What is a TisBest Charity Gift Card?
A TisBest Charity Gift Card is purchased from this website. It works like any other gift card, and the recipient of a Charity Gift Card spends it to support a charity of their choice.
What do TisBest Charity Gift Cards look like?
Charity Gift Cards look like this You choose between (1) printing the gift card on your printer, (2) sending an instant gift card by email or (3) sending a plastic (100% recycled) gift card by regular mail. You choose from over 50 stock images for your Charity Gift Card, or you can upload your own image for the gift card!  Plastic cards sent by mail come in a quality greeting card custom printed with your personal message.
Can I make a custom charity gift card with any photo or artwork?   
Yes. You can use one of our 54 stock images or upload your own photo, artwork or logo. To upload your own image, click BUY on the homepage and then select the "Upload My Own Image" button. It's very easy, an ordinary photograph works well, and you see exactly what your gift card will look like.   Your file should be a jpg.   (If you are formatting an image specifically for our cards, it should be 974x606 pixels and 300dpi.   The file size can be up to 1 mb.  Click here to download a gift card template that you can use for layout in Photoshop.  Dark backgrounds work better than light backgrounds, and try to avoid light yellows and light oranges to assure accurate color reproduction on the plastic cards.)
 
There is no extra cost for custom cards.
There is no minimum order for custom cards.
There is no shipping delay for custom cards.  
What is your shipping policy?
Standard shipping is Free.  Expedited or overnight shipping can be selected during checkout for an additional charge.  Cards are shipped within one business day after you order them.  (For Charity Gift Cards that you print on your printer or send via email, delivery is instant and there is no shipping charge of course.)
If I buy a TisBest Charity Gift Card, do you send it to me or to the gift recipient?
You choose during the ordering process. We can send the Charity Gift Card directly to the recipient. Or, we can send the Charity Gift Card to you, and you can deliver it to the recipient personally.
Can I send Charity Gift Cards for more than one person in a single transaction?
Yes. You can order any variety of Charity Gift Cards you want in one transaction. Each Charity Gift Card will appear in your Shopping Cart, and you will pay for all of them during Checkout. If you are sending out a lot of cards, you can upload a mailing list.  To do so, click "Buy" on the homepage and rather than entering Recipient Information manually, click the Import Recipient List button and follow instructions on the screen.  You will use one of these excel templates:  Email Card Template or Plastic Card Template.  If your order is very large (large as in hundreds or thousands) please contact us directly at info@TisBest.org for special information and options.
Can you send the Charity Gift Card on a future date - such as a birthday?
Yes, we can email a card to the recipient on any date you select. A calendar is included in the card selection process. We email cards out at 4:30am Pacific Time on the date selected. Click here for [shipping information] about classic-plastic gift cards.
Do TisBest Charity Gift Cards expire?
Our gift cards do not expire and may be used at any time.
What denominations of Charity Gift Cards do you offer?
Each Charity Gift Card is customized so that you can order any denomination, down to the penny, between $10 and $5,000.  If you need a large number of cards, we can create lower-value cards as a special order (for example consider having your business hand out $5 Charity Gift Cards, rather than kitsch, at a conference). 
How much does a Charity Gift Card cost, and how much of my money does the charity receive?
If you want a plastic gift card, then we charge $1.49 to cover the cost of materials and handling.  This includes the plastic gift card with full customization, the greeting card and envelope.  All materials are 100% recycled content.   There is no charge for email or print-on-your-printer cards. 
 
The charity receives the entire amount on the card, less a $1.95 transaction fee and 3% received by the credit card processor (as with all credit card transactions). We transfer funds to the charities each calendar quarter, based on Charity Gift Cards spent in the prior quarter.
 
We sometimes offer $1.00 gift cards on a promotional basis.  There are no fees associated with those gift cards, and so the charity receives 100% of the funds from a $1.00 gift card.  
Do you give names and contact information to the charities?  Whose name is the donation made in?
We understand the problem with unwanted phone and mail solicitations, so we do not share any customer names or contact information with charities. Donations are made from TisBest Philanthropy. If you want to register with a charity to receive their mailings, please go to that charity's website and register directly.
Is a TisBest Charity Gift Card tax-deductible?
Yes. The person who buys a Charity Gift Card gets the opportunity for a tax deduction. For example, if you buy a $50 Charity Gift Card, we send you a receipt for a $50 charitable donation to TisBest Philanthropy, an IRS approved 501(c)(3) charity under EIN 20-8630809. The person spending a Charity Gift Card is not entitled to a tax deduction. Please consult with your tax advisor for specific advice about taking tax deductions.
Why do you offer plastic gift cards?
Many customers have requested a physical card option, and we're doing our best to offer an environmentally friendly and fully customizable solution. Our plastic gift cards are 100% recycled content – that is why they have a slight gray hue rather than being bright white. See earthworkssystem.com more information.
What if I order a TisBest Charity Gift Card and it is not received?
Our email Charity Gift Cards and receipts come from cards@tisbest.org. If you or the recipient did not receive your order, please first check spam and junk email folders, and add TisBest.org as a trusted sender. If the email is not in the your spam or junk folder, please check your receipt to be sure the email addresses you gave us are correct; you can review your order and resend an instant-email Charity Gift Card from your receipt at any time by clicking the "Review Order Button" on your receipt. If you need further help, or if any classic-plastic cards are not received, please send your name, email address and an explanation to info@tisbest.org and we will promptly address your needs. To request a duplicate receipt, click HERE

