The grocery store just keeps getting better. Gift Card Mall just added the Causes gift card to the kiosk. So now you can buy groceries, get a gift card, and donate to a worthy cause all in the same shopping trip. And since I always suggest giving the recipient a little something to open along with a gift card—you can take care of that at the grocery store too.

Causes Gift Card

The Causes gift card is a tax-deductible gift card you can buy at Safeway or Vons. Once delivered, the recipient logs on to the Causes website to select a non-profit organization to receive the dollar value of the gift card. And there are hundreds of causes to choose from. I did a quick search and found several that touch our family. For example, my granddaughter has a rare disorder called H.L.H. and is in need of a bone marrow transplant. Be The Match, the National Bone Marrow Program, is a Causes option. One of my daughter’s best friends has juvenile diabetes. JDRF and 7 other diabetes-related charities are on the list as well. Perhaps the biggest challenge for a Causes gift card recipient is to narrow down the list of options and pick just one.

Good Idea

Two things I like about the Causes gift card is that first, the recipient gets to make the contribution themselves. Rather than wonder if an “in lieu of gifts…,” request has been honored, the recipient knows a donation is being made and he or she actually gets to make it. Second, because you are physically delivering the donation of sorts to the honoree, you have the opportunity to make the gift card presentation more personal.

Special Delivery

Below are a few ways I suggest turning a Causes gift card into an even more thoughtful gift:

• Just Be-cause. With the words, “Be-cause I love you” (or appreciate you, want to honor you, am thinking about you, etc.) written on a note, burn a CD full of songs that have the word “because” in the song title such as “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion, “Because I Love You” by Jewel, “Because of You” by Tony Bennett, “Because of You” by 98 Degrees, or “Because” by Perry Como.
• Feel Good. Give a Causes gift card with a Mr. Goodbar candy bar, pack of Good & Plenty candies, pack of Good & Fruity candies, Goody Good Stuff gummies, Nut Goodie nut clusters, or any other candy with the name “good” in the title. Write a note about doing good in the world or point out good qualities you admire in the recipient.
• Good Fortune. Attach a Causes gift card to a carton full of fortune cookies. Tell the recipient you’re fortune-ate to be in her life and know her Causes contribution will bring good fortune to others.
• Guilty Pleasure. Attach a Causes gift card to a guilty-pleasure—like homemade chocolate chip cookies, potato chips laden with trans fats, a six-pack of old school soda made with pure cane sugar, a vintage Adam Sandler movie, 80’s music, or a Styrofoam cup that isn’t environmentally friendly, but keeps your drink cold all day! You’re doing enough good with the Causes gift card, time to indulge a little.

In truth, all you really need to do to make a Causes gift card more personal is attach a heartfelt note. But if you want to make a long-term difference in the world with a short-term moment of enjoyment, give the recipient a little something to open when presenting the gift card. And good news—almost all of the ideas listed above can be purchased at the grocery store.