Charitygift Opens Virtual Doors to Offer New Gift Giving Option -- Generosity in a To-Go Box.

AUSTIN, Tex.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 1999--

Replace Unappreciated Fruitcakes, Gift Baskets and Popcorn Tins

With a Personalized Charitable Donation

Generosity is now being offered in a to-go box with the opening of Charitygift(TM) (www.charitygift.com), an online company that makes it simple and easy to recognize friends, colleagues and clients with a donation to a worthwhile cause in their honor.

Charitygift is an entirely new gift category, offering a convenient alternative to the seemingly useless gifts being exchanged year after year. A Charitygift can be used to honor a friend, family member or colleague; demonstrate support for someone raising money to benefit a special cause, or pay tribute to a lost loved one.

Visitors to www.charitygift.com can conveniently make a secure, tax-deductible contribution to charity while creating a personalized card to announce a donation made in the name of friends, family or business associates. The gift-giver creates the custom card online with a few simple mouse clicks. The giver can choose the charity that benefits from the donation, or allow the recipient to select the charity. Donation amounts can be kept confidential at the giver's request. The gift recipient then receives the donation announcement in the form of a Charitygift, which is a customized 3D pop-up gift box or a tailored e-message, with simple instructions to visit the website or call the toll-free number to redeem the gift. One hundred percent of the contribution is given to the charity of choice.

"Charitygift makes it easy for people to act on their desire to help others," said Randi Shade, President and CEO of Charitygift. "Our business goal is to increase contributions to charity by making it convenient for people to give the gift of giving by making a donation in someone else's honor. Business-related giving alone translates to a $23 billion a year industry. Just think of the good that could be accomplished if only a small fraction of that was given to benefit a favorite cause."

A Charitygift is the perfect gift for businesses looking to personalize the holiday gift-giving season. For individuals attempting to solve annual shopping dilemmas, sending a Charitygift can eliminate time fighting the holiday crowds to find the perfect gift for friends and family on shopping lists with varying tastes.

"With our launch just in time for the holidays, we're challenging all consumers and businesses to make a difference this year by making a charitable donation in honor of someone instead of spending money on common holiday gifts such as fruitcakes, gift baskets, popcorn tins, or logo-bearing trinkets. We created a web-based company to allow consumers and businesses to easily replace the insignificant gift with a meaningful and long-lasting experience for the same price," Shade said.

To illustrate the value of a company such as Charitygift, a nationwide survey revealed that more than seventy percent of people have received a gift they deemed as useless. Answers to the question, "What was the most useless gift you ever received?" ranged from a dog that won't hunt to a case of motor oil. Fruitcakes, holiday gift baskets and items bearing a corporate logo, such as paperweights, coffee cups or T-shirts, were commonly mentioned as unappreciated gifts.

To give a Charitygift one simply visits www.charitygift.com and follows the customer-friendly directions. The gift-giver chooses to send the gift in either a 3-D gift box by mail or electronically via email. Each Charitygift card can be fully customized and can be designed to include corporate logos, special text, illustrations, or animation (for e-messages).

The Charitygift card contains the personalized message informing the recipient that they have received a donation in their honor, along with directions to visit the web site. Once at the site, they simply enter the redemption code on their card and choose from more than 680,000 U.S.-based, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations, or any group that accepts donations including churches, school alumni associations, local neighborhood associations, etc.

The gift-giver pays a minimal handling and shipping fee ($6.95 for regular mail, $3.95 for email, volume discounts are given for traditional mail), which allows 100 percent of the charitable contribution to be directed to the selected charity. Regardless of the size of the donation, Charitygift handles every aspect of the gift order -- the customization, delivery, and all of the administrative aspects associated with handling the giver's contribution and mailing list. Because Charitygift is committed to protecting the rights and privacy of all customers and gift recipients, all information provided on the site is kept strictly confidential.

"Being able to thank our clients with a gift to the charity of their choice is a ps," said Scott Dille, senior vice president and ities, programs, projects and upcoming events.

Charitygift will feature the charities receiving the largest number of donations, as well as a list of the top ten comiew, Charitygift is an easy, straightforward wannovative approach to fundraising and look forw gift recipients the chance to choose. One hundred percent of all charitable donations go directly to the chosen charity. More than 680,000 U.S.-based, IRS- registered, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organizations are listed on the Charitygift Web site and are eligible to receive Charitygift donations. Charitygift has also made it simple and free of charge for charitable organizations to post additional information about their activities, programs, and events. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Charitygift was founded 1999. Its Web site is http://www.charitygift.com and its toll free phone number is 1-877-972-GIFT.