Frequently Asked Questions
Charity List
Credit Card Security
Privacy
Redemption
Redemption Guarantee - Corporate Accounts
Rewards Programs: Redeeming Points
Tax Deductions
Terms and Conditions
How are charities selected to be listed, are they charged a fee?
We select charities based largely upon their recognition as highly rated, major charities by respected publications, as well as their being sought out by donors for their well-known accomplishments towards their charitable mission. Charities do not pay to be listed.
Note: The charities listed are at the sole discretion of Charity Gift Certificates / Special Kids Fund and may be changed without notice at any time. Listings do not imply any affiliation and are solely for the purpose of offering as a donor-advised choice for the gift recipients.
How do I know that Charity Gift Certificates.org will be reliable in handling my charitable funds?
We, as a non-profit - Special Kids Fund, Inc. - are required to report our charity's financial information to the State of New Jersey: including our 501c3 IRS Form 990 and an independent certified audit.
Allocations (made quarterly, usually 4-6 weeks after the close of the quarter) to the charities are sent "anonymously", in that user privacy is protected and the charities are not given information on the donor, nor recipient.
Once redeemed, the funds are designated to the selected charity; deducting 3% for credit card processing, a $0.50 transaction fee per card plus 5% fundraising costs, (towards maintenance of the website, with the remainder to benefit special needs children).
The full amount of your donation is immediately 100% tax deductible, as a donation to our 501(c)(3) fund, even before the funds are actually distributed to the chosen charity. As such the donor relinquishes all control over the donation without legal recourse.
Please note that unlike for-profit websites and charity portals, www.charitygiftcertificates.org is run by a charitable organization with a distinct cause and mission, providing for special needs children. So using our service is worthwhile all around!
How do I know that it is safe to use my credit card?
VeriSign, our credit card processor, is a recognized and trusted leader in secure Internet transactions.
In fact, it is statistically safer to use your credit card over the Internet than in 'bricks and mortar' outlets.
How do I know which charity my gift recipient selects?
You will only be notified directly which organization benefits from your donation, if your gift recipient requests to have you know which charity he/she has chosen. However, redemption info is available in your account.
Privacy Policy:
We have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to your privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for this site: Charity Gift Certificates assures you that the identity of all who contact us through this website is kept confidential: we do not rent, sell, or exchange our mailing lists; nor reveal names of purchasers/recipients to the individual charities on our list (unless opted-in). Funds are allocated to the charities "anonymously" without passing on any private information or identities.
Will any personal information be sold to marketers?
No. Neither your personal information nor the personal information of your gift recipients will be sold to any third parties.
Privacy Policy:
We have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to your privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for this site:
Charity Gift Certificates assures you that the identity of all who contact us through this website is kept confidential: we do not rent, sell, or exchange our mailing lists; nor reveal names to the individual charities on our list.
Will the charities my gift recipients choose gain access to any personal information about us?
We protect the privacy of our users. We keep personal information confidential.
Can I select the charity when I purchase the card?
You may pre-select a charity to suggest to your gift-recipient. They have up to three charities to designate the funds towards and will see the one you have pre-selected when they enter their redemption code.
Can I use my charity gift card towards a charity's special event or program?
It is up to each individual charity to decide how to 'credit' donations towards their special events. You will be offered the option to print/email verification of your designation on the redemption confirmation page. Depending on their policy, this may be helpful in verifying your directing of funds. We send allocations to charities following each quarter in one bulk check (usually within 4-6 weeks after the closing date) , for all designations made during the past quarter.
Do charity gift cards expire?
Cards do not expire and will be honored, for gift-recipient redemption only, at any time.
Should your gift recipient not designate a charity, we will utilize the gift for our 501c3 charitable organization. This insures that the funds do not lie uselessly dormant, but instead serve a worthwhile purpose. We always retain a reserve for honoring unredeemed cards.
My gift recipient deleted the email containing their Charity Gift, how can I resend it?
Login to your Account, and click on 'Resend eCard'.
What if the person to whom I am sending a Charity Gift does not have Internet access?
At this time, redemptions can only be done online. If you are sending a Charity Gift Certificate to someone who doesn't use the Internet, you may suggest a friend or relative that can assist them in the designation.
What if the person to whom I am sending a Charity Gift doesn't designate a charity to receive the charitable donation?
Should your gift recipient not designate a charity, we will utilize the gift for Special Kids Fund, a 501c3 charitable organization for special needs children. This insures that the funds do not lie uselessly dormant, but instead serve a worthwhile purpose.
Per our 'Terms and Conditions' only the original gift-recipient is entitled to designate the charity, which he/she may do at any time. Purchases of gift cards and certificates are charity donations that are 100% tax deductible at the time of purchase; and, as such, are non-refundable.
Cards, however, do not expire and will be honored for gift-recipient designation at any time. We always retain a reserve for honoring unredeemed cards.
When does Charity Gift Certificates transfer donations to chosen charities?
Charitable donations to chosen charities are distributed on a regular basis; usually quarterly.
What can be done with cards that remain unredeemed?
Gift cards are redeemable by gift-recipients only. The codes also never expire, so must remain active for gift-recipients at any time. Donors are pleased to learn that the residual value of their donation benefit our parent organization, Special Kids Fund, for special needs children.
CORPORATE ACCOUNTS: (70% after 7 months)
We also offer this opt-in option to users. Although our cards are redeemable only by the gift-recipient and never expire, we enable our corporate clients to redeem a number of the remaining cards, to achieve the equivalent of an 70% redemption rate. This approximates the usage percentage for all gift cards, even merchant cards used in retail outlets.
