The Centers for Families and Children
Donation Drive Planning Kit
Are you interested in coordinating your own donation drive to raise financial
donations or in-kind items for The Centers for Families and Children? This tool
kit will provide you with the resources to help you plan and coordinate your
donation drive. If you have any additional questions, please contact Alexa New,
Director of Resource Development, by phone (216-325-9369) or e-mail
(alexa.new@thecentersohio.org). Thank you for your support of The Centers!
Toolkit Contents
Planning Your Donation Drive
Wrapping Up Your Donation Drive
Fundraising Ideas
In-Kind Donations Wish List
The Centers for Families and Children: Who We Are
In-Kind Contribution Reporting Form
………………………………Page 2
………………………………Page 3
………………………………Page 4
……………………………....Page 5
………………………………Page 6
………………………………Page 7
Our Mission
We believe lasting, positive change begins with access to opportunities. We bridge the
opportunity gap by connecting as many people as possible to effective health care, education
and essential human services. The Centers is one of the oldest and largest nonprofit
organizations in Northeast Ohio, serving more than 20,000 people annually in our community.
Visit TheCentersOhio.org to learn more.
Planning Your Donation Drive
1
The first step in planning your drive is deciding what you would like to collect.
Financial donations are always a great place to start (make checks payable to The
Centers for Families and Children). They allow The Centers to use the funds to
support our programs where the money is most needed. It is also easy for people to
contribute, in that they do not need to go shopping or search their home for the items
you are looking to collect. If you do choose to collect in-kind donations (see In-Kind
Donations Wish List, page 5), it might be helpful to narrow the focus of your drive to
specific items. For example, a Back-to-School drive to collect school supplies for our
early learning centers, or a clothing drive to collect interview clothes for our El Barrio
Workforce Development clients. You can also give supporters the option to donate both!
2
It is a good idea, although not necessary, to create a goal for your fundraising
drive. Having a goal will help you communicate with your supporters how the drive
is doing, how their support is helping you reach that goal and how much further you
have to go to make goal. For example, you could create a goal to raise $500 from your
coworker or neighbors, or a goal to collect school supplies to fill 15 backpacks for
children in our early learning program.
3
4
Decide the length of your drive. Perhaps it will be a one-day fundraiser event (see
page 4 for fun fundraising ideas), or a month-long drive, or even an ongoing
collection. Whatever you decide, you will want to communicate that when you are
marketing your drive.
If you are hosting the drive at your church or place of work, get permission from the
appropriate people to host the drive and, if needed, to place collection bins at
various locations throughout the building. Some companies may have policies
around hosting fundraising drives at the workplace, so talk to your supervisor and get the
appropriate approvals. Management support of fundraising events is key and can even
help boost participation.
5
Is a Matching Gift Available? If you are with a company, many companies are
willing and able to make a matching gift of their employees’ contributions – even
when employees are donating items instead of cash. Check with your company to
see if they will match donations, or contact us to check our comprehensive database of
mating gift instructions and eligibility requirements.
6
Advertise! Advertise! Advertise! Once you have all the pre-planning completed,
you will want to get the word out there: what you are collecting and for what cause,
what your goal is if you set one, and what the deadline is for making donations.
Some ways to spread the word include flyers and posters, emails, company newsletters,
church bulletins and social media sites.
7
Begin your drive! If your drive is for a longer period of time and you did set a goal,
update your supporters on progress throughout the drive. When the drive is over,
share the results with everyone who participated and thank them for their help.
Wrapping Up Your Donation Drive
1
Once your drive is completed, you will want to turn in your donations to The
Centers. Checks should be made payable to The Centers for Families and
Children. Financial donations can be dropped off or mailed in to the address listed
below. In-kind donations should be dropped off at the location listed below. For drop off
of donations, please call 216-325-9350 in advance to arrange a time. Normal hours of
operation are Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm; drop off outside of normal hours can
be arranged on a case by case basis.
The Centers for Families and Children
Attn: Resource Development
4500 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44103
2
For financial and in-kind donations, any donor who we have a mailing address for
will receive an official thank you letter from The Centers that can also be used as a
receipt for tax-purposes. If the donor’s name is not listed on their check, or if they
donated cash or an in-kind item and would like to receive a receipt from The Centers,
please collect their name, address and amount or item donated on a sheet of paper and
send that in with the donations so that we may thank them properly.
3
4
When sending in financial donations please also include with the donation your
name and contact information as the drive coordinator, and any additional
information you want to share about your drive, so that we may thank you as well
for coordinating this effort on our behalf.
For in-kind donation drives, the In-Kind Contribution Form will need to be filled out
when you drop off the donations. You can fill this out in advance and bring it in
with you (see page 7), or we can provide you with the form to fill out when you
arrive. This form can also be signed by our staff for use for tax deduction purposes.
Fun Fundraising Ideas
Host a Jeans Day or Dress Down Day at your office. Ask coworkers to donate a set
dollar amount (for example, $10) or bring in an item (for example, two school supply
items), and in exchange they can dress in casual clothes for a day. Some companies
have designated a specific day for dress downs, others let the employee choose any day
they wish. Talk to your company in advance of planning a Dress Down Day to get the
proper approvals.
Competition between groups or departments. Competitions between groups can be
fun and can encourage people to stretch a little further in their donation. Have groups
compete on who can raise the most money in a set period of time, like a week or month,
or who can raise $500 first. Don’t forget to get management approval if competition will
be workplace based. Management approval and participation can help results as well!
Have a bake sale. People love to eat, so have a bake sale, a pancake breakfast, a
make-your-own-sundae bar, or a hot dog lunch and all proceeds will be donated. This is
also a great way to introduce kids or a classroom of students to charity and helping
those in need.
