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Gift Card Girlfriend: Giving Good Gift Cards
PLEASANTON, Calif. – Sept. 22, 2020 – Blackhawk Network—a global financial technology company and the creator of bundled-brand Happy Cards®—is celebrating the launch of its new Giving Good™ Cards. Giving Good Cards are a special line of gift cards that bring top brands together onto a single gift card, with a portion of its load-value directly benefitting charitable causes. The inaugural release—with cards available nationwide today—includes five Giving Good Cards benefiting some of America’s top charitable organizations1.
Each Giving Good Card bundles a combination of popular retail and restaurant brands allowing the recipient to choose where they want to redeem their gift. The value of each card is customizable, ranging from $20 to $500, with no associated fees. For each Giving Good Card purchased, Blackhawk Network will make a donation equal to 3% of the card’s loaded value to the charitable partner on the card, which helps to support one of the following important causes:
In a year of heightened need for many Americans, charitable giving is on the rise. According to recent research, 88% of surveyed consumers plan to make a charitable donation of some kind this holiday season, with 30% planning to increase their donations over last year2.
“Food banks nationwide have seen record high demand for food assistance due to the pandemic, with two in every five people seeking their services being first-time users,” said Lauren Biedron, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Feeding America. “Finding new ways for people to support this increased need is more important than ever and we are grateful to be among the beneficiaries of the Giving Good cards.”
“Now more than ever, hope is essential,” said LuAnn Bott, vice president of revenue partnerships and services at Make-A-Wish America. “Even in these challenging times, by giving back you can help support wishes that give children battling critical illnesses renewed energy and strength, bring families closer together and unite communities.”
Blackhawk Network research3 found that 70% of consumers surveyed were interested in giving gift cards to support people in need. Research also shows that 80% of customers surveyed are interested in purchasing multi-branded gift cards. Blackhawk is meeting these consumer desires with its creation of the Giving Good Card that gives back, while providing a meaningful and personalized gifting experience.
“With our new line of Giving Good Cards, we have the unique opportunity to bring together two mainstays of the holidays: the season’s most-requested gift and charitable giving,” said Brett Narlinger, head of Global Commerce at Blackhawk Network. “While we can’t say for certain what holiday celebrations will look like this year, we do know that year-after-year, the National Retail Federation finds that gift cards are the most requested gift4. By introducing the Giving Good line of cards, we hope to provide the perfect way to not only give a great gift—regardless of physical proximity—but also to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.”
“Injured veterans and their families continue to be negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic,” said Wounded Warrior Project Chief Development Officer Gary Corless. “Wounded Warrior Project is continuously adapting to meet their changing and ongoing needs. We can’t do it alone. We’re humbled and grateful to Blackhawk Network and those who enable us to honor and empower our nation’s wounded warriors through Giving Good cards.”
Giving Good Cards are available now at GiftCards.com, GiftCardMall.com, or the Gift Card Mall™ display at select retailers nationwide. The cards will also be available in Blackhawk’s business channels later in the fall, expanding the ways businesses can give back during this season of giving.
Giving Good Cards can be used for online redemption, making it a wonderful gift of choice for both the gift giver and receiver who prefer or need to shop online this year. While consumers can choose how and when to use their Giving Good Card, the Blackhawk donation to the card’s charitable partner is made after purchase.
Giving Good Gift Cards are curated by Blackhawk Network and issued by MetaBank®, N.A., Member FDIC.
About Blackhawk Network
Blackhawk Network delivers branded payment solutions through the prepaid products, technologies and network that connect brands and people. We collaborate with our partners to innovate, translating market trends in branded payments to increase reach, loyalty and revenue. Serving 28 countries, we reliably execute security-minded solutions worldwide. Join us as we shape the future of global branded payments. Learn more at blackhawknetwork.com.
About GiftCards.com
GiftCards.com is a leading B2C online provider of gift card products, including personalized Visa® and Mastercard® plastic and egift cards, gift cards for top retailers and restaurants and multi-merchant cards such as Happy Cards. GiftCards.com is one of the highest-ranked and most-trafficked gift card websites.
About MetaBank, N.A.
MetaBank®, N.A., a national bank (“Meta”), is a subsidiary of Meta Financial Group, Inc.® (Nasdaq: CASH), a South Dakota-based financial holding company. Meta is a leader in providing innovative financial solutions to consumers and businesses in under-served niche markets and believes in financial inclusion for all. Meta’s commercial lending division works with high-value niche industries, rapid-growth companies and technology adopters to grow their businesses and build more profitable customer relationships nationwide. Meta is one of the largest issuers of prepaid cards in the U.S., having issued more than a billion cards in partnership with banks, program managers, payments providers and other businesses, and offers a total payments services solution that includes ACH origination, wire transfers, and more. For more information, visit the MetaBank website.
1 “America’s Top Charities 2019” was published by Forbes in 2019. The list ranks the largest U.S. charities based on private donations received according to the 2019 fiscal year.
2 The “2020 BrandedPay™ Holiday Shopping Preview” Report is based on the findings in our “Pre-holiday Sentiment Study,” an internet-based survey conducted by Leger on behalf of Blackhawk Network in August 2020. The sample size included 1,500 respondents ages 18+.
3 The “Paying for Things and Giving Gifts During a Crisis” report is based on the findings of an internet-based survey conducted by SurveyMonkey on behalf of Blackhawk Network on March 31, 2020. The sample size included 1,067 respondents ages 18+.
4 The National Retail Federation’s Annual October Holiday Consumer Survey was conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics and published in October 2019.