To activate this feature, forward your order confirmation email to
redemptions@charity-choice.org, requesting the redemption guarantee. You will be sent an email after 8 months enabling you to choose the charities the funds should go towards. The 7 month lag time gives opportunity for the vast majority of the cards to be redeemed by the recipients; however, even if they enter their redemption codes following the 7 month period, it will always be honored.
Cannot be combined with any discounts or used for cards bought through third party or affiliate links.
Can I claim a tax deduction for my redemption of a gift card attained through my rewards program?
Generally speaking employee incentive programs are more clearly tax deductible than credit card redemptions.
You will be offered the option to receive a tax acknowledgement from us; please retain your receipt for the card ordered from your rewards program as well. Consult your own tax advisor as to your eligibility.
How do I order a charity donation card from my rewards program?
CharityChoice is offered in many credit card and employee incentive rewards programs.
You can login to your rewards account to see if charitable donations are offered.
Once you order and receive your card, use the redemption code to designate the funds.
You may select up to three charities from our carefully chosen, broad selection of worthwhile causes.
Funds are sent to the charities quarterly, as one bulk check.
Contact your rewards administrator, if they do not yet offer charitable donations, to make a request that they add charity cards to the rewards offered.
More info is available at our webpage
www.mycharitypoints.org.
How do I redeem multiple cards (codes) that I have received from my rewards program?
You need not enter each redemption code separately in our home page 'Redemption' box.
Instead, you can easily enter all the codes together -
click here.
The total of your donations can then be designated to a single charity or divided equally between up to three choices.
Is my CharityChoice Gift Card or Gift Certificates purchase tax deductible?
Yes, it is 100% tax deductible, for the buyer upon purchase.
The full amount of your donation is immediately tax deductible, as a donation to a 501(c)(3) fund, even before allocation to the chosen charity.
Charity Gift Certificates/CharityChoice Gift Cards is a project of Special Kids Fund, Inc., a New Jersey nonprofit corporation that has tax-deductible status as a charitable organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service.
IRS - EIN # 58-2550249. www.SpecialKidsFund.org
What about using Charity Gift Certificates as business gifts? Any tax benefits?
Business gifts are generally only tax deductible up to $25. As a charity gift that only entails the privilege of designation, it may allow exceeding the IRS maximum for business gifts. (Check with your tax advisor.)
Please consult your tax advisor to discuss how tax deductibility may apply to your situation.
Who qualifies for a tax deduction for a Charity Gift, the giver or the gift recipient?
The Gift Certificate giver makes the monetary donation to charity and therefore qualifies for the deduction. Recipients are entitled to designate that donation to a chosen charity, but because the donation came from the purchaser of the Charity Gift, the recipient should not claim a deduction.
Will I receive an acknowledgement of my donation for tax purposes?
Yes, following your purchase you will receive an email confirmation, verifying the information submitted and acknowledging the date and amount of your donation to our 501 c (3) organization, (IRS) Federal ID -EIN # 58-2550249. You can also access reports and acknowledgements in your account.
How much of my donation, once redeemed, is passed on to the designated charity?
We will distribute the donation to the designated charity; deducting $0.50 per card + 3% credit card processing and a 5% fundraising costs - towards management of this nonprofit fundraising program, with the remainder towards our parent nonprofit benefiting special needs children (
www.specialkidsfund.org). In some cases, a larger administrative fee may be required; depending upon the third-party purchase and the costs involved, e.g., affiliate marketing and rewards programs. Purchases made directly on our website are in the 5% category.
The full amount of your donation is immediately 100% tax deductible, as a donation to our 501(c)(3) fund, even before the funds are actually allocated to the chosen charity (allocations are sent on a quarterly basis, usually 4-6 weeks following the close). Privacy is protected, the charities are not given any information about donors, nor recipients (unless opted-in).
Please note that unlike for-profit websites and charity portals, CharityChoice is run by a charitable organization with a distinct mission, providing for special needs children; so that using our service is worthwhile all around!
Terms and Conditions
CharityChoice Gift Cards are recipient-designated charity gifts: a project of Special Kids Fund (501c3, EIN 58-2550249). Only the original gift-recipient is entitled to designate the charity, which he/she may do at any time and are also not to be regifted.
If a card is purchased to use to donate to a charity, and not given as a gift; then the card-holder may redeem the card.
Cards never lose value, nor expire. We always retain a reserve for honoring unredeemed cards.
Purchases of gift cards are charity donations that are 100% tax deductible at the time of purchase; and, as such, are non-refundable.
For cards purchased on our website, we deduct $0.50 per card [for cards $2 and up]+ 3% credit card processing and 5% fundraising costs.
Fees are used towards the management of this nonprofit fundraising program, and towards our mission to benefit special needs children. We send allocations to charities following each quarter in one bulk check (usually within 4-6 weeks after the closing date), for all designations made during the past quarter.
SHIPPING AND HANDLING: Physical Cards - $4.95 per order (for any quantity of cards shipped to a single address) for USPS First Class mailing with additional options for expedited shipping available at checkout.
Terms for Donations
Donations are subject to a 3% credit card processing charge, a $.50 transaction fee plus a modest 5% fundraising costs, (towards maintenance of the website, with the remainder to benefit special needs children). You will receive an emailed tax receipt as a donation to our 501(c)(3) fund.
Allocations (made quarterly) to the selected charities are sent "anonymously", in that user privacy is protected and the charities are not given information on the donor, unless the donor uses the optin to share their info with the charity. Since the donation comes through our allocation, you will not receive a donation acknowledgement directly from the charity itself.
We, as a non-profit - Special Kids Fund, Inc./CharityChoice - are required to report our charity's financial information to the State of New Jersey: including our 501c3 IRS Form 990 and an independent certified audit.
Please note that unlike for-profit websites and charity portals, www.charitygiftcertificates.org is run by a charitable organization with a distinct cause and mission, providing for special needs children. So using our service is worthwhile all around!