Give the Gift of Giving Choice: Civic Holiday eCards Let Recipients Choose When, Where to Donate Charitable Contributions

LEXINGTON, Ky., Dec. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- What's the perfect holiday gift for everyone on your list, even that person who has everything? Choice! CivChoice today unveiled a new, simple way to make a donation in someone's name while giving them the power to decide where the money goes. Built on the Civ digital currency, CivGift cards are the perfect way this holiday season to send a personalized greeting card and support the good work of charities at the same time.

"Honorary donations are a holiday tradition, but until now the honoree has had limited say in how the money is spent," said Ed Bouryng, president and CEO of CirrusMio, the maker of CivChoice. "CivGift cards make honorary donations a truly interactive gift by letting the honoree choose what to do with the gift, whether to give it to their favorite charity, give it to multiple charities, give the honor and choice to friends and family, or simply put the Civ into their Civic Giving Account and make the decision later. Thanks to the convenience and security of the Civ, holiday gift-giving has never been easier or more fun."

CivGift cards are a free service on CivChoice. The giver is able to make a single tax-deductible contribution to fund their Civic Giving Account, gain their tax-deductible receipt, and add their civic giving choices on to as many ecards as they'd like. CivGift cards come in three beautiful designs for the holidays, each with a warm message from the giver. CivGift cards clearly note the number of Civ that are included with the card and a link that makes getting Civ as easy as a couple of clicks on your smartphone. Instructions for using the free CivGift cards service are available at www.CivChoice.com.

The Civ, the world's first marketable digital civic currency, simplifies the charitable giving process. Instead of making numerous cash donations in different honorees' names, a CivChoice user can exchange dollars for tax-deductible Civ in one step. The Civ can be given to any nonprofit organization or to another individual, either through a Civic Giving Account transfer or a new CivGift card. The original donor keeps the tax deduction, but shares the power to choose what cause or causes the money will support. Only verified charities can redeem Civ for cash, so a Civ can travel among individuals within the system until someone chooses to give it to a charity. Ultimately Civ must go to a good cause making it a true civic currency.

"Each Civ represents a choice," Bouryng said. "As we spread that choice to others – whether they're friends, family, employees or customers – by sharing Civ, we're able to spread the joy that comes with helping others and supporting charities doing good work. That's what the holidays are all about. The Civ builds momentum for good causes as a whole and gives the people you care about the ability to transfer that momentum to the good causes they care about most."

The Civ presents significant advantages over using dollars for charitable giving. Ideas for using CivGift cards include:

• Funding your Civic Giving Account to take advantage of tax deductions before December 31.
• Using your Civ in 2013 to give the gift of choice to friends, family, employees, and customers on holidays and special days such as a birthdays.
• Wishing your customers, employees, friends and families a happy new year and a way to give to their favorite good causes.
• Thanking customers for their business and employees for their good work.
• Creating a charitable fund that others can use to give from during times of need, acts of God and tragedy.
• In lieu of flowers, to show that you care about the cause that the recipient cares about.
  

For more information about CivGift cards and CivChoice, contact John-Mark Walker at (703) 348-4718 or [email protected]. For online partnering, email to [email protected].

About CivChoice
CivChoice is an easy-to-use online platform that allows businesses and individuals to make secure, real-time charitable contributions to any IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. CivChoice streamlines the donation process by converting tax-deductible dollars donated to Civillos, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, into digital currency units called Civ. CivChoice users can allocate Civ to any other Civic Giving Account or 501(c)(3) organization, which then withdraws the funds in dollars. 

SOURCE CivChoice