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.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Deleting the message or email without respondingDid this help you?
- 2Politely declining by citing business constraints and lack of profitabilityDid this help you?
- 3Telling the person you cannot help and wishing them luckDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, 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 ↗
“I get that sometimes from people who have never even used my business.”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 ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7How to ask for money instead of gifts without looking rude
- 6Why do I keep getting calls after getting quotes online?
- 4How do you start a peer-to-peer fundraiser with zero donor history?
- 7Why don't friends care about my wedding as much as I cared about theirs?
- 6Is it normal for a nonprofit to ask employees for donations?
- 5What to do with unwanted wedding gifts when you have no receipt