What Prizes Can You Get Donated for Post-Prom and Project Graduation?

For post-prom and project graduation, the prizes companies donate most readily are gift cards, outings and food for the night. Target gives GiftCards to accredited schools and 501(c)(3)s, Books-A-Million gives a $20 gift card, and Big 5 Sporting Goods gives store eCards for prize drawings. Topgolf and Urban Air donate to community events, Fandango considers youth and education programs by mail, mainly in California, and Trader Joe's and Wawa donate food and drinks. The request usually has to come from the school or a PTA or PTO with 501(c)(3) status, not from the parent committee alone, and most of these companies want it weeks before a spring event, so the asking happens in winter.

This guide is part of our fundraiser donation answers library. It covers which companies fit an all-night graduation party, how each wants to be asked, who should sign the request, and which programs do not fit. Every detail comes from the company's own site.

Companies that fit a post-prom prize table

Who should sign the request

A post-prom committee is often a group of parents, not an organization with its own tax status. Most programs above need one:

• Target accepts a 501(c)(3) or an accredited school, with a government or IRS letter verifying that status.
• Topgolf gives to education causes, except private schools.
• Trader Joe's donates only to 501(c)(3) organizations with a current tax ID.
• Urban Air asks for a tax-exempt ID on its form.

So ask your high school, district foundation or PTA/PTO to submit the request, or to let you submit it under their name. Our guide to product donations without a 501(c)(3) explains the options, and the school and PTA donation request kit has the paperwork.

When to ask for an April or May party

Work back from the party date, and watch the windows that close early as well as late.

• Fandango reviews requests at a quarterly committee meeting and replies within 30 days after it, so send that one first.
• Topgolf will not take a request more than 90 days before the event. For a May party, that means applying no earlier than February.
• Target GiftCard donations run February through December, as funding permits.
• Urban Air, Books-A-Million, Trader Joe's and Wawa ask for three to four weeks or more. Send them in late winter, not the week before.

Our guide to how far in advance to request donations shows how to plan the whole calendar backward.

Prizes that fit the night

Gift cards are the easiest grand prize to split into many small ones. Big 5 says its store eCards expire after five to six months, so ask close enough to the party that winners have time to use them. Books-A-Million excludes donations intended for online auctions or resale, which does not affect a prize drawing.

Outings make good prizes for graduating seniors. Topgolf lets you choose among donation types on its form, including a game play certificate and golf instruction. Topgolf also excludes religious groups and private schools, so a private-school party should look elsewhere.

Food for the night matters at an all-night event. Trader Joe's limits food and beverage donations to one per organization per year, from the company as a whole, so coordinate with anyone else at your school who might ask. Wawa gives to community and youth organizations near its stores, with one in-kind donation per organization per calendar year.

Programs that don't fit post-prom

• Dick's Sporting Goods considers donations, which may include coupons and in-store gift certificates, for youth sports leagues, teams and events.
• The Hershey Company says in its product donation guidelines that it cannot provide product when it will be used as an incentive or reward for participation or academic activities for school students. It also gives only within 20 miles of its plants. Read its guidelines before counting on candy for a student prize table.
• Sweet Candy Company in Utah asks schools, PTAs and PTOs not to apply.

A post-prom request checklist

1. Pick the organization that will sign. School, district foundation or PTA/PTO with 501(c)(3) status.
2. List companies near you. Topgolf wants the event within 40 miles of a location; most others give near their stores.
3. Send in date order. Fandango first, then Topgolf inside its 90-day window, then the three-week programs.
4. Say what the prize is for. A prize drawing at your graduation-night party, with the date.
5. Track every ask. One-per-year limits mean you should know who else at your school has asked.

For more sources of prizes, see companies that donate raffle prizes and companies that donate to schools and PTAs, or browse entertainment donors by category.