DonorsChoose.org SCAM "Gift Donations" from Donorschoose.org , Internet

What a rip-off!  I received a "gift donation certificate" from donorschoose.org for christmas, which is supposed to let you choose a charity to which you can allocate the amount that the giver spent on the certificate.  Perhaps this works smoothly if the receiver of the certificate is not very busy and chooses a charity and allocates the funds soon after the gift certificate is received. 

However, I am guessing more people are like me, and do not find the time to look at the website and browse charities until things slow down a bit in the summer.  And guess what, by that time the certificate is "EXPIRED!"  Even a starbucks gift card lasts for at least a year!  And what exactly happens now to these funds, which the person who gave this certificate to me paid in December to donorschoose.org?  I guess it is just a big mystery.  I smell a BIG SCAM!!!