Short on time but still want to give something worthwhile? Why not give an insta-charity gift card from Tisbest.org. The cute and colorful cards are delivered by email, and start at just $10. You can also include a personal message with your gift card. What's great about TisBest is that the recipient chooses the ultimate destination for your donation (which also makes this a great gift for those you don't know well). The organization works with a slew of charities, from Action Against Hunger and the African Wildlife Foundation to UNICEF and the Young Women's Leadership Foundation.
All proceeds go to charity minus a $3.95 transaction fee (hence this is more economical for larger donations) and a 3% credit card processing fee, and 100% of the purchase price is tax deductible (which is important with tax season approaching). The gift card must be "spent" within three years of purchase, but at TisBest unlike Best Buy, all unredeemed funds go to charity rather than cooperate coffers, which is an important consideration since it's estimated that more than 10% of gift cards go unspent.
Love this! I spent my last several holiday shopping days stranded in various cities along I-40 and I-35 due to this storm, so TisBest is sincerely saving my Christmas. (Even better, I prefer these gift cards to most anything I would have found in a store anyway.)