Written by the team behind Puzzlify. Puzzlify is our product, so weigh what follows with that in mind. We've tried to make this useful even if you never use it. We're not affiliated with the Fairtrade Foundation, any Fairtrade supplier, parish council, parochial church council, diocese, church, chapel, charity or community organisation.
After the last hymn on the first Sunday of the month, a folding table appears at the back of church, next to the after-service coffee. On it: jars of Fairtrade coffee, boxes of tea, bars of chocolate, a few bags of rice and dried mango, a handwritten price list and a tin for the money. The person behind it has carried three heavy crates from the car, checked the best-before dates, and will spend the next forty minutes chatting, giving change and answering the same question about where the cocoa comes from. In the week, they will order the stock, count the takings and post a cheque. Those are your church's Fairtrade stall volunteers.
If you'd like to thank the people who run the Fairtrade stall at your church, this is a guide to doing it simply and well, with an honest look at whether a photo puzzle is a good idea.
Who we mean
Many churches have a small fair-trade or traidcraft-style stall, sometimes linked to a Fairtrade church or Fairtrade town scheme. The people we mean might:
- set up the stall after the morning service, often once a month
- order and collect stock, and store it in a cupboard at home
- keep simple accounts and bank the takings
- make sure the after-service coffee and tea are Fairtrade too
- put on a display in Fairtrade Fortnight in late February and early March
- bring the Christmas selection out in November: chocolate, cards and gifts
- answer questions kindly, without lecturing anyone
Why a thank-you matters here
A Fairtrade stall is small, steady and easy to take for granted. It takes up a lot of quiet time: lugging boxes, chasing orders, counting coins, and standing at a table while everyone else drinks their coffee. It also keeps a congregation connected, Sunday by Sunday, to the farmers and growers on the other side of the world. A thank-you tells the volunteers that the boxes and the change tin have not gone unnoticed.
A little honest background
You don't need a special occasion. Fairtrade Fortnight, the Christmas stall, the annual meeting, or the day someone finally hands over the cash tin are all good moments. "Thank you for the coffee we drink every Sunday" is plenty.
A thank-you gift is personal. Keep it small and in proportion, and keep it about the person, not about any debate on prices or suppliers.
What makes a good photo
- the stall laid out after the service: coffee jars, tea boxes and chocolate in neat rows
- the coffee table with Fairtrade mugs, the urn and a plate of biscuits, before anyone arrives
- the handwritten price list propped against a jar
- the cash tin and a float of coins, with no faces in shot
- crates of stock stacked by the church door
- the Christmas stall with cards and chocolate in early December
A few practical points:
- Keep faces out unless people have happily agreed.
- Turn the flash off; the colours of the packaging look better in daylight.
- Avoid branded logos as the main subject; the arrangement is what the volunteer will recognise.
- Choose a photo the volunteer will recognise straight away.
Picking a piece count
| Pieces | Good for |
|---|---|
| 24 | a quick puzzle on a phone, or for someone who doesn't usually do puzzles |
| 48 | a relaxed ten minutes with a cup of (Fairtrade) tea |
| 80 | a good evening's puzzle for someone who likes detail |
| 130 | a detailed photo, like the whole stall laid out with every jar and bar |
| 252 | a real project, best on a tablet or computer, for a quiet winter evening |
If you're not sure, 48 is a safe choice for most people. A stall full of colourful packaging makes a satisfying puzzle, so 80 can suit someone who enjoys detail.
When and how to send it
Good moments include the Christmas stall, Fairtrade Fortnight, the volunteer's birthday, or when they step back. Make the puzzle, write the note, publish the link, and send it by email or message, or print the link as a QR code inside a card. The recipient doesn't need an account or an app, and the note appears when the last piece clicks into place. If your volunteer prefers paper, a handwritten card is perfect on its own.
Note examples
- "Thank you for every jar, every bar and every Sunday."
- "Thank you for carrying the boxes so we could just buy the chocolate."
- "Thank you for making our coffee fair, quietly, for years."
- "Thank you for the change, the chat and the patience."
- "Crates carried: lots. Thanks owed: more."
- "Thank you for reminding us who grows our tea."
What it costs, plainly
The preview is free, so you can see how it looks before deciding anything. Publishing the link costs one credit (€3.99), or less per puzzle with a bundle. It's a digital puzzle, not a printed or cardboard one, so nothing arrives in the post. If a card and a few sentences feel like enough, they are.
Ideas that are not a puzzle
- a handwritten card signed by the coffee rota
- a mention in the Sunday notices or at the annual meeting
- offering to carry the crates in next month
- buying something from the stall every single time
- taking a turn behind the table yourself
- a few words to the vicar so the volunteer hears how much it meant
Where Puzzlify fits
Puzzlify turns a personal photo into a private digital jigsaw that you send as a link. It isn't a printed puzzle, and it isn't a public puzzle board: only the people you send it to can open it. It's one option among many, and it works best when the photo means something to the person receiving it. Please don't confuse it with puzzlify.io, Puzzlit, Puzzly or Puzzify, which are different things.
If a photo puzzle feels right as well, choose the stall laid out after the service, the coffee table or the Christmas display, pick a piece count that suits them, and write the note in your own words. You can make one here.
Whatever you send, the most important part is the sentence that sounds like you, written to the person who keeps the coffee fair.
Written by the small team behind Puzzlify (info@puzzlify.app). Not legal, religious, financial, charity law, trading standards, data protection, photography permission or gift policy advice.