Tis the season for donation request.

[wickedinhere]

I have talked about this before. LOL I really don't know how someone thousands of miles away can ask me to donate to their local cause.
I mean what about your local business? My wife had a co-worker ask for a fire pit for a donation,my wife asked her if she had shared my business on Facebook or pump my business around or if she had even bought from me. The answer was no to all 3 my wife said well there's your answer. I have one biker club i donate to and they give all the money to wounded vets and always offer to pay but i refuse they also send a thank you card which no one else has ever done.

[grindergary]

I understand where you are coming from.
I do donations for fire department, a few close by that are volunteer firefighters.

The best ones for me are the veterans groups. I cut and have painted for someone that has been brought to my attention from other vets. I give these pieces to them and ask to get pictures when the piece is handed over. The reaction is more than enough as payment for me. They offer to pay but its a donation.
I have been given lots of business from these donations and go out of my way to help these people. I have made my money back with referrals from the donations.
I only do local donations as I find the more people that know you donate will always ask even though you never heard of the organization before and are across the country.

I have one I have to deliver on the weekend for a vet who our government has put thru hell after being seriously wounded in Afghanistan.


Gary

[tnttracy]

i constantly get requests to donate to the seemingly millions of auctions around me. i have a form to fill out that i give to anybody requesting a donation. its has my company letterhead and a short statement that basically very nicely says i can only donate so much work and donation priority goes to the places that support me. then they fill in their contact information, what the item will be going to and if there is a specific piece they would like to have.

it is amazing the look on peoples faces that you ask them to lift a finger in return. to date i have given to every single person that returned the form!

the one that annoys me the most is the 'Dad' that calls who has a kid in some sort of youth sport that is having a fund raising auction. they all seem to be contractors or self employed and would dontate somthing themselves if they had time/ created a product like mine. when i here this 'i would if i could' bs, i tell them well heres you opportunity buy what ever you want and you donate it! i will not give a full donation when someone basically tells me their time is worth more than mine. i then give/ send them the form and if they fill it out i'll give them what they want if they pay half. only one of these dads has filled a form out.

[little blue choo]

I love the form idea. I own 5 small business in a very small town and I'm always getting people who don't do business with me asking for a donation or sponsorship for their kids sports team, cheer team, dance studio, or school group. I think I'll have to sit down and come up with a form. This could be fun. LOL

[wickedinhere]

The form idea is great, I have used it on a few people and all i get is silence on the phone then a thank you and a hang up. LOL

[tnbndr]

Would you mind posting a sample of your forms?

[tnttracy]

heres what i use...

[tnbndr]

Thanks