Host a virtual drive. For friends and family not located nearby, you can host a virtual
drive. Promote your drive through email and social media. Direct supporters to our
website to make a financial donation in support of your drive. On the donation form, they
can credit their donation to your donation drive efforts in the Recognition section by
checking the “I am donating on behalf of a corporation or group”, they can enter the
name of your drive in that field (for example: PNC’s virtual drive, or Amy’s Holiday
Donation Drive).
Get creative. There are many fun things you can do to raise money or in-kind
donations. These listed here are just a few. Get creative and come up with your own,
and have fun!
In-Kind Donation Wish List
Interview and work clothes (in various adult male and female sizes):
o black pants
o black shoes
o white button-down shirts
Gently used or new clothing for all occasions and seasons (adults & children sizes)
School supplies:
o Backpacks
o Crayons
o Pencils
o Scissors, etc.
Small household items:
o Books
o Lamps
o Pictures
o Linens
o Dishes
o Pots & Pans
o Microwaves
o TVs
o Toys
o Decorative items
Larger household items:
o Bookcases
o Small dressers
o Children’s bikes
o Folding chairs
o Children’s stroller
o High chairs
Interested in donating larger items like
furniture or items in larger quantities?
Please contact us in advance
(216.325.9350) to make sure we have the
room to accept and store the items.
Our in-kind donation wish list changes with
the needs of our clients. Do you have
something that you would like to donate that
you don’t see on the list? Contact us to see
if it is one of our current needs!
WHAT WE DO
Centers for Health and Wellness
Our services are specifically tailored to the person who is first impacted by mental illness and then
quite often by other health, environmental, economic, and cultural factors. With the expertise
of a wide range of providers and specialists, The Centers’ clients have access to counseling, case
management, psychiatry, primary care, medication management, and pharmacy services; as well
as wellness groups and activities focused on social recreation, nutrition, fitness, and more.
Centers for Early Learning
The goal of our early learning program is to prepare each child for kindergarten and beyond all the way
to high school graduation. Our comprehensive approach combines a proven curriculum with support
services tailored to the unique needs of each child. Services are available through nine convenient
Early Learning Centers or a home-based option led by highly qualified staff for children from birth
to five years and school age.
El Barrio Center for Workforce Development
Our workforce team provides training and supportive services that result in steady jobs and careerbuilding opportunities. With training programs such as General Job Readiness, Job Readiness in
Espanol, Customer Service, Refugee Employment and English as a Second Language coupled with
intensive case management and supportive services, our clients are ready to make a successful
transition into the workforce.
Center for Youth & Family Services
Our specialized staff offer services that deal directly with issues that impact at-risk youth and families
who are in need of support.
• RapArt - incorporates experiential activities and art to help youth make healthy choices and to
succeed in life. Our services have a heavy focus on alcohol and drug prevention.
• Father and Families Together (FAFT) - provides educational and family-focused activities
for men to help them build strong relationships with their children.
• Heights Family to Family Collaborative (F2F) - offers neighborhood-based services for families to
receive the support and resources they need to remain stable and ensure the safety of their children.
WSEM Food Centers
Our Food Centers are among the largest food distributors to families and individuals in need within
our community and serve as food pantries of the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland. Our Food
Centers also provide information, referrals and supportive services such as food stamp application
processing. Our families also have access to our resale shops which offer gently used items.
ease@work
Our team provides employee assistance services to more than 130 Ohio-based employers, including
corporations, universities, school systems, labor unions, nonprofits and county and municipal
government employees. All net revenue earned by ease@work goes to support the services
provided by The Centers.
Go Further.
WHERE WE ARE
Administrative Center
Nancy Lyon Porter Building, 4500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
Centers for Health & Wellness
•
•
•
•
•
•
East Office, 4400 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
Hispanic Office, 4115 Bridge Ave., Suite 309, Cleveland
RapArt, 1941 South Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights
Southwest Office, 5955 Ridge Road, Cleveland
West Office, 3929 Rocky River Drive, Cleveland
Counseling Solutions, 5209 Detroit Ave., Cleveland
Centers for Early Learning
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Archwood, 2800 Archwood Ave., Cleveland
Bingham, 2421 Central Ave., Cleveland
Faith, 12601 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
Gilbert, 3274 West 58th St., Cleveland
Mather, 9203 Union Ave., Cleveland
McMillan, 1941 South Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights
Rainbow Terrace, 7255 Garden Valley Ave., Cleveland
Wade, 9111 Yale Ave., Cleveland
Youth and Family Learning Center (YFLC), 5209 Detroit Ave., Cleveland
Early Learning Home Visitor and Home-based Programs
El Barrio Center for Workforce Development
• 5209 Detroit Ave., Cleveland
• 2940 Noble Road, Cleveland Heights (in partnership with US Together),
Center for Youth & Family Services
(RapArt, Heights Family to Family Collaborative and Fathers and Families Together)
• 1941 South Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights
WSEM Food Centers
• Brookside, 3780-3784 Pearl Road, Cleveland
• Community Corner, 8302 Detroit Ave., Cleveland
• Near West Food Center, 3610 Bridge Ave., Cleveland
ease@work
• Nancy Lyon Porter Building, 4500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
For any questions or to enroll for any of our services:
216-432-7200
TheCentersOhio.org
Go Further.
IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION REPORTING FORM
Date:
Donor Name:
Company Name:
Address:
City/State/Zip:
Description of goods donated:
Event/Program:
Signature of Donor:
Donation received by:
Title:
Please return form to Karen Casper at karen.casper@thecentersohio.org or
4500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
4500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44103 | P 216-432-7200 | F 216-432-7252
| TheCentersOhio.org