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TisBest Charity Gift Cards give others the opportunity to give – and that, I believe, "TisBest" of all! That's how TisBest Philanthropy got its name.

Gifts create and build relationships. Gifts say "I care about you". The youngest children offer us gifts of a bug, a pine cone or maybe a finger painting from school; and I recall my grandma in her 90's making gifts to us of the quarters she won playing bingo with her friends. The media tries to tell us that you can say "I care more" by buying the most elaborate and most expensive gifts. Although an expensive item purchased from a fancy store might make a great gift for some people, we at TisBest have a different idea about what makes a wonderful gift. We believe there is too much focus on gifts of "stuff" and that a donation gift is often the most appreciated and satisfying and gift of all. TisBest Charity Gift Cards bring joy, love, compassion, sharing and caring back to gift giving.

I started TisBest Philanthropy in 2007 in Seattle, Washington, with the goal of building a donation gift that would be widely recognized and appreciated by gift recipients. We have over 25,000 satisfied Charity Gift Card donors and recipients and growing every day! Recently, "Charitable Gift Card" was identified as a "buzzword for 2008"....who would have thought? We have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities. I love to hear how businesses are giving TisBest charity gift cards instead of gift baskets and parents are tucking TisBest charity gift cards into children's stockings, along with toys, to introduce the kids to the joy of sharing with others. Please click on "Endorsements" above to see some of the emails we have received from people thrilled about our charity gift cards. We would love to hear from you too! Please email us at info@tisbest.org and share your comments, concerns and questions.

Thank you,

Erik Marks

Founder and Executive Director

This is the best idea anybody ever had for gift giving! Bless the genius who came up with it!

-Celeste

We had our holiday party and distributed the charity card. It was amazing! We've had about 100 people redeem their gifts. The comments were just stunning -- this meant so much to our employees and the messages that they sent to the CEO were so touching. We both had not anticipated how special this would be.

-CJ (Distributed TisBest Cards to employees at firm’s Holiday Party.)

This was an awesome experience. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be a part of this great idea. Not only does it take one to a thoughtful place, but it gives the ability to learn a great deal about different charities. Check out The Painted Turtle Gang Camp and I think you'll see why I picked it.

-Judy

Thank you for resolving the problem so quickly. I'm glad it happened actually, so I can say thank you "in person" for such a terrific philanthropic idea and a great website. You made my holiday shopping easy and rewarding. I know the gift card recipients will feel the same way.

-Sarah S.

hi mommy, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thank you for giving me this gift card to save the rare animals. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

-Jeremy, 5 yrs old

I think your website is the best site out there in the 'charity gift card'
category and have just placed my first $2500 order of gift cards to give my
clients for the holidays. I hope to do more business with you in the future
and am so glad I found you!!

P.S. I spoke to a gentleman the other day at TisBest who was so helpful and
gracious and friendly and walked me through the whole process and I'm happy
that for once I didn't have to deal with an automated voice situation or
someone outsourced.

-Theresa

I just wanted to send you a big fat thank you for the TisBest gift card! I am so excited to use it today! I think I will give mine to a food bank. Maybe the food life line Laura works for if they are on there! I also wanted to let you know that I am going to give these gift cards this year for Christmas! What a fabulous idea and thanks for sharing it with us.

-Cori

I just visited your website and I think this is the best Xmas present I can give my friends and family. Thanks for making your organization available for such a wonderful idea for gift giving!

-Jeff

Thanks again and congrats to you and your team for a running such a great business. I work with a lot of professional athletes who are always wanting to donate money and give back and this is a perfect way to get them to motivate their fans and teammates to donate – by giving out these gift cards with their game photo on the cards etc. You guys are brilliant!

-Theresa

Many donors come to us already for alternative ways to give to those hard to buy for individuals or as a way to put more meaning back into the holidays. While this is a great idea to be launched during the holiday season I think it has a great deal of value for other special occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries.

-Camilla Bishop, Director of Development for Food Lifeline

TisBest is a great idea. This concept gives the recipient a personal stake in giving--as they get to choose a cause that is personally meaningful to them. This is a great introduction to philanthropy--especially for children. At the same time, the person giving the gift can feel really good knowing that their gift is not going to waste. The Moyer Foundation is excited to be included in the TisBest list of charities, as it gives donors a new and easy way to support our mission of helping children in distress.

