- Talk to people about the great gifts we have!
26) Are there Oxfam Unwrapped options for businesses?
Yes, we have a special package offer for businesses that allows you to order cards with your own message and logo inside. Click here to find out more.