What is a Charity Gift Card?
A Charity gift card is a unique kind of gift. It allows a gift giver to make a charitable donation that the gift recipient can direct to the charity of their choice. The giver makes a charitable donation to the Charity gift card provider, which holds the funds. The recipient selects which of several charitable organizations receives the monetary value associated with the gift card.
Charity gift cards provide a form of non-material gift-giving which is becoming increasingly popular. A charity gift card is given by an individual or an organization to another individual or organization in lieu of a material gift, such as a candle or basket of food. This website was created to help people with their questions about charity gift cards, how they work, and how the various providers compare. Our desire is to answer your questions and provide resources to help you make an informed decision about the charity gift card marketplace.
What isn’t a Charity Gift Card?
CREDIT CARDS THAT DONATE A SMALL PERCENTAGE TO CHARITY
Charity gift cards should not be confused with credit card programs which donate a small portion of a credit card purchase to one or more charities of the user’s choice. Many major credit card issuers offer some kind of a “charity donation card.” With these financial products, as little as 1% (less in some cases) of the face amount of the card is donated to charity. Genuine charity gift cards, on the other hand, often send more than 95% of the face value on the card to charity.
GREETING CARDS THAT MAKE DONATIONS TO CHARITY
Several companies offer paper greeting cards that have a small charitable giving component. The amount of money donated to charity when a charity greeting card is purchased is often much less than a dollar, regardless of the cost of the greeting card. There are several good, reputable providers of genuine charity gift cards. We recommend that you look for the Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity Seal or other indication of reputability when making your selection.