There has been an interesting dialog on the Retail Forum about charitable donations. As a retailer, you're in a position to get a lot of solicitations from local schools, hospitals and non-profits looking for products or gift certificates for fundraising events.

I have a personal philosophy that it's good karma to give. During the holidays, our company chooses a charity to support. Last year we sent more than $500 worth of supplies to the troops in Afghanistan, and for several years prior, we provided toys and clothes anonymously for a local family we found through a non-profit.

Many of the retailers expressed concern over just how many people were asking for donations. One retailer in particular offered some great advice on how to turn a charitable donation into an opportunity for your store. Instead of giving one $50 gift certificate, she specifies to the organization to auction/give away five $10 gift certificates to different people. She has found that by giving a lower denomination the gift certificate recipients often spend more than the face value of the certificate.

Even if the recipient chooses to just spend the $10, she said she's never upset because it's a chance to introduce a new customer to her store or reward an existing one.