Charities turn to gift cards to raise money during Christmas, winter holidays

Gift cards long have been heralded as the savior of last-minute shoppers during the holiday season. Now, they also are coming to the rescue of the procrastinating philanthropist.

The newest version of the gift card allows recipients to donate the money on the card to a nonprofit of their choice. These so-called charitable gift cards are issued by nonprofit organizations such as GlobalGiving and TisBest that vet the charities to ensure they are legitimate. The groups estimate that they have raised millions of dollars for causes.