Corporate gifting becomes difficult when teams use the same word for different decisions. Procurement may call a gift card a reward, payroll may call it taxable compensation, logistics may see it as a digital fulfillment method, and security may focus on the identity data required to deliver it. This glossary gives buyers and implementers one controlled vocabulary for the entire operating model.
How to use this glossary
Use each definition as a decision aid, not as universal legal advice. Start with the plain-language meaning, then confirm the controlling contract, policy, tax rule, privacy law, or technical standard for your market. Terms numbered 001–120 are versioned together so internal documents can cite a stable entry.
Terms are concise by design. Verify jurisdiction-specific treatment before acting.
Version: 2026-09-07
120 terms; controlled taxonomy version 1.0; last verified 2026-09-07.
Program governance
| Term | Decision-ready definition |
| 001. Recognition program | A governed system for acknowledging contributions; it defines eligibility, funding, controls, delivery, and measurement. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 002. Gifting policy | Written rules for who may send or receive gifts, at what value, for which purpose, and with which approvals. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 003. Eligibility | The rules that determine whether a person, event, market, or transaction may participate. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 004. Recipient | The person or organization intended to receive a gift, reward, shipment, or message. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 005. Occasion | The business event or life moment that justifies a send, such as onboarding or an anniversary. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 006. Approval workflow | A defined sequence of review steps that authorizes spending, recipients, content, or exceptions. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 007. Budget owner | The person accountable for a budget's purpose, limits, approvals, and variance. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 008. Cost center | An accounting unit used to assign and report expenses to a team, function, or location. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 009. Campaign | A bounded set of sends sharing an objective, audience, schedule, budget, and measurement plan. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 010. Catalog | The approved collection of products, rewards, or choices available to a defined audience. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 011. Preference collection | A consent-aware process for gathering recipient interests, restrictions, sizes, or delivery choices. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 012. Opt-in | An affirmative action by which a person agrees to participate or provide specified data. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 013. Decline path | A respectful way for a recipient to refuse a gift or data request without penalty. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 014. Audit trail | A time-ordered record showing who performed, approved, or changed an action and when. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 015. Segregation of duties | A control that separates request, approval, payment, and reconciliation responsibilities. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 016. Service level objective | An internal reliability target for a service measure, distinct from a contractual promise. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 017. Exception | An approved departure from a standard rule, with reason, owner, scope, and expiry recorded. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 018. Retention schedule | A rule stating how long each class of record is kept and how it is disposed of. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 019. Data controller | The party that determines why and how personal data is processed under applicable privacy law. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
| 020. Data processor | A party that processes personal data on documented instructions from a controller. Document the owner, approval rule, and evidence before launching a program. |
Rewards and recipient experience
| Term | Decision-ready definition |
| 021. Monetary reward | Cash or a cash-equivalent benefit whose value is directly denominated in money. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 022. Non-cash benefit | A product, service, experience, or privilege provided instead of cash. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 023. Gift card | Stored value issued for redemption with specified merchants or payment networks, subject to terms. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 024. Closed-loop card | A gift card redeemable only with one merchant or a defined merchant group. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 025. Open-loop card | A network-branded prepaid card accepted wherever that payment network and program permit. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 026. Points | A program unit earned, granted, or purchased and later exchanged under stated rules. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 027. Redemption | The act of exchanging points, stored value, or entitlement for an available benefit. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 028. Breakage | The portion of issued value that expires or is never redeemed; accounting treatment varies. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 029. Face value | The stated amount printed or assigned to a card, voucher, or monetary instrument. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 030. Fair market value | An estimated price agreed by willing, informed parties in an arm's-length transaction. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 031. Gross-up | An additional payment intended to offset tax so the recipient retains a target net benefit. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 032. Payroll withholding | Tax or other required amounts deducted and remitted through payroll. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 033. Taxable benefit | A benefit included in taxable income under the applicable jurisdiction's rules. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 034. De minimis benefit | A low-value, infrequent benefit that may receive special treatment where law expressly allows. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 035. Peer recognition | Acknowledgment given by colleagues at a similar organizational level. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 036. Manager recognition | Acknowledgment initiated by a person's supervisor or accountable leader. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 037. Milestone award | A benefit tied to a defined achievement or elapsed service threshold. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 038. Spot award | A timely award given soon after a specific contribution or behavior. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 039. Choice architecture | The design of options and defaults that shapes decisions without removing choice. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
