How Local Businesses Can Support Fundraisers Without Offering Vouchers

Not every business has a product or service that fits a voucher. Some trade at thin margins, some are booked solid, some simply don't suit the format.

Here's the short version: that's fine. Vouchers are one way to support fundraisers — not the only way. In-kind donations, matching offers, percentage days, collection points, skills and promotion all work. Ask the fundraiser what would genuinely help, then deliver it well.

Ways to help without vouchers

• In-kind donations. Products for the raffle, baking for the gala, services for the cause.
• A matching offer. "We'll match the first $500 raised." Simple and powerful.
• A percentage day. "10% of today's takings goes to the school."
• A collection point. Host a donation box or goods drop-off at your premises.
• Space and logistics. Venue for a meeting, a stall at your frontage, a delivery run.
• Your skills. A poster designed, a website fixed, a van loaned.
• Promotion. Share their campaign with your customers — a mention, a post, a sign.

What's worth the most

Ask the fundraiser what they actually need. Organisers will tell you: sometimes it's money, sometimes it's a box of sausages, sometimes it's simply a trusted business spreading the word. Support that matches a real need is worth more than a generic gesture.

How to choose

Use the same framework as any partnership:

• Does the cause matter to my customers?
• Can I deliver this well?
• Does it fit my capacity right now?

Even small help, delivered well, builds goodwill. The choosing framework covers the decision in detail.

The honest note

In-kind support has value, but be careful with promises. A donated prize that never arrives, or a percentage day nobody knows about, helps no one. Only offer what you can genuinely deliver — and follow through.

The community effect

Fundraisers remember every hand that helped, not just the voucher sellers. A business that shows up with products, time or promotion becomes part of the cause's story — and the community's list of businesses worth supporting.

The one question

If you can't offer a voucher, ask the fundraiser: "What would genuinely help?" The answer might surprise you — and the help you give will be remembered long after the campaign ends.

Every business can support a fundraiser. The form doesn't matter; showing up does.

Frequently asked questions

Is in-kind support as valuable as vouchers?

To the fundraiser, often yes — a raffle prize, baking or a collection point can be exactly what they need. Value is defined by the need, not the format.

What's the most powerful non-voucher option?

A matching offer — it doubles the momentum and gives supporters a clear reason to give now.

How do we make a percentage day work?

Promote it beforehand — a percentage day nobody knows about helps no one. Clear signage and a social post make it work.

What if we can't offer anything physical?

Promotion alone is real support. Sharing a campaign with your customers costs nothing and genuinely moves fundraisers.

How do we know what's genuinely helpful?

Ask. "What would genuinely help?" is the one question that turns a guess into useful support.