How Should a Volunteer Committee Organize Donation Requests?

Give every company exactly one owner, keep one shared list of who has been asked, and put the documents, the committee email address, pickups and thank-yous in named hands before the first request goes out. Most of the donations a committee loses aren't lost to a bad letter. Two volunteers ask the same company, a yes goes to one person's inbox and is never collected, or a company that gave is never thanked. Those are organization problems, and a little structure at the start fixes them.

This guide is part of our fundraiser donation answers library. It covers the pitfalls that cost committees donations, the roles that prevent them, and the one record that holds it together.

Pitfall 1: two volunteers ask the same company

This one costs more than it looks. Many programs limit each organization to one donation a year or a season. The New York Giants give one item per organization each year, Books-A-Million honors one request per organization a year, and the Philadelphia Eagles limit requests to one per event. If two volunteers ask, the second request is wasted at best. At worst, the company receives two requests from one group and the one that goes through isn't the one you wanted.

The fix: a single list where a volunteer claims a company before contacting it. No name in the owner column, no ask.

Pitfall 2: asking the store when the decision is made at head office, or the reverse

Companies route requests differently, and a request sent to the wrong place may never be considered:

• Olive Garden asks for a written request to the general manager of your local restaurant.
• Target asks you to print its GiftCard request form and bring it to your local store.
• Books-A-Million fills requests through its corporate offices, not your local store.
• Big 5 Sporting Goods takes requests only through its online system, not at stores.

The fix: record the route for each company on your list: local store, online form, or mail. Assign volunteers by route as well as by company. The volunteer who likes visiting stores takes the local asks, and the one who likes forms takes the portals. Who approves donation requests explains the difference.

Pitfall 3: nobody can find the 501(c)(3) letter

Requests stall while someone hunts for paperwork. Benihana asks for a copy of the current IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter and proof of the federal tax ID. Target asks for a Government Affirmation letter or other IRS-provided letter. Olive Garden and Benihana both want the request on your organization's letterhead.

The fix: one shared folder, set up before anyone asks, with the determination letter, the EIN, a letterhead template, a one-paragraph description of the organization and the event, and the event date and location. One person keeps it current. If your group doesn't have its own 501(c)(3), settle that first with the donation eligibility checklist.

Pitfall 4: the yes goes to one volunteer's inbox

Approvals often arrive by email. Crayola Experience sends approved requests to the email address you provide, and Topgolf sends confirmation and pickup instructions by email. If that address belongs to a volunteer who is away, the donation can sit unclaimed.

The fix: apply from a shared committee email address that at least two people check. Use the organization's mailing address too. The Eagles, for example, won't send items to P.O. boxes, so give a street address someone can receive at.

Pitfall 5: missed pickups and missing items

A yes isn't a donation until the item is in hand. Some items are mailed, some must be collected, and some arrive close to the event: the Giants mail items about one month before it. Without a log, a committed item goes missing between the email and the event.

The fix: one person receives and logs every item: what arrived, from whom, when, and where it is stored.

Pitfall 6: the thank-you nobody sent

The company that gave this year is the easiest yes next year, and only if it was thanked. Some programs go further: the Boston Red Sox ask recipients to complete a reply form after the event, including what the item raised, to be considered for future requests.

The fix: a thank-you lead who owns every thank-you and any post-event forms. The donor thank-you kit has the letters.

The roles that prevent all six

On a small committee one person can hold two roles. What matters is that every role has a name against it.

One record holds it together

Every pitfall above comes back to one missing thing: a single record everyone uses. Our free donation request tracker sets out the columns worth keeping, the status words to use, and separate logs for requests, arrivals and thank-yous. Pair it with the donation request timeline planner so asks go out in the right order.

If you would rather not run it in a spreadsheet, Ultimate Donations matches your organization with companies likely to donate and gives you one place to track requests, log what arrives and send thank-you messages. It is free to start, with no payment card required. To start building the list itself, browse the food category for restaurant and grocery programs, or companies that donate to fundraisers.