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.