Should You Collect Charitable Donations?

You’ve probably been at the register at the grocery store and asked if you wanted to contribute money to a charity as you checked out. Maybe you donated, or perhaps you found it was annoying. It might have depended on your mood that day, or possibly the charity was a deciding factor. But as a store owner, should you collect charitable donations?

If you are firmly in favor of charities or dead-set against mixing business with giving, it will influence your decision to collect charitable donations. However, if you are on the fence about it, there are some things to consider to help you make the best business decision for you.

A primary consideration is how your business will handle the tax implications and accounting of collecting. ACID is a robust point of sale system that gives merchants a POS custom reports, including all donations. It simplifies accounting, so your business knows exactly what was collected. However, you will want to check with your tax professional to determine how taking contributions for a particular charity affects your business.

Pick a charity that is appropriate for your company, that most of your customers would support, and one which is least likely to offend anyone. This might be a large charity or a collection for a small group or even a local family. Perhaps you want to offer donations during seasonal periods. Any choices should maintain a good shopping experience for your customers.

You will need to train your staff to be empowered to talk about the charity but not be pushy in requests for gifts. And giving multiple donation options is essential to succeeding in your collection efforts. ACID has many POS capabilities giving options during a POS purchase that include various donation management options:

• Turning off all donations.
• Setting specific amounts, for example, $1, $5, and $10.
• Allowing customers to round up their purchases to the next dollar, so a $19.50 purchase would become $20, resulting in a 50 cent gift.

Finding the right balance for accepting donations can be tricky. But allowing customers to give donations can help them feel more connected to your business and increase their loyalty. The POS technology in ACID can make It a breeze. Giving to a great cause is an excellent feel-good opportunity to offer your customers and a way your business can make the world a little better.