How to Ask for In-Kind Donations

Most in-kind donation requests fail before anyone reads them.

Not because the cause is not compelling — the cause is almost always compelling. They fail because of how the ask is shaped. The request is vague, it goes to the wrong person, and it hands the recipient a pile of logistics to figure out.

This is a fixable problem, and fixing it does not require a bigger network or a better story. It requires being specific.

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The one rule that matters most

Ask for a thing, not for help.

Compare these two requests, both real in structure, both sent by competent fundraisers:

"We would be grateful for any in-kind support your company might be able to provide to further our mission of serving families in crisis."

"We need 40 twin-size sheet sets by March 15 for eight new transitional housing units."

The first one requires the recipient to invent your ask for you, guess a budget, and then decide. Most people, faced with that, do nothing — not out of indifference, but because the request has no edges to grab.

The second one can be approved in under a minute. A store manager reads it, thinks I have sheet sets, and says yes.

Specificity feels presumptuous. It is the opposite. You are doing the work so the giver does not have to.

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The five parts of a request that gets a yes

1. One specific item, with a quantity and a deadline. Not a category. Not a range. One line a person can picture.

2. What the thing does. One sentence connecting the item to a human outcome. "40 sheet sets" is inventory. "40 families sleep in a made bed on their first night out of a shelter" is a reason to act.

3. Logistics, pre-solved. Where it goes, who receives it, when you can accept delivery. Never make a donor ask you a logistics question — every round trip loses yeses.

4. The tax receipt, promised up front. Say you will send an in-kind receipt and include your EIN. This signals you are organized and removes the donor's unspoken question about whether this is deductible.

5. An easy no. "If this is not something you can do right now, no problem at all — I would still love to keep you posted." This costs you nothing and dramatically raises reply rates, because it removes the social cost of declining.

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Four templates

Template 1 — Local business

Subject: 40 sheet sets for [Org] — one specific ask

Hi [Name],

I run [Org], a 501(c)(3) here in [City]. We [one line: what you do, who for].

We are opening eight transitional housing units on March 15 and need 40 twin-size sheet sets. That is the entire ask.

For a family arriving with nothing, a made bed on the first night is the moment the place starts feeling like somewhere they live rather than somewhere they landed.

If [Business] can cover any part of that, we can pick up at your convenience or provide a shipping address. We will send a formal in-kind tax receipt within 48 hours — our EIN is [XX-XXXXXXX].

If it is not the right time, no problem at all. Thank you for reading either way.

[Name], [Title], [Phone]

Template 2 — Individual donor or supporter

Subject: Something specific you could do for us this month

Hi [Name],

You have supported [Org] before and I wanted to share something concrete.

We need [item], [quantity], by [date]. It is for [specific program and who it serves].

If you would rather give a thing than write a check, here is our list of exactly what we need right now: [link]. Everything on it ships directly to us, and you will get a photo when it arrives and a tax receipt automatically.

No pressure at all — I just know some people prefer to see exactly where it goes.

[Name]

Template 3 — Corporate giving program

Formal programs want a different register: mission, numbers, alignment, and evidence.

Subject: In-kind donation request — [Org], [EIN]

Organization: [Legal name] · 501(c)(3) · EIN [XX-XXXXXXX] · [City, State] Mission: [One sentence.] Annual reach: [X] individuals served in [year].

Request: [Quantity] × [specific item], for [program name], needed by [date]. Estimated fair market value: $[X].

Alignment: [One or two sentences on why this fits their stated giving priorities — quote their language back to them from their own giving page.]

Impact: [One specific outcome, ideally with a number or a named story.]

Logistics: Ship to [address], attn [name]. We can receive [days/hours]. Residential/commercial: [which].

Acknowledgment: We provide an IRS-compliant in-kind receipt within 48 hours and are glad to recognize [Company] in [newsletter/annual report/social] if that is welcome.

[Name], [Title], [Phone], [Email]

Template 4 — Urgent or emergency need

Urgency works, but only when it is real. Using it when it is not will cost you the relationship.

Subject: Urgent — [item] needed by [date]

Hi [Name],

Short and direct: [what happened]. We need [quantity] [item] by [date] to [specific consequence of not having it].

Any amount helps — even [smaller quantity] closes part of the gap.

[Link to specific need] · Ship to [address] · Tax receipt automatic · EIN [XX-XXXXXXX]

Thank you, [Name], [Phone]

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Free tool: in-kind donation request letter generator

Answer six questions — your org, the item, the quantity, the deadline, who it serves, and who you are writing to — and get a finished letter you can send.

[Generate my request letter →]

No signup required. We built it because we watched too many good organizations lose good gifts to a badly-shaped ask.

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Common mistakes

Asking for money when you mean goods. Many donors who will not write a $200 check will happily buy $200 of specific things. It is a different psychological transaction. Do not collapse them.

Sending to info@. Find a person. LinkedIn, the staff page, your board's network. A named recipient is worth ten generic sends.

Not following up. One follow-up after 7–10 days is normal and expected. Most yeses arrive on the second touch.

Accepting things you cannot use. A vague ask invites a storage room full of unusable donations. The specific ask is also how you avoid becoming a warehouse.

Forgetting the receipt. The donor generally cannot claim the deduction without a written acknowledgment from you. Here is what it needs to contain.

Only asking once a year. Needs are continuous. A standing, public list of what you need right now converts far better than an annual appeal, because it catches people at the moment they happen to be feeling generous.

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Make the ask standing instead of one-off

Every request above is a single transaction. The higher-leverage version is a permanent, public list of what your organization needs right now — one link you can drop into any email, newsletter, social post, or conversation.

That is what Givelink does. You post the specific items you need. Individual donors buy them. Items ship to you. Tax receipts generate automatically. No fees to you or the donor.

You stop writing the ask from scratch every time. You send a link.

Add your nonprofit — free →

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FAQ

What is the best way to ask for in-kind donations? Ask one named person for one specific item with a quantity and a deadline, explain in one sentence what it does, pre-solve the logistics, and promise a tax receipt.

How do I write an in-kind donation request letter? Use the templates above, or the free generator. The structure that works: specific ask → human outcome → logistics → receipt promise → easy no.

Who should I ask for in-kind donations? In order of likelihood: businesses where your board or staff have a personal connection; local store managers with discretionary budgets; your existing individual donors; then formal corporate giving programs. Here is a list of companies with active programs.

How do I say thank you for an in-kind donation? Send the IRS-compliant receipt within 48 hours, and separately send something human — a photo of the item in use, a note from someone it served. The receipt is compliance. The photo is what makes them give again.