It can seem impossible to get through checkout at the grocery store, drive-thru or pharmacy these days without being prompted to donate money.
Sometimes it’s a sign, sometimes the cashier asks and sometimes a prompt pops up when you swipe your credit card. It can also be a frustrating combination of all of the above.
But regardless of the cause or how you’re asked, you should think twice before agreeing. Following are some reasons why.
1. You don’t control where the money ends up
When you’re prompted for a donation, you’re usually told who is asking for money and at least something basic about why. And it’s reasonable to expect that the business is being honest.
But you didn’t pick the charity, and there might be another working more effectively toward the same goal. You don’t know why the store is working with a particular organization, and it may not always be straightforward.
For instance, a lawsuit filed against pharmacy chain CVS alleged that its fundraising campaign for the American Diabetes Association was deceptive and that donations were being counted “toward the satisfaction of a legally binding obligation, which CVS had made to the ADA, to donate $10 million to the ADA” over a three-year period. It also claimed CVS used donations to reimburse itself or pay down debt related to that agreement.
While that case was later dismissed, it does make you wonder what’s going on behind the scenes of some of these partnerships.
2. You don’t know when the money arrives
Another piece of information checkout donation prompts generally don’t provide is when your money will be given to the charity. Will the business hold the donations until it reaches a certain amount? Does it send them along one by one or in a quarterly batch?
Some people might prefer knowing their money will make a more immediate impact to help some person, place or thing.
3. You don’t have time to research the charity
A business having its employees make direct requests for donations may tug on your heartstrings a bit more than reading it on a computer screen. They’ve caught you with your wallet open, and you might feel anxious or pressured to donate without thinking.
“Act now” is a tried and true strategy for salespeople, and it prevents you from gathering other information like price comparisons and reviews to make an informed decision. Similarly, these checkout requests for donations don’t give you the opportunity to research what the charity’s goals are or how effective it is.
One idea is to decline to donate, then go home to research the charity. If everything sounds good, you can probably make a direct donation to the organization and avoid delays and any fees that could be involved in having a middleman. You could also simply donate twice as much the next time you visit the store.
4. The donation might not be tax-deductible
A vast majority of taxpayers claim the flat-amount standard deduction rather than itemizing their deductions. But for the many taxpayers in the former group, there’s a cap on the amount of donations they can deduct each year.
For 2026, it’s $2,000 per married couple filing a joint tax return and $1,000 for all other taxpayers.
If you expect your 2026 donations to exceed the cap that applies to you, you will not be able to deduct all of them.
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