# Do Pet Stores Donate to Fundraisers?

> Mostly at the local store, not through a corporate program. We found no company-wide Petco donation program at our last check, so a pet store ask is usually an in-person request to a manager or an independent shop owner. Here is how to make it and what to ask for.

Source: https://ultimatedonations.org/pet-stores-that-donate  
Last updated: 2026-11-01  
Publisher: Ultimate Donations

Pet stores do donate to fundraisers, but mostly at the local level rather than through a corporate application. At our last check we found no company-wide donation program for Petco, the best-known pet retailer in our directory. That is not a refusal: national chains often leave small community donations to individual locations, so the request worth making is an in-person ask to your local store manager, or to the owner of an independent pet shop. Ask for one specific thing — a gift card, a small basket of supplies, or a grooming or training session — and bring the request in writing.

This guide is part of our [fundraiser donation answers](https://ultimatedonations.org/fundraiser-donation-answers) library. It covers how to ask a pet store, what to ask for, and where to find the rest of a pet-themed prize.

## What our directory shows

| Company | What its page records | What that means for you |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Petco](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/petco-donation) | No company-wide program found at our last check | Ask the manager of your local store directly |
| [Target](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/target-product-donation) | Target GiftCards, not merchandise, requested at your local store | A gift card can anchor a pet-themed basket |
| [Meijer](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/meijer-donation) | Donations to 501(c)(3) and other federally recognized charities, requested online or at a local store's Customer Service | A store-level route with 60 days' review |
| [Kwik Trip](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/kwik-trip-donation) | Store product, coupons, gift cards or cash for local community events, schools and clubs | Fits a school or club basket; excludes animal causes |

## How to ask a pet store

With no corporate form to fill in, the store is the whole process. A few habits make a manager's yes easier:

- **Go in person at a quiet time.** A weekday morning beats a Saturday afternoon. Find out the manager's name first if you can.
- **Bring a one-page request.** Your organization's name, tax ID, the event and its date, what it raises money for, and the one item you are asking for. Leave it with the manager so they can act on it after you have gone.
- **Ask for something the store can give easily.** A gift card or a small bundle of supplies is simpler to approve than a high-value item.
- **Ask independent shops for services.** Independent pet stores, groomers and trainers can donate their own time — a grooming session or a training class — where a chain store's manager may not be able to.
- **Write down who you spoke to.** If the answer is "not this time," ask when a better time would be, and note it.

The [restaurant and local company ask sheet](https://ultimatedonations.org/resources/restaurant-local-company-ask-sheet) covers the in-person ask step by step, including a leave-behind page. For the difference between asking a store and asking a corporate office, see [how to get a donation from a national company versus a local store](https://ultimatedonations.org/national-company-vs-local-store-donations).

## What to put in the written request

A store manager reading your page later needs to say yes without calling you back. Keep it to one page:

1. Who you are, in one sentence, with your tax ID or school name.
2. The event, its date, and what the money raised will pay for.
3. The specific item you are asking for, and how it will be used — a raffle basket, a silent auction lot, or a door prize.
4. When and how the donation can be collected, and who will collect it.
5. How you will thank the store, such as a named thank-you in your event program.

Our guide to [what a donation request letter should include](https://ultimatedonations.org/donation-request-letter-template) has a full template you can shorten for a store visit.

## Building a pet-themed prize

A single pet store donation rarely fills a raffle basket on its own. Organizers usually combine a few smaller items around one theme: a gift card, toys or treats, a grooming or training certificate from a local provider, and something for the owner.

- **Target** gives Target GiftCards to 501(c)(3)s and accredited schools, requested on a printed form you take to your local store with your IRS letter. The average gift is $25-50, and stores typically take up to 30 days to reply.
- **Meijer** asks you to send a request to a single store, online or at that store's Customer Service, and to allow 60 days for review.
- **Kwik Trip**'s Neighbors Helping Neighbors program considers coupons, store products, gift cards or cash for local community events, schools and clubs, with at least four weeks' notice.

Keep track of every gift card as it arrives with the [donated gift card log](https://ultimatedonations.org/resources/donated-gift-card-log), and see our [raffle basket ideas](https://ultimatedonations.org/raffle-basket-ideas) for how themed baskets come together.

## Animal causes: check the exclusions

If your group is itself an animal cause, such as a shelter or rescue, read each program's exclusions before you ask. Kwik Trip does not donate to animal causes such as humane societies and zoos, and [Tillamook](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/tillamook-product-donation) will not fund organizations with a publicly stated stance against animal agriculture or conventional farming. For programs that name animals as a focus, see [companies that donate to animal shelters and rescue fundraisers](https://ultimatedonations.org/companies-that-donate-to-animal-shelters).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Petco donate to fundraisers?

We found no company-wide Petco donation program at our last check. Ask the manager of your local store directly; see [Petco](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/petco-donation).

### What should I ask a pet store to donate?

One specific, easy-to-approve item: a gift card, a small bundle of supplies, or from an independent shop, a grooming or training session.

### What should a written request to a pet store include?

Your organization and tax ID, the event and date, the one item you want and how it will be used, how it can be collected, and how you will thank the store.

### How can we fill a pet-themed raffle basket?

Combine a gift card, such as a [Target GiftCard](https://ultimatedonations.org/donor/target-product-donation) requested at your local store, with supplies and a local grooming or training certificate.