Markmakers

I found Markmakers this past Christmas when I was trying to find something for my 7 year old niece who said she "didn't want more toys" because she already didn't "know what to do with all the ones she has." Yes, I realize that this is not a statement that normally comes out of kids mouths...I was originally thinking that I would get something in her name from an alternative gift fair and present her with a card explaining what it was for. Luckily I then found Markmakers, a website where you can purchase philanthropic gift cards for kids which they can in turn use to distribute funds to the charities of their choice. I browsed the website and was very impressed. The site is very easy to navigate, and she loved playing around on the main selection page which is set up like an amusement park. The charities are divided into different shops and include: Kids in Need shop, Disease Prevention & Health shop, Peace & Justice shop, Fight Hunger & Poverty shop, Protect Animals shop, and Protect the Environment shop. Once you choose a shop you can drill down and find out more about the charities and projects. On each page you can choose how much you'd like to donate (a minimum of $1 to your project of choice).
Overall my niece seemed to really enjoy the Markmakers gift card. The only downside is that it took a long time for her to select a project; she learned a lot during the process though. I love Markmakers and will definitely use it again!