More Choose Gift That Truly Keeps Giving

Strathmann said the concept of charitable gift cards has become a successful example of embedding philanthropy in people's daily lives. Nine of 10 Americans identify as "conscious consumers," according to research by branding firm BBMG, which Strathmann said poses a major opportunity for nonprofit groups on the Web.

"We're going to see more and more innovative ways of giving to charity around the holidays," he said.

The idea for TisBest, the Seattle-based company that sold Henry her gift cards, began when founder Erik Marks was a law student in 1991, but like most other charitable gift card programs, it began functioning on the Web only in the past year.

Marks said the concept probably would have taken off several years ago, but the idea was patented during the dotcom heyday in the early 2000s, and the patent holder, a Texas-based company, sent cease-and-desist letters to anyone who tried to start a competing site. The company no longer sells gift cards, and the patent was thrown out in July 2007, fueling a mini-boom in new Web sites selling the cards.

TisBest began selling e-mail gift certificates last December, then expanded to plastic gift cards this year. Gift-givers can customize the cards with images from the Web site, or upload their own. For close friends and family, Henry ordered gift cards featuring a picture of herself with each recipient.

Strathmann said about 56 percent of Good Card givers send gift certificates via e-mail, either because it's environmentally friendly or they waited until the last minute to send the gift. The average card is worth $50, and some people buy 10 or 20 for co-workers or dinner party guests, he said. The transaction fee, generally between $3 and $5, covers the relatively low cost of running the program.

At Pomco Group, a Syracuse, N.Y.-based benefit management company, all 400 employees will receive a TisBest gift card this year. The family-owned company has always given gifts to employees at the holidays, a tradition that will continue, but its owners also wanted to encourage workers to do something for the community.

"Last year we gave out the gift cards, and the response was unbelievable," said Elsa Steo Pomco's human resources director. "Employees were very touched to know that rather than the company making a donation somewhere, they could make their own decisions."

Unlike the much larger Network for Good, TisBest offers donors a list of about 250 national and international nonprofits. TisBest doesn't judge the "moral quality" of organizations on the site, he said, but staff members review financial documents for each charity before approving it for listing.

Strathmann said most donors go online knowing exactly which group they want to give to. His program, which has sold $1.2 million worth of Good Cards so far, links to Charity Navigator, one of the largest online sources of financial information about charities.

"One of the amazing things is that while traditional giving has remained flat during the recession, online giving has continued to grow" by 20 to 30 percent a year, Strathmann said. "And that has opened up more and more ways to give gifts that are about the recipient doing good."

Charity gift cards are available at http://networkforgood.org/goodcard, http://tisbest.org and other Web sites.