TOP TIPS TO GIVE MORE:THE BULK OF Christmas cards posted this year will be charity ones but, while sending such cards is an almost entirely effortless way to make a charitable donation, it is essential you think before you buy them, as buying the wrong card in the wrong place can lead to very little money going in the direction you want it to.

Typically, charity cards bought in major retailers will not raise a whole lot of cash for the charities whose names are emblazoned on them. In fact, as little as 10 per cent of the sale price of some Christmas cards actually goes to the good cause.

If a card is bought directly from the charity, however, closer to 80 per cent of the total price goes to the charity. While it is not practical for many people to make it into the charity shops of their choice to buy cards, many charities are selling their cards online. Here’s just three of them: the Irish Cancer Society, www.cancer.ie/catalog/; Oxfam Ireland, www.oxfamirelandshop.com; and Crumlin Children’s Hospital, http://url.ie/2zgx.

Aware, the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, the Marie Keating Foundation and Plan Ireland have rolled out a joint e-card venture which hopes to raise €150,000 this Christmas. The e-card campaign, run in conjunction with online marketing firm Ingage, offers businesses the chance to send cards, customised with their logos and signatures, to 1,000 e-mail addresses for €495. The four charities will receive €335, or 68 per cent of the cost – www.thischristmas.ie.