Goodwill: If You Can't Say Something Nice, Say Thank You.

My friend Barbara Morrison offered her 501(c)3 to serve as a fiscal sponsor while we get through the final stages of getting Barry's Kitchen up and running as a 501(c)3 of our own. This allowed Barry's Kitchen to accept our first tax deductible donation last week.

The experience prompted me to perform a much needed re-evaluation of my expectations when it comes to getting donations. Look at how Goodwill works: while they do list a number of things they will not accept, they offer tax free donations on what they will allow you to drop off, and a large percentage of what comes in through their doors never sees the inside of the store. The point is that some folks give things of value out of a sense of altruism, while others are motivated entirely by the write-off and will in a lot of instances be donating things that have little value to them, and even less value to the recipient. But to be critical of that risks getting no donations at all.

So the lesson learned last week: If you can't say something nice, say "thank you".