| 040. Personalization | Adapting a gift, message, timing, or experience to relevant recipient information. Treat value, tax, and recipient experience as separate decisions. |
Merchandise and production
| Term | Decision-ready definition |
| 041. Swag | Informal shorthand for promotional or employee merchandise, usually carrying brand identity. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 042. Branded merchandise | Physical goods customized with an organization's approved visual identity. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 043. Decoration | The production process that applies artwork or branding to a blank product. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 044. Screen printing | Ink is pushed through a prepared mesh screen onto a product, usually one color layer at a time. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 045. Embroidery | Thread is stitched into fabric to create a durable design with dimensional texture. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 046. Heat transfer | A design is transferred to a surface using controlled heat and pressure. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 047. Direct-to-garment | A digital process that prints ink directly onto fabric, often suited to detailed multicolor art. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 048. Sublimation | Heat turns special ink into gas so it bonds with compatible material, commonly polyester-coated surfaces. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 049. Laser engraving | A laser removes or changes a surface layer to create a precise, permanent mark. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 050. Debossing | A die presses a design below the material surface, creating a recessed impression. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 051. Minimum order quantity | The smallest quantity a supplier will accept for a product or production run. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 052. Setup charge | A one-time or per-run fee for preparing artwork, equipment, tooling, or production data. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 053. Proof | A representation of the intended finished item used to review placement, color, spelling, and scale. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 054. Pre-production sample | A physical unit made before full production to validate materials, decoration, and construction. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 055. Color standard | A defined reference used to specify and compare color consistently across suppliers and materials. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 056. Print area | The approved portion of a product where artwork can be applied within production limits. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 057. Blank | An undecorated base product intended for later customization. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 058. Kit | A planned set of distinct items packed and presented as one recipient unit. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 059. Kitting | The operation of gathering, checking, assembling, and packing components into kits. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
| 060. Bill of materials | A structured list of every component, quantity, and specification required to make a kit or product. Approve materials and production methods before committing volume. |
Fulfillment and logistics
| Term | Decision-ready definition |
| 061. Fulfillment | The end-to-end work of storing, picking, packing, dispatching, and handling delivery outcomes. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 062. Pick and pack | Warehouse work that selects ordered items and packs them for shipment. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 063. Warehouse management system | Software that controls warehouse inventory, locations, tasks, and movements. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 064. Inventory | Goods held for future use, sale, assembly, or distribution, recorded by location and status. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 065. Safety stock | Extra inventory held to reduce shortage risk from uncertain demand or replenishment. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 066. Reorder point | The inventory level that triggers a replenishment action under a defined policy. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 067. Lead time | Elapsed time from a defined start, such as order approval, to a defined finish, such as receipt. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 068. Backorder | An accepted order that cannot be fulfilled immediately because stock is unavailable. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 069. Allocation | A rule or decision reserving limited inventory for particular orders, groups, or markets. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 070. Service level agreement | A contract term defining measurable service commitments, responsibilities, remedies, and exclusions. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 071. Cut-off time | The latest time an action can occur and still qualify for a stated processing or dispatch window. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 072. Carrier | A company that transports parcels or freight under a shipping contract. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 073. Tracking number | A carrier-assigned identifier used to trace a shipment's events and status. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 074. Proof of delivery | Evidence that delivery occurred, such as a signature, scan, photo, or timestamp. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 075. Last mile | The final transportation stage from a local facility or carrier node to the recipient. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 076. Return to sender | A shipment outcome in which an undelivered parcel is routed back to its origin or designated return point. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 077. Delivery exception | An event that disrupts the expected route or timing, requiring monitoring or intervention. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 078. Landed cost | The full cost to place goods at destination, including product, freight, duty, tax, and fees as applicable. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 079. Delivered duty paid | A delivery term under which the seller bears specified destination obligations, including import clearance and duties. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
| 080. Importer of record | The legally responsible party for customs entry, classification, valuation, duties, and required records. Define the start, finish, denominator, and exception path for every logistics promise. |
Tax, compliance, and finance
| Term | Decision-ready definition |
