We have some specific guidelines surrounding how gift cards can be used as a project resource. Unlike a standard project where donors can see exactly what teachers are requesting for their classroom, gift cards do not provide transparency into the items that are ultimately purchased.
Gift cards can only be requested under the following circumstances:
- Students will use the gift card as part of an "experiential learning" activity. For example, the project is for a bookstore where students will use their own gift card to purchase a book.
- Gift cards are used as PBIS incentives or rewards. The project must still clearly demonstrate how the gift cards will be used to provide a direct student benefit, or achieve a specific learning outcome.
- For Amazon gift cards, you must create a Special Request project.
All eligible gift cards must be requested in denominations no higher than $25, and the total cost of the gift cards in your project must be no higher than $500.
Ineligible gift card requests include:
- Cash cards or prepaid debit cards
- Gift cards to purchase items that our vendors carry - in this case, we will ask you to shop through our vendors instead
- Gift cards to purchase special request items - in this case, we will ask you to request the individual special request items instead.
Gift cards must be used by students and may not be used to purchase alcohol, firearms, tobacco or other items that a minor would not be able to purchase.
Some gift card requests will need to go through our reimbursement process. A popular example is requesting a gift card to a grocery store to purchase fresh food. In this case, you can title your item to be reflective of your needs (for example “snacks,” “fresh fruits & veggies,” etc.) and link your gift card in the URL section of your project creation. Instead of sending you a physical gift card or reimbursing you for a gift card purchase, we will ask that you purchase the food items yourself and submit your receipts to us for reimbursement. There is no denomination or total price maximum on this type of gift card.