Charity Gift Cards

I think its tacky.
And/or presumptuous.. that others have to then use that charity gift card to donate it to. Even if the said charity is their choice.
And if they do not use it, then will they tell you?
Or will you ask them if they used it or what they thought of it?

My SIL has done this type of thing for/to us and I have to say it bugs me a little. It may be bc of how holier than thou she is in general but I feel like it's her way of saying "WE are so nonmaterialistic that WE can't imagine wanting anything for ourselves so we imagine you feel (or should feel) the same way so here's a gift but it's not really a gift for you." And/or it's implying I don't give to charity on my own already so they need to do it for me... It should be a great idea. People usually don't need more stuff but somehow it doesn't seem in the spirit of really gift giving at Christmas unless they suggest it when you ask what they want. If they're getting you a gift in return, it also might seriously cut into their budget. I think when gift giving is reciprocal, people can kind of assume the $300 or $1k they spend at Christmas will provide them in return with at least some things they need/wanted to buy for themselves. Your friends and family may be very well off financially but so are we and like I said, still kind of bugs me. I'm an adult. I donate to charity already. I don't need someone giving me a gift of money to charity bc i'm not generous enough to do it myself... Sorry. Just my opinion. I shouldn't feel that way but I do!

I don't know that it's tacky. I just find it presumptuous...?? I have ALWAYS felt that if you want money to go to charities, give your money. Don't assume someone else is interested in donating to any charities, and don't skip getting a gift, to give your money to charity. That's what's weird about "gifts" like this. You are giving YOUR money to someone, to give to someone else. It's just, not the best method.

Don't shuffle your money from hand to hand, and pretend it's a gift.

It's a little tacky. Or presumptuous. Unless you and your family/friends have decided on this beforehand or you know they would really like this instead of a regular gift. Otherwise, I think a gift should be a personal gift for the recipient, not someone else or another organization, be it charity or otherwise. That being said, I know your intentions are good!

I never really got this idea... Your 'special gift' to someone else is to let them know that YOU donated YOUR $ to charity?? So strange! Then you pass it off as a 'look what I did FOR YOU'??

If people want to donate to charity that is their personal choice. Forced donation is not much in the Christmas Spirit, IMHO.

~If you know that this IS what your family ALWAYS does, then why are you asking for our opinions on the idea?

So basically you're giving a lot of money to charity instead of buying them a gift?

I think if you want to give to a charity just do it yourself. Don't let that person think you've given them something just to find out they aren't getting anything at all.

I agree that it's tacky. We've had family members who give to THEIR pet charities and tell us that this is our Christmas gift. Just don't bother to "give" a gift, for crying out loud! (At least your idea gives them a choice of charities...)

I got excited when I found out one year that they donated to the art museum we took our kids to. I guess I misunderstood the donation because I thought that they bought us a family membership. Nope. It was just money they gave.

We never got any notification from the charities about receiving a donation in our name. I guess I just don't get the idea that this is a gift...

I do think that giving money to charities in the name of a deceased person is absolutely fine, unless the person who died specifically didn't like that charity... that is entirely different than a Christmas gift.

Well...if you give cash they could certainly donate it to a charity if they choose to do so, otherwise the recipient could get something for themselves.
I guess I rather just donate directly to a charity then through something that will take another piece of the pie. Although I must admit I know nothing about tisbest.org.

I don't know that "tacky" OR "presumptuous" is the word.
I think it's kind of...well...cheap.
In the regard that you're giving a "gift" AND making sure "your money is being donated to a charity.
Kind of like monetary double dipping, know what I mean?

I don't think it's tacky per se, but I do think it's odd that you will assume people want to give to a charity. Giving to charities is a pretty personal thing - in my opinion - and I don't want to assume that people want a gift that they give away....

If I want to give to a charity - GREAT! But I am not going to give money to someone as a gift to have them give away....odd....

I think it's a great idea! In fact, for Father's Day and my day's bday, I donated to a food bank.