| 081. Deductible expense | A business cost permitted to reduce taxable income under the relevant jurisdiction's rules. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 082. Input VAT | Value-added tax charged on purchases that may be creditable when statutory conditions are met. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 083. Output VAT | Value-added tax charged on taxable supplies and reported by the supplier. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 084. Import VAT | Value-added tax assessed when goods enter a taxing jurisdiction, subject to local rules. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 085. Withholding | A requirement to retain part of a payment and remit it to an authority for the payee. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 086. Flat-rate tax | Tax calculated using a fixed rate or prescribed base where a jurisdiction specifically provides it. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 087. Tax gross-up | An increase to a benefit or payment designed to cover the recipient's expected tax burden. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 088. Annual recipient total | The aggregate reportable value provided to one recipient during a defined tax year. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 089. Anti-bribery | Laws and controls intended to prevent offering, giving, requesting, or accepting improper advantages. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 090. Conflict of interest | A situation where personal interests could improperly influence professional judgment or duties. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 091. Public official | A person treated as a government official under the applicable anti-corruption rule; scope can be broad. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 092. Due diligence | A risk-based investigation and documented evaluation performed before or during a relationship or transaction. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 093. Sanctions screening | Checking parties and transactions against applicable sanctions restrictions and lists. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 094. Restricted party | A person or entity subject to legal limits on transactions, services, or access. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 095. Know your customer | Risk controls used to identify and verify customers and understand relevant activity. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 096. Anti-money laundering | Rules and controls designed to detect and prevent laundering of criminal proceeds. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 097. Privacy notice | A clear statement explaining personal-data collection, purposes, sharing, rights, and contact routes. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 098. Lawful basis | A legally recognized justification required for a specific personal-data processing activity. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 099. Data minimization | Collecting and using only personal data that is adequate, relevant, and necessary for the stated purpose. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
| 100. International transfer | Movement or remote access of personal data across protected jurisdictional boundaries. Attach a jurisdiction, source, and verification date to every compliance conclusion. |
Data, security, measurement, and integrations
| Term | Decision-ready definition |
| 101. API | A defined interface through which software systems request functions or exchange data. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 102. Endpoint | A specific network address and operation exposed by an API. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 103. Request | A structured message sent by a client asking a service to perform an operation. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 104. Response | A service's structured result indicating outcome, data, and any error information. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 105. Webhook | An event-driven outbound message sent to a registered destination when a specified change occurs. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 106. Event | A recorded occurrence, such as order creation or delivery, that may trigger downstream processing. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 107. Payload | The business data carried inside a request, response, or event message. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 108. JSON | A text data format that represents structured values using objects, arrays, names, and values. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 109. Authentication | The process of verifying the identity of a user, service, or device. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 110. Authorization | The decision and enforcement process that determines what an authenticated identity may do. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 111. OAuth 2.0 | A framework that lets a client obtain limited access to protected resources without receiving a user's password. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 112. API key | A secret or identifier issued to a client and presented when calling an API; it may identify an application, not a person. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 113. Access token | A credential representing delegated permissions for a defined resource, scope, and time. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 114. Rate limit | A rule restricting how many operations a client may perform within a period. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 115. Idempotency | A property that allows the same intended operation to be repeated without creating additional effects. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 116. Retry | A controlled repeat of a failed operation, usually with limits, delay, and duplicate protection. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 117. SSO | A sign-in arrangement that lets one trusted identity session access multiple connected services. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 118. SAML | An XML-based standard commonly used to exchange authentication and authorization assertions between identity and service providers. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 119. SCIM | A standard protocol for automating user and group identity provisioning across systems. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
| 120. Provisioning | Creating and maintaining accounts, attributes, groups, and access in a target system. Keep identifiers, permissions, and measurement rules explicit across connected systems. |
Method and primary sources
Definitions were checked against NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0, IETF OAuth 2.0, IETF SCIM Protocol, OASIS SAML 2.0, ICC Incoterms 2020, World Customs Organization Harmonized System, European Commission data-protection guidance, and IRS Publication 15-B. Last verified: September 7, 2026.
Turn vocabulary into operating decisions
A shared glossary is useful only when it changes a decision: who owns the budget, what evidence is retained, how a recipient can decline, which party clears customs, and which system is authoritative. Review the vocabulary during procurement, implementation, and quarterly governance so contracts and dashboards remain aligned.
Giftpack can act as the execution layer for curated gifting, recipient choice, and global delivery while your organization retains responsibility for tax, legal, payroll, privacy, and employer decisions.