If you do not have your receipt, click here; Send Receipt. You will be asked for your email address and we will email you the receipt for your most recent order. From that receipt, click "Review Order Button" and you can access all of your transactions in the past year. [need to confirm how this was actually built]
I have heard about fraudulent charity schemes. How do I know you really give away all the money?
TisBest was founded to help the world and is operated with the highest integrity. TisBest Philanthropy is a registered non-profit corporation in the state of Washington and qualified as a 501c3 charity by the IRS.  Our banking is conducted at Washington Trust Bank in Seattle, WA and our financial records are audited by Finney Neill & Co. a CPA firm.  The Better Business Bureau has reviewed our books, records and operations and determined that we comply with their Charity Accountability Standards - Click HERE to see the BBB Report.   Our board members are well known and respected professionals in the Seattle area.
How do you select the charities you feature on the TisBest website?
TisBest 250
We choose charities with national or international impact that represent a broad array of interests so that nearly everyone will be able to find an organization they believe in for their donation. All of our charities receive significant public support, have demonstrated fiscal and social responsibility and have their official financial and regulatory data subject to third-party review on guidestar.org or charitynavigator.org. We generally feature charities with annual revenues or assets of at least $3 million, and our team frequently review the 990 Tax Forms filed by our charities to ensure fiscal accountability.  Please click here for a printable list of TisBest 250 Charities. 
 
TisBest Local Charities
We introduced our Local Charities in 2009.  To select Local Charities, we asked Social Venture Partner chapters, and other similar groups, to nominate charities from their region for the Local Charities List.  We sought charities that were locally founded and operated (i.e. not subsidiaries of national organizations), focused on the local community, were admired by their peers for effectiveness and fiscal responsibility and operated with a sustainable model. 
What is a Promo Code?
Promo Codes are the way that TisBest shares with the organizations that help us get the word out about TisBest Charity Gift Cards. And we sometimes cooperate with schools and other children's groups who are fundraising. If you enter a Promo Code on the checkout page, the organization associated with that Promo Code will receive a fee for each card in your order. The fees come out of our general funds and do not affect your gift card or your gift card recipient's donation to charity.
Can I donate the funds on a Charity Gift Card to a charity that is not shown on your website?
We are sorry, but this is not possible. We have 250 charities to choose from. These charities have been carefully selected as responsible and effective charities that represent a wide range of causes and issues.
I am having trouble spending my charity gift card - can you help?
If you are using a web browser with parental-controls turned on, it might be causing a problem; we don't know why - there is nothing on our website a child should not see - just turn the parental controls off to spend the charity gift card. 
If you are using Internet Explorer 6 or older, it is possible that you do not see the Buy and Spend Buttons on our homepage.  If that is the case, please upgrade to IE7 or IE8; install and use Firefox; or  click here and you will be able to spend your charity gift card. 
Can I nominate a new charity for your website?
Absolutely. Please send an email to charitymanager@tisbest.org with the name of the charity, its web address and why you think it should be featured by TisBest. Please keep in mind that charities we feature must be shown on charitynavigator.org or guidestar.org and generally must have revenues over $3 million per year. If you write, we will let you know when our list of Charities is updated (this happens once a year in the summer) and what was added or removed.
If I give a Charity Gift Card as a gift, will I know when it is spent and what charity the money goes to?
Yes. The receipt we send by email will contain links that let you check on the status of each Gift Card. 
I lost my receipt.  Can you send me another one?
Yes. Please click here and follow the instructions.  RESEND RECIEPT.  
I believe in your cause. How can I help?
The best thing you can do is let your friends know about the TisBest Charity Gift Card option for gift giving.  The more people that know about us, the more often money will go to charity rather than more unnecessary stuff.  Please share your thoughts and encouragement by sending email to info@tisbest.org and tell us why you like what we are doing and what else you would like to see us do.  And finally, if you are on Facebook, please  become a TisBest Fan - www.Facebook.com/TisBest.  Thank you!