Most charities need practical supplies: cleaning products, printer ink, food for animals, craft materials for sessions. The budget is either too tight or too restricted to cover everything, and general fundraising rarely stretches to the everyday stuff that keeps an organisation running.
A wish list changes the equation. Instead of asking supporters for money and hoping it reaches the right places, you show them exactly what you need and let them buy it directly. This is not a replacement for fundraising, but it covers a different kind of need: the day-to-day items that keep services running.
Supporters can act immediately, and items often arrive within days. No grant application, and less admin than dealing with small operational spend through restricted budgets.
A charity wish list is an operations tool that happens to double as a fundraising channel. This guide covers how to set one up well, what to put on it, and how to keep it working long after the initial launch.
Quick setup checklist
If you want to get a wish list running quickly, here is the short version. The rest of the article explains each step in detail.
Choose a platform that makes it easy to buy the right thing (clear links, avoids duplicates, works on mobile)
Select 15-25 items across a range of price points
Write a one or two line description for each item explaining where it is used and why it matters
Add quantities where relevant
Decide who owns the list and how often it gets updated (monthly at minimum)
Put it on your website permanently, not as a campaign page
Plan how you will thank donors and show them the impact of what they gave
What should you include on a charity wish list?
The temptation is to list everything you could possibly need. Resist it. A focused list with 15 to 25 well-chosen items will always outperform one with 80 items that nobody scrolls to the bottom of.
Start with genuine needs. The items your team would buy tomorrow if the budget allowed. These are the backbone of your list and the items donors feel best about buying.
Then think about the price ladder. Not every supporter can spend £50, but many will happily spend £8 if they can see something useful at that level. A pack of bin bags sitting alongside a piece of equipment means nobody is priced out of helping. A simple rule: aim for roughly a third of items under £10, a third between £10 and £30, and a third above that.
It is also worth including a few items that feel like treats. A coffee machine for volunteers. New cushions for the reading corner. Things you would never prioritise in a tight budget but that would genuinely improve things. These often get picked up quickly. Donors enjoy being the one to provide something a bit special, and these items tend to get shared on social media more than the practical ones.
Consumables deserve their own mention. Printer paper, cleaning products, food, toiletries, anything that gets used up and needs replacing. These are perfect for wish lists because they give donors a reason to come back. Someone who bought you printer paper six months ago might well do it again if they can see you need more.
What should you leave off the list?
Not everything belongs on a public wish list. A few things to avoid:
Personal items where the wrong size or spec would make them unusable (unless you can specify exactly)
Anything that could identify a service user or reveal sensitive details about who you work with
Specialist equipment that requires training, certification, or insurance to use
Items that would be difficult to return if the wrong version arrives
Gift cards or vouchers, unless you explain exactly how they will be used
If in doubt, ask: “Could a well-meaning stranger buy this without needing to check with us first?” If the answer is no, it probably belongs in the budget rather than on the list.
How should you write item descriptions?
One thing many organisations underestimate is how much the description matters. The item itself gets someone’s attention. The description is what makes them click “buy.”
A good format is: the item, where it is used, how quickly you go through it, and what it enables. You do not need all four every time, but even two of them turn a product listing into a small story.
Here are three examples:
Kitchen roll (pack of 12)
We get through about 12 rolls a week keeping the kennels clean between animals. Infection control depends on it
Acrylic paint set
Used in our weekly art therapy sessions for young carers. A set lasts about six weeks before we need a new one.
Waterproof dog coats (medium, large)
Our rescue dogs need walking whatever the weather. Wet dogs in the shelter mean damp bedding and more laundry.
Compare those with “Kitchen roll x 12,” “Acrylic paint set,” and “Dog coats.” The descriptions take seconds to write but give the donor a reason to care about an otherwise unremarkable item.
How do you structure a list that is easy to use?
Donors tend to make quick decisions. They want to find something that fits their budget and move on. A list that is hard to scan will lose people before they reach the bottom.
If your list runs longer than 20 items, grouping helps. By department, by urgency, or by price range. A “most needed under £15” group at the top is a particularly effective tactic, it gives budget-conscious donors an obvious starting point and tends to attract the highest volume of purchases.
Be clear about quantities. If you need 30 towels, say so. It helps donors understand the scale and lets several people chip in towards the same goal.
Keep it fresh. Remove fulfilled items. Adjust quantities as things come in. If you need 30 towels and 10 arrive, update the quantity rather than removing the item. Add new needs as they arise. A list that visibly changes over time tells donors the organisation is active and paying attention. A list that looks the same as it did three months ago tells them the opposite. Pick a recurring slot (for example, ten minutes once a month) and stick to it.
For larger organisations, separate lists for different departments or projects can work well. One for the animal shelter, one for the education programme, one for general operations. Some organisations go further. Animal rescues, for example, often run a list per animal group or category, and some create one for individual animals so supporters can see exactly who they are helping. It is not unusual for a busy shelter or zoo to manage 20 or 30 active lists at once.
How far you take it depends on your audience and your capacity to keep them updated. A single, well-maintained list will always outperform a dozen neglected ones. But if you have the structure to keep multiple lists current, giving donors a specific area or cause to support tends to increase engagement.
