There has been a fair bit of talk lately about charitable gift card services that allow people to make gifts to charities as a "gift" to someone else. In this age of rampant consumerism, we Divas thought that sounded like a good idea and decided to check it out. We went on a quest to find a service that would offer online giving by way of either an electronic notice or a gift card but with a twist: we want it to be available for local Boise charities.
We found two sites that provide such a service. We are not endorsing these services, but simply letting you know that they exist in case you want to promote them to your constituency. Please see the websites for the details on the processing fees charged for each service. There are also some links to articles on charitable gift card services and some other information at the bottom of this page.
Network for Good: www.networkforgood.org allows people to set up online wish lists of their favorite charities, including local ones. It has an interface with GuideStar so all national and local charities are listed. You can seach for a charity by name and state and then add it to your wish list. People who want to give a person a "gift" by making a donation to one of the person's favorite charities can search on that person's email address to see their wish list and then donate to any of the listed charities. Please note: you need to make sure to click on "Send an E-Card" during the checkout process in order to have the recipient be notified of your gift.
They also offer an option of sending a Good Card in which the recipient gets to donate to their charity of choice (rather than the giver donating directly to one on their behalf). With that option, you can choose to send an electronic "Good Card" or a physical gift card via the mail service. The recipient can then use that gift card at their discretion when making an online donation over the next 12 months.
In addition, they offer the option of sending a charity gift basket which is where they have bundled some predetermined charities based around a cause, such as "Aid for Animals", and your donation is split across all of them. The charities in the gift baskets are all national or international charities.
Just Give: www.justgive.org offers the same types of services and they also interface with GuideStar. They offer gift certificates which can be redeemed by the recipient instead of physical gift cards. Their wish lists and gift baskets are similar to the other service. With Just Give you search on the person's name rather than the email address. They also provide the capability to create a wedding registry in which people can donate to the couple's favorite causes -- just think, no more duplicate waffle irons!
If you decide to promote this concept to your friends and family, you can notify them that this year you would like people to give donations to your favorite local charities in lieu of, or in addition to, gifts. An example email promoting both services is provided below:
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To my dear friends and family,
I know you want to give me a gift this year and I have been struggling to think of things that I need. I've realized that, like many people, I don't really need more things. As you know, I spend a lot of my time and energy supporting our local non-profit community here in Boise. I think that the greatest gift this holiday season would be for you to give to something that matters to me, that recognizes and supports where I choose to spend my time and resources.
With that in mind, I wanted to let you know about two online services that support local giving in my area: www.networkforgood.org and www.justgive.org They are online non-profit organizations that provide a way for people to make donations to a non-profit as a gift to someone. I have set up a wish list of my favorite charities on their site. You simply need to search by my email address at http://www.networkforgood.org/wishlist/ or by my name at www.justgive.org and then you can donate to one of the organizations displayed in my wish list. The organization will receive the donation and you will receive a receipt for tax purposes. If you choose to send an E-Card (look for that option during check-out), I will be notified of your gift on my behalf.
Thank you for the gift of supporting the causes that mean the most to me. Best of all, it's a gift that will be returned to my community, never to a store!
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Related Topics:
- Some good articles on the charitable gift card concept:
http://www.justgive.org/html
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com
- Many non-profit organizations, both locally and nationally, offer the option to send a gift card in someone's name for a donation. Thus, you can contact the organization directly if you know the person's favorite non-profit.
- Please also keep in mind that the Idaho Community Foundation now offers online donations to its many funds in the Foundation, as well as the ability to pay for donations for membership in the Foundation online. Visit www.idcomfdn.org for details.
