giving

Best Charity Gift Cards

Giving to Charity

It's the season of giving, and while many Americans reach for their wallet without hesitation to show their love for their friends and families, it doesn't always occur to them to donate to charity. But maybe you want to contribute to your favorite cause, but simply don't have the time. Luckily, with charity gift cards, you can show your love for family and friends, and do good at the same time.

There are two types of charity gift cards to choose from: one that operates like a regular gift card to a store, but a percentage of the money you spend is given to charity, and one where the gift card allows the receiver to give the full amount of the gift card to the charity of their choice.

The first type of card, the percentage of money given to charity kind, is the easiest option, because all you have to do is buy a gift card you were already going to buy, and some of your money goes to a good cause. Some examples of this kind of card are, Gap, Nordstrom, and Williams Sonoma.

The type of card that allows the receiver to give the card amount to the charity of their choice is a bit more complicated. To make it easier, we've compiled a list to help you weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each card:

The top charity gift cards are: TisBest, CharityChoice, the JustGive GiveNow Card, the DonorsChoose.org, the GlobalGiving Gift Card and the Gift of Giving Gift Card.

TisBest

  • Giftcards don't expire
  • Tax deductible for the purchaser of the gift card
  • 1.5 million+ charities to choose from
  • $1.49 for plastic cards to cover cost of card; $0 transaction fee and $0 credit card processing fee. Shipping: free

CharityChoice

  • Giftcards don't expire
  • Tax deductible for the purchaser of the gift card
  • 1,000+ charities to choose from
  • $0.50 per card plus 5% administrative fee and 3% credit card processing fee. Shipping: $4.95 per order

JustGive GiveNow Card

  • Expires after one year
  • 2 million charities to choose from
  • $5 for every company-printed and mailed 4x5-inch card; $2 fee for each Email Charity Gift Card, Print-At-Home Charity Gift Card or Charity Gift Card Claim Code. 4.5% processing fee plus a $0.35 flat fee per donation

DonorsChoose.org

  • Gift cards expire after six months. If the gift card is not spent, the funds will be applied to urgent classroom projects through the Community Fund.
  • All projects supported by donors choose are related to education. The person who spends the giftcard will also receive photos and thank you notes from the students helped.

GlobalGiving Card

  • Gift cards expire after one year
  • 100% tax-deductible to the purchaser of the gift card if the project selected is pre-qualified for 501(c)3 equivalency status.
  • More than 5,000 projects to choose from
  • $0 for card plus 15% administrative fee

Gift of Giving Card

  • Expires one year after purchase
  • 100+ charities to choose from
  • Each card costs $4.95, which goes to support the operation of The Gift of Giving.

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How Donating to Charity Can Give Back

Why is it that we feel more charitable around the holidays? Maybe it's the eggnog getting to our heads, but holiday time is a huge season for making strangers feel warm and special. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, Giving USA 2015 estimated the 2014 figure for individual giving at $258.51 billion, which was a 7.1% increase from that of the year prior. Maybe it's all the horrible news that keeps bombarding our screens. But donating to charity is not just a generous way to spend your extra cash around the holiday season: there's a way that charity can give back, too.

According to Charity Navigator, when you make a donation to an eligible charity, you can save on taxes. For example, the higher your tax bracket, the lower the actual cost of your donation, considering your tax savings. For example, if you're in a 33% tax bracket and donate $100 to a charity, that means you're only actually paying $67 when you take your $33 tax savings into account. The higher your tax bracket, the more tax savings you will have. So, it pays to be wealthy!

Another benefit you may not know about your donation to a qualified charity, is that it's deductible within the year, even if you make a payment on credit that is not made until the following year. Most charitable organizations also qualify for a charitable contribution deduction, including religious organizations, educational organizations, hospitals, government units, and more.

But people assume incorrectly when they think only monetary donations can give them tax breaks. Even if you're not donating money, you can still be recognized for deductions for clothing and household items in "good condition or better." These will be taken into consideration at their value.

But one important caveat: you must always remember your documentation, even for non-monetary donations. If you donate clothes to Goodwill, for example, always get a receipt. In case you are audited, you must have a canceled check, credit card statement, or a written verification statement from the charity including its name, the date of donation, and amount donated. Even if you donate some dollars into a bucket, without a receipt, you won't be able to use that as a charitable deduction.

Donating to charity is a great thing to do all year round, to all parties involved. For more on how you can give the best gift of all this season, read this!

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