Gift Certificates

Purchasing Gift Certificates:
Gift Certificates offer a convenient payment option for families who prefer using a credit card instead of sending their child to school with cash. They can be purchased on your school’s website, which you can share via email and social media. Families can also access the school’s website by entering the School Name, City, and State from the parent letter. Additionally, parents can email family members who may wish to buy a gift certificate for their child. Once purchased, a family member can email the gift certificate to the parent for the child to use at the holiday shop.

Donations:
After purchasing a gift certificate, families also have the option to share the holiday spirit by making a donation to support a child at your school. During your sale, you can use these donation funds in the app to cover a child’s purchase or help students who are a little short at checkout. All donations are included in the gift certificate total and appear as a credit on your final invoice. 

Gift Certificates in Chairperson Portal & App:
The Chairperson Portal and Cash Register App provide a real-time view of all gift certificates and donations. In the app, simply select “Gift Certificate” as the payment type at checkout, search for the student’s name, and tap “Apply Certificate” to redeem it toward their purchase. If a child doesn’t have money but your school has donated funds available, choose “Cash” and then “Pay → Donated Funds.” This feature makes it easy to ensure every child can shop. If a child forgets or loses their certificate, don’t worry — you can look it up in the system and still honor it, even without the physical copy.

Treat Gift Certificates like Cash:
All gift certificates are automatically credited off your invoice and do not need to be returned or counted in your daily cash sales. Treat gift certificates like cash, and if a child doesn’t spend the full amount, provide change as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gift Certificates:
The answers to common questions about how gift certificates work are available on our website to help parents:

• What happens if my child doesn’t spend the full amount on a gift certificate?
  Gift certificates are treated like cash at your school’s holiday shop. Any unused portion of the gift certificate will be refunded to your child in cash at the school holiday shop.
  
• What if I don’t have a printer or it’s broken?
  If you don’t have a printer or it’s not functioning, simply write a note and place it in your child’s budget envelope. Include your child’s name, the amount of the gift certificate, the Certificate ID Number, and the date of purchase. The Chairperson at the school have access to their portal to confirm all gift certificates purchased.
  
• What if my child cannot attend the holiday shop or I need a refund?
  If, for example, your child becomes sick and cannot attend the holiday shop, there’s no problem. All gift certificates are credited to the PTO/PTA that organized the holiday shop at your child’s school. Simply have your child bring the gift certificate to school, and the PTO/PTA will refund the full amount to your child.
  
• What if I purchased the gift certificate, and I noticed the name on the certificate is wrong?
  The name on the gift certificate is primarily for your child’s enjoyment. If your computer auto-filled your name or you entered another child’s name by mistake, it doesn’t affect the certificate’s validity, and it will still be honored at the school.
  
• How soon will I receive the gift certificate?
  Upon submitting your order, a receipt will be generated automatically, and the gift certificate(s) will be emailed to the parent’s email address. Print the gift certificate and place it in your child’s budget envelope for them to redeem at their holiday shop.
  
• What if my child loses the gift certificate?
  No worries! Certificates are assigned a “Certificate ID Number,” which is stored in our system and compared to the certificates turned in. If your child loses their certificate, the Chairperson can verify it in our system, and it will still be honored at the school.
  
• How will the charge appear on my credit card statement?
  Your credit card statement will display a charge from: “Gifts ‘N Things”
  
• Why do you need to provide a parent email address?
  Rest assured that the email address will only be used if your child loses a certificate or if we have difficulty locating your child’s school in our system based on the information you provided. We take everyone’s privacy seriously, and we will never use or sell anyone’s email address who has purchased a gift certificate.