Danny Recommends: Giftogram
Every so often we dip our toes into a series called Danny Recommends:, posts that tip you off to the stuff that I…you know. The recommendations might be products for use in your ministry, resources that will help you develop leaders around you, or just fun stuff that you need. Want. Whatever. I have a full list of recommended books and such over at the Reading List, but these posts will go into further detail. For other posts in the series, check out the link at the bottom.
Listen: I’m a firm believer that gift-giving ought to be personal. You should know someone well enough to know exactly what they want, listen well enough to mine hints about stuff they have an eye on, and be caring and thoughtful enough to source just the right gift so that they feel known, loved, and appreciated.
…I’m also enough of a realist to know that a gift card’ll do in a pinch.
But there’s something about that personalization ideal that gives me the shivers every time I buy an Amazon card for someone (don’t get me wrong: if you’re looking for my gift card love language, Amazon ain’t a bad dialect).
That’s why I was excited to discover Giftogram.
Giftogram is a site that represents hundreds of brands with all the gift cards you would ever need want. While it’s primarily aimed at organizations that need a way to give gift cards in bulk (and track the spending along the way), there doesn’t seem to be any restriction on a mere mortal individual using the service.
I’ve now been on the receiving and giving side of Giftogram, and here are a few of the features I love:
Variety. Did I mention there are over 200 national brands on Giftogram? everything from Applebees to Zappos, restaurants to retailers, and DoorDash to Disney. (And yes, Amazon is even on there.) Preview the recipient experience here.
Choice. But here’s what sets Giftogram apart: there is a “shop local” option. I plugged in my zip code and found over a hundred mom and pop shops in town. No longer do I have to track down the favorite restaurant of my buddy in Nebraska (let’s pretend I have a buddy in Nebraska)…Giftogram does that for me.
More choice. Let’s say you have a friend who has everything they need and want. Giftogram gives the option of donating your gifts to more than twenty charitable organizations.
Bulk-friendly. Here’s where Giftogram really shines. Let’s say you wanted to give all of your volunteers a ten dollar gift card. Quicker than you can say “What does ten bucks buy in this economy, you cheapskate?”, you can upload a spreadsheet and fire off an email to every volunteer, each with their own link to download their own card.
Budget-friendly. With Giftogram, a twenty dollar gift card is a twenty dollar gift card. There are no additional fees, no commissions, just straight funds to your account, redeemable by your friend / volunteer / client on the other side of the email.
Customizable. Finally, I love that you can create your own gift card “skin” with your logo, message, whatever. That’s what your recipients see in their email, and then they can easily ditch your heartfelt message in favor of pizza. Or shoes. Or whatever.
Check out Giftogram.
See all posts in the Danny Recommends: series.
Disclaimer: FTC watchdogs will probably want to know that the vendors listed / linked above did not ask for this endorsement, nor did they provide me with free swag in order to do so. I’m just a really satisfied fan who wants to let you know about helpful things. I only promote items that have benefitted me and that I believe will benefit you. So there.
