Corporate Donor FAQs
WIN is more than a warehouse or a provider of goods. We are, in fact, a provider for Good. We are a dedicated community committed to helping nonprofit organizations realize their boundless potential. We connect organizations with the goods they need, with the goods that enable them to further their impact, to do more good.
WIN has been facilitating impact by connecting donated inventory with worthy non-profit organizations since 1991. Throughout our history, we have built many sound, structural relationships. We know that successful organizations and influential individuals are great because they are driven by purpose, not just profit. They build meaningful relationships, not just assets, accounts, and portfolios. And they thrive by surrounding themselves with kindred spirits who help drive them, deliver them and empower them to be awesome.
WIN does not charge to process or accept any donation. The process is 100% free. If you are interested in donating merchandise, feel free to fill out this form, or email donor@winwarehouse.org. Once we receive your donation request, we will contact you to verify your information and let you know if we can accept your donation.
To keep our program costs low so we can maximize our impact on other non-profits, we ask the donor to take responsibility for the tax-deductible cost of delivering the donation to the WIN warehouse centrally located in St. Louis, Missouri.
There are certain types of items from which we shy away. An example would be hazardous items which require special disposal like CRT monitors.
Keep in mind that the entire purpose of accepting your donation is to get those items into the hands of non-profits who need them. With this in mind, WIN was founded upon the principal that we will “take it all, or not at all,” meaning that we do not cherry-pick items out of your donation. We will tell you up front whether or not we can accept your generous donation.
Because there are so many charities that focus entirely on food distribution, we shy away from distributing perishable items. We do, however, partner with food charities to find meaningful uses for your food donation. We will advise you up front on the best potential outlets for your donation.
“Excess inventory for impact in our world.” How cool is that? And it’s not just an external battle cry or positioning statement; it’s an inspirational, aspirational reminder that every day is another opportunity to “do good.”
Donations from companies like yours, and from leaders like you, make a significant impact on charities all over our nation, and the world, and to the people and communities they serve. We know that successful organizations and influential individuals are great because they are driven by purpose, not just profit.
We love, love, love to share impact stories from our fellow non-profit partners. We would be more than happy to work with you and your team to communicate how your goods enable good.
For starters, your company may be entitled to a double-tax write off when you donate instead of disposing of it. When you scrap inventory, you can only deduct the cost of the inventory for tax purposes. Donation to WIN allows a tax deduction of cost plus half the difference between cost and fair market value up to twice the cost, or a double tax write-off.
Sometimes donation can be more profitable than liquidation. A corporation’s finance department or tax staff should analyze its numbers of cost, fair market value, and tax rate. The “break even” point is where donation and liquidation earn the same amount of benefit. The money you receive from liquidation – which is a sale of the product and is a very low percentage of cost – is taxable income. Also, consider the following intangible costs:
Storage: How much does warehouse cost per square foot?
The Cost of Sales: Donation liberates the sales force from concentrating on marginal or loss items to sell higher margin items.
Product Value: Items sold at liquidation prices may cause a “fire sale” and determine a lower market value for your product.
The IRS defines Fair Market Value as the price that would have been received had the taxpayer sold the contributed property in its traditional market. FMV may be tricky as the price may have changed due to factors such as obsolescence or decrease in demand. We recommend that you contract with an appraiser experienced in asset donation to offer you indemnity. We can refer such an appraiser for asset valuation upon request.
WIN takes great care and invests significant resources to see that donated inventory gets in the hands of qualified organizations to make a maximum impact of good in our world.
That process starts from the time that we take possession of your donated inventory. We sort, catalog, and store donated stock every day. From there, WIN makes that inventory available to our non-profit members. Qualified non-profit members, serving the ill, needy, or infants, can order items from our online product catalog, or pick items up from our St. Louis showroom.
The short answer to that question is — anywhere there is a need. WIN partners with non-profit members with connections all over the globe to get donated inventory quickly to the places where it can do the most good.
Under the IRS regulations, only C Corporations can directly receive the enhanced deduction (the amount above the cost) for donations of excess inventory. However, there are situations whereby S Corporation shareholders can obtain these same substantial tax benefits. We recommend you discuss these options with your CPA. If you are looking for a CPA referral, we would be happy to help point you in the right direction.
For your convenience, below are links to third parties, including the IRS with additional information. As tax laws change, and as your situation may be unique, we advise consulting a tax attorney before making your donation.
CharitableContributions
Determining the Value of Donated Property
26 U.S. Code § 170 — Charitable contributions and gifts