CharityChoice Highlights Purpose and Budget Flexibility for Holiday Gifting
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CharityChoice’s Marc Tepfer says charitable gift cards offer a way to recognize employees and clients within holiday budgets. Incentive Research Foundation research finds charitable donations appeal to about one in four reward participants.A Holiday Message Focused on Purpose
IRF Research Finds an Audience for Charitable Rewards
Letting Recipients Choose the Cause
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Holiday gifts can carry meaning beyond their dollar value, says Marc Tepfer, COO and Director of Marketing of CharityChoice. For this year’s holiday season, the company is emphasizing charitable gift cards as an option for organizations seeking to acknowledge employees and clients while managing spending. Recipients choose the causes their gifts support—a feature that Tepfer says makes the gesture personal. Recent Incentive Research Foundation research provides context for that approach, finding that charitable donations motivate a segment of reward and recognition participants.
A Holiday Message Focused on Purpose
“Give a gift defined by its purpose, not its cost” is the theme of CharityChoice’s holiday communications, according to Tepfer. The company’s message to corporate buyers emphasizes the opportunity to honor clients and employees through a charitable contribution without overstretching their budgets.
Tepfer’s premise is that the gift’s meaning comes partly from the recipient’s ability to direct support toward something they care about. Rather than selecting a single charity on everyone’s behalf, the giver provides a card that lets each recipient make that decision.
According to Tepfer, available organizations include the American Red Cross, ASPCA, Feeding America, American Cancer Society and Alzheimer’s Association, among more than 2,500 national, international and local causes. CharityChoice’s website also lists physical and digital cards, printable cards and redemption codes, along with custom cards for corporate programs.
IRF Research Finds an Audience for Charitable Rewards
The Incentive Research Foundation’s Participant Preferences: Reward & Recognition Programs finds that 26% of respondents consider donations to charity very or extremely motivating. The July 2026 study surveyed 400 full-time U.S. employees who had participated in their employers’ formal reward and recognition programs within the previous three years.
The findings establish an audience for charitable rewards, although preferences vary considerably. Cash bonuses were rated very or extremely motivating by 93% of respondents, compared with 77% for gift cards, 72% for paid time off, 70% for experiences and 40% for merchandise. Charitable donations therefore have a more specialized appeal, supporting their inclusion among choices that reflect different participant interests.
The research also finds that 22% of respondents say the type of reward matters more than its dollar value. For holiday planners, that suggests an opportunity to consider personal relevance alongside spending levels. The study examines reward and recognition preferences rather than holiday gifts specifically, so its findings offer useful context rather than a direct test of CharityChoice’s holiday proposition.
Letting Recipients Choose the Cause
For Tepfer, the ability to select a cause is central to CharityChoice’s offering. A recipient may favor hunger relief, animal welfare, medical research or a local organization; the card allows that preference to shape the gift. The collection includes no political, religious or potentially divisive causes.
His company’s holiday message positions this flexibility as a way to make a budget-conscious gesture meaningful. For corporate buyers considering charitable gifts, the IRF findings suggest that understanding the audience remains important: some recipients will welcome the opportunity to give back, while others place greater value on different reward options.
For More Information
Marc Tepfer
marc@charity-choice.orf
732-305-8618
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