The best way to get companies to donate items, GC's etc?

Do you work for the apartment/housing community?

If not, then that will make your task more difficult.

If possible, get you apartment/housing management involved, as they will have experience with this sort of thing, and they will already have a network in place if they have been there awhile.

The complex manager is the one holding the event but has recruited me to do some of the legwork. Being that I have a computer and lots of time on my hands, he kind of made it my job to put some of these things together.

There are a lot of older people/disabled people here so he said I could probably market it to companies under that route.

I told him to write me up something official looking so i could fax it to different companies.

But I know a lot of companies want tax id's and we are w/o one.

You could give free pens. According to a person I know, you can always get pens. Pens.

A lot of Insurance companies will give you free writing pads and other little incidentals like that as well.

Just out of curiosity, why doesn't your complex management company/association have a tax ID? They are free, and very easy to get online (https://sa.www4.irs.gov/modiei.....index.jsp) in a couple of minutes. Go here and read before applying: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/.....67,00.html. (Just trying to be helpful.)

I don't know why this complex doesn't have a tax id. The manager is just a mgr and not the owner of the complex.

I don't think asking the owner for a tax id# will fly. This is a privately owned complex and not owned by a major corporation.

What sort of items are you looking for? Hit up a few promotional product shops in your area...chances are they would be willing to donate small items, and maybe give you the names of a few companies that order things like 10,000 pens, bags, etc. at one time.

Banks and local restaurants are usually down for good causes.

I'm looking for things like: movie passes, restaurant gc's, or maybe a ticket or 2 to some type of event.

I just need to know how to market this. Anyone got any ideas?

Couple of things of note.

1. Overaged, your apartment manager has you doing their job. Just thought you should know. Currently I'm working as an assistant manager at an apartment complex, at least until my degree job is landed, and this is what management does, not the residents.

2. A community party/event, even if staged for the aging and disabled, is not the same thing as a "good cause", and you will find your task difficult, as you do not actually represent the company in an official position capacity. At the very least, you need to figure how to spin-it as a business opportunity for businesses, and trust me, the whole retired and disabled people plea won't be enough.

I've been doing this stuff for the last 3-4 years, so I'm speaking from experience here.

PS: Your management needs to get a bloody tax ID# if they are legitimate.