Giving Tree® LLC, DBA GiveCard (based in Nashville TN) recently announced their new “GiveCard” gift card. The company hopes to encourage people who purchase and use gift cards to donate a small amount to charity. The card is not a “charity card”, but a full featured gift card that encourages charitable donations.
The creator of the GiveCard (Clayton ‘Nick’ Nicholas, a West Point grad), was among the millions of consumers buying gift cards each year. Mr Nicholas was stationed overseas, and purchased gift cards as gifts for his family.

He wanted to give his mother a gift card so she could buy something she loved, but also wanted his gift to feel more personal. After departing the military Nicholas joined up with business partner Jeff Jacobs and they launched GiveCard. GiveCard not only provides a unique solution for the thousands of gift card givers, the company also is based on the philosophy of microgiving-many small donations can add up to a big impact.

Unlike other gift cards, the GiveCard is not a full charity gift card and it is not a donation made by a company in your name. It is the only card that puts the power of choice in the hands of the consumer. The company’s website is full of facts about how small donations can add up to a large impact (such as: Just $5 can provide 35 pounds of food for hungry children across the U.S.).

Here’s how the donation process works: Purchasers of Visa® GiveCard® gift cards have an opportunity to give something special: cash value for the GiveCard recipient to buy exactly what they want, PLUS a donation to support their favorite charity. The purchaser of the GiveCard (the purchaser) allows the recipient of the GiveCard (the recipient) to choose from a list of over 6,000 nonprofits when they activate the card at GiveCard.com. While the recipient names the charity, the purchaser is the donor of any charitable contribution amount from the GiveCard. Giving Tree partners with two great 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, Charity Navigator and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT), to make this work. Charity Navigator provides a list of over 5,000 nonprofits worthy of consideration for future donation disbursement. The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee handles the paperwork, receiving the donations and getting them to the charities requested by card recipients.

GiveCards can be purchased in values between $25 and $250.