How to handle inappropriate donation requests from individuals
Private individuals often ask local businesses for free item donations to fund personal goals like a house down payment, even if they have never used the business before. Small business owners who are still trying to break even find themselves unable to donate items, leaving them frustrated by the lack of boundaries.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Deleting the message or email without responding
- 2Politely declining by citing business constraints and lack of profitability
- 3Telling the person you cannot help and wishing them luck
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I get the charities asking but a private citizen for her own house?! I can’t believe people think this is acceptable.”source ↗
“I’m still working toward simply breaking even and I’m just not in a position to donate items at the moment.”source ↗
“Asking guests, who have already spent a lot of money to attend the wedding and give you a gift to then spend even more by donating to charity 'instead of a favour' didn't sit well with me.”source ↗
“Am I being unreasonable for being annoyed about this?”source ↗
“I get that sometimes from people who have never even used my business.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2How to ask for money instead of gifts without looking rude
- 4How do you start a peer-to-peer fundraiser with zero donor history?
- 4Why don't friends care about my wedding as much as I cared about theirs?
- 3Is it normal for a nonprofit to ask employees for donations?
- 4What to do with unwanted wedding gifts when you have no receipt
- 11Why is this community full of sales pitches and spam?