A sample “Most needed under £15” section
If you want a starting template, here is a simple example you can adapt for your own organisation. Pin something like this to the top of your wish list or feature it on your “Support Us” page.
Bin bags (roll of 50) - £4. We get through roughly two rolls a week across all buildings.
Antibacterial spray (pack of 3) - £6. Used daily in every room. We can never have too much.
Colouring pencils (set of 24) - £5. For our after-school art sessions. A set lasts about three weeks.
Tinned dog food (pack of 12) - £12. Feeds our rescue dogs for about four days.
Hand soap refills (pack of 4) - £8. Every bathroom, every sink, every week.
Short descriptions. Clear prices. Recognisable items. That is all it takes.
Privacy, delivery, and the practical basics
Before you start sharing your wish list publicly, it is worth thinking through a few operational details.
If your organisation works with vulnerable people, keep item descriptions generic. “Art supplies for our Tuesday sessions” is fine. “Art supplies for the children’s trauma recovery group” is not. The wish list is public-facing, treat it accordingly.
Use a central delivery address for all items. A PO box, reception desk, or office address is ideal. Avoid using residential addresses or locations that could reveal where clients access services.
If you publish the link on social media, avoid pairing it with details about where staff or services are based.
Where possible, choose retailers with straightforward returns, and include basic specs (size, pack count, colour preferences) so donors do not have to guess.
Think about storage. If a newsletter mention sends 15 packages in a week, they need somewhere to go. Some organisations designate a “donations received” area and process items weekly rather than as they arrive.
Set expectations with donors where you can. A short note on the wish list explaining that listed items are what you need most, and that sticking to the list helps the organisation use everything it receives, heads off most unsolicited donation issues.
How to share a charity wish list (without it feeling awkward)
This is where many organisations hesitate. There is a real worry that sharing a wish list looks needy, especially if you are already asking for monetary donations elsewhere.
The reframe that tends to help: you are not asking people to give you things. You are showing people how they can help. Most supporters want to do something practical. They just do not always know what is useful.
Put it on your website as a permanent fixture. Not buried in the footer, but somewhere visible - a “How to Help” or “Support Us” page. If you offer both item donations and cash donations, make that clear on the page so supporters can choose what suits them. Treating it as a standing resource signals that item donations are a normal, ongoing way to support the organisation, not an emergency measure.
In newsletters, a regular “Here’s what we need this month” section works better than linking to the full list every time. Highlight one or two specific items with a line of context.
On social media, showing beats telling. A photo of a donated item now in use will always outperform a post saying “here’s our wish list.” Show the impact first, then mention where supporters can find the list.
At events, open days, fundraisers, volunteer sessions, mention the wish list. People who have seen your work in person are the most likely to follow through afterwards, and a wish list gives them a simple way to do that when they get home.
Give your team and volunteers a link they can pass on to friends, family, or local businesses. Word of mouth from someone connected to the organisation carries more weight than any social media post.
How do you keep donors engaged after they have given?
How you handle the moment after someone gives has an outsized effect on whether they come back.
Thank them quickly. A couple of lines is enough. If you can mention the specific item they bought, even better. Even a spreadsheet and a template email will do the job at smaller scale.
Then, when you can, show them what happened. A photo of the new supplies being unpacked. A short update on how the donated equipment is being used. One photo-based thank-you per month is enough - it does not need to be a big campaign. These small follow-ups are what turn a one-off purchase into an ongoing relationship.
When new needs come up, tell your previous donors. If someone bought you dog beds six months ago and you need more, they will probably want to know. This is not pestering. It is treating them as a continuing supporter.
How do you coordinate a wish list across a team?
For smaller charities, one person handles the list and that is that. As an organisation grows, it gets messier.
Someone needs to own it. One person responsible for keeping it current, removing fulfilled items, adding new ones. Without that, lists go stale within weeks.
That person is rarely the one who knows what every department needs, though. A monthly check-in - even just an email to team leads asking what they are short of - keeps the list relevant without creating a process that nobody follows.
It also helps to agree upfront on what belongs on a public wish list and what does not. Practical items supporters can buy? Yes. Sensitive or specialist equipment that should come from the budget? No. Anything that could identify a client or service user? Definitely not.
Keep a record of what comes in. It is useful for thank-you messages, for spotting which types of items attract the most support, and for reporting to trustees or board members.
Tooling options
You can run a charity wish list with most online wish list platforms, or even with a simple shared document and a spreadsheet. The main thing is making it easy for supporters to help in the way that suits them.
In practice, charities tend to do best when they offer two options: supporters can buy a specific item (tangible impact) or give cash (speed and flexibility).
If you want something more structured, Giftwhale’s business and charity accounts are designed for this. You can create multiple lists for different departments, reduce duplicates with item reservations, manage donor communications and thank-you workflows, and give different team members their own access levels so the list does not depend on one person.
You can also enable cash donations through the same wish list link, processed via GoFundMe, so supporters use a familiar checkout flow.
Whatever platform you use, the important things are: supporters can see what you need, items can be marked as reserved so you do not get duplicates, and the list is easy to keep updated.
If your organisation needs things, a wish list is a straightforward way to tell people exactly what those things are. Keep it current, show supporters the difference their contributions make, and it will keep working for you month after month.
Start small with 20 items, update it once a month, and post one impact photo occasionally. That is enough to keep it working.