-Karen Moyer, The Moyer Foundation, Washington

This is absolutely inspiring . . . What an awesome idea, and I’m going to use this for gifts for sure. I don’t know anything about some of the charities on the list, but some of my favorites are there. I would love to get one of these for a gift! I often make donations as gifts, but the recipient doesn’t get to choose, so this is a great way to involve both parties. I love it! A big congrats to Erik- it’s totally refreshing . . .

-Rebecca

TisBest has turned charitable giving into an easy, fun and interactive gift. Giving is one of the great human activities and I think that TisBest captures this with its charity gift card.

-Paul Shoemaker, Social Venture Partners Seattle, Washington

What a great idea. This solves the good intent of wanting to donate on a person's behalf but the awkwardness of not knowing if they would appreciate what you pick on their behalf. It makes both parties active in the process! Great business/philanthropic model! I will buy for all my family this year.

-Jamie C.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been looking for the best way to distribute my money this year and this gives me the opportunity to honor the people in my life who can direct the funds.

-Randy D.

In case I don't get around to it later just want to thank all who have made this new giving experience so rewarding for donors and recipients in my family and I'm sure for others who have discovered TisBest.

-Virginia

Absolutely Rockin!

-Jon

I am responsible to contributing a financial article to my company's monthly newsletter. With it being the season for giving, I was thinking of ways for employees to give gifts with a tax deduction. My search lead me to your site. You gave me the information I needed to encourage giving the gift of charity. With the tax deductible contribution to TisBest Philanthropy it was a win-win situation for the giver from a financial perspective and the charities. Great job and keep up the great work!

-Amy

I think everyone really appreciated the charity gift card this year... It's a great idea - thank you for adding the personal choice aspect to the gift card. You are all doing great work! I will be purchasing more gift cards soon.

-Sharon

Dear TisBest people, This has been one of the most wonderful experiences for me, and for our adult children who received it and spent their charitable gifts.

-Donald

I really appreciate your quick response. This was the first time I sent it via email. Previously, I purchased three cards, but printed out the message and made it as part of a greeting card (not very green minded). So, knowing that the email works, and that there is backup due to my error, I will continue to donate electronically. Once again, I truly value the opportunity to give gifts to my friends that have meaning, purpose, and integrity.

-Pam

This is a great idea! We sent four $50 cards on Christmas eve and all were acted on within a couple days to interesting charities. The web support for the process is extremely well done. Congratulations from a developer in a web business who appreciates good work.

-Bill

Dear Tis best, I wanted to thank the people who came up with this idea and made it accessible for the public. The holidays are about giving. What most people get during this season are wants, when so many here in the US and internationally pass without their basic needs met. I am now converted to this concept of giving. A million thanks,

-Jenny

I am absolutely thrilled to have found your website. Each year I donate money in honor of three children who already have an abundance of wealth. I would love to utilize TisBest, but my one concern is timing. From my quick study of your web site, when I purchase the cards they would then be emailed to my nieces. Is it possible to delay the transmission until closer to Christmas? The answer doesn't really matter, because I am definitely going to use TisBest. I am just trying to plan my approach. More importantly, I wish you an abundance of success in your pursuit of this outstanding service. I will definitely spread the message. With gratitude,

-Anonymous

I read about this recently a Seattle paper or BSBJ. What a great idea. This solves the good intent of wanting to donate on a person's behalf but the awkwardness of not knowing if they would appreciate what you pick on their behalf. It makes both parties active in the process! Great business/philanthropic model! I will buy for all my family this year.

-Jamie

What a great gift! We are having a good time looking at all the different charities we can donate to. It’s making us aware of so many possibilities we didn’t even know about. Thank you so much for such a thoughtful gift!

-Karen

Happy Holidays! This was the my favorite gift of the season! Normally I make donations for family and friends to certain organizations that I support and let them know a donation has been made in their honor. This was really fun letting them select the charity and I received such great responses from everyone! It seemed like the recipients took their time selecting the "perfect" charity and most times those charities were close to their heart --- a daughter with MS, a best friend's mother who passed away that day from a heart attack, a friend whose two brothers passed away from leukemia, etc. Unfortunately, everyone has a story. . . In the future I will most definitely be returning here to "buy" birthday gifts, etc. for friends and family. Thank you for such a great idea!

-Joan