A short self-assessment for development staff weighing whether wishlist giving fits their current programs and capacity.
This isn't a scored quiz, just six questions worth sitting with before you decide whether to explore this further.
Do physical items already show up in how you serve people? A crib, a winter coat, diapers, program materials, comfort items. If your programs already run on things people can hold, that's the clearest sign wishlist giving fits your work.
Is the need recurring, not a single event? An always-on need, tied to an ongoing program, is a different thing from a one-time drive. Wishlist giving works best as a standing practice, not a seasonal push.
Could someone on your team own a simple, evolving list? This doesn't require a new hire. It requires one person who already knows what your programs need and can keep that list current.
Have donors already asked what they can actually bring or send? If people have asked this question before, the appetite already exists. You just haven't had a structured way to answer it yet.
Are you already doing some version of this informally? A paper list at the front desk, a drop-off bin, a wishlist someone on staff set up themselves. If so, you're not starting from zero. You're formalizing something that's already working.
Is your board ready to think about a gift that isn't cash? Worth raising before you commit to anything. Getting your board comfortable with a new kind of gift walks through the questions that tend to come up.
If most of this sounds familiar, that's a good sign. Why It Exists lays out the case for in-kind giving itself, and Partner With Us walks through exactly what changes on your end.