Our Donor-Donee Matching Process
1 Sign Up
Essential workers and donors both fill out forms letting us know what items essential workers need and what items donors have to share.
2 Get Matched!
Give Essential matches essential workers with donors based on needs and requests. Look out for an email from our volunteers!
Categories of donations: cleaning supplies, masks, personal hygiene products, feminine hygiene products, kids activities, gift cards
3 Ship or Receive
Donors put together a care package and ship it directly to an essential worker in need. Check out examples of past donation packages!
How to ship: From the house using USPS's Click and Ship, post office package drop-off, or through an online order
Matching FAQs
Are you a 501c3 charity?
Yes! Give Essential is registered as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Contributions to Give Essential may be eligible for tax deduction in the U.S.A., please consult your tax advisor for eligibility. Our Federal Tax ID Number is 47-2170431.
Do you pledge not to do anything with my info?
Yes - we will not be sharing any of the information unless otherwise indicated. Read our Privacy Policy for more information.
When will I get matched?
Donors: You will receive an email from matches@giveessential.org within a week of submitting a response! Please check your spam folder, just in case.
Essential Workers: We will email out as soon as we find a match for your needs! We want to help you as soon as we can, but this is dependent on the donors we currently have signed up.
Are all essential workers guaranteed a match?
While we would love to match everyone, we cannot guarantee that you will be matched. There is more demand for supplies than there are donors, but we will do our best to fulfill requests as they are submitted. Please note that if we are unable to verify your proof of essential worker status, we will not be able to make a match.
Can I sign up to receive multiple donations?
Thank you for your interest in receiving a donation from Give Essential! We are incredibly excited to facilitate a donation for you. However, in order for Give Essential to ensure that we can support as many essential workers as possible, our policy is that each essential worker can sign up to receive a donation 2 times maximum and that there must be at least 6 weeks between sign-ups. If you sign up more than 2 times or the sign-ups are too close together, unfortunately, we will not be able to facilitate a donation for you. If you have any questions or concerns about our sign-up policy, please contact team@giveessential.org.
How do I prove my essential worker status?
Anything that will verify your status. A screenshot of an email from your manager (with a date and name), your last paycheck, screenshots from an employee app (your name must be included in the picture), or any other documentation that will help us verify your status.
If we cannot verify your status, you will not be matched.
Are you conducting quality control on the items?
No, we are not. We are just a peer-to-peer matching platform that connects essential workers who need household items to people who have spare items. We are not guaranteeing anything, but are relying on the generosity and kindness we've seen around the world. :) We are not liable for any of the items delivered.
Can I get more than one match?
Yes! Please just fill out another form. If you want more than 5 matches, email: team@giveessential.org.
Will I get everything I ask for?
This is dependent on our donors, but likely, we will be able to fulfill 1 or 2 of the categories you request. Specific PPE/COVID-protection items in particular are tricky to come by, as there is a national shortage and most of it is being donated to and dedicated to healthcare workers.
What types of items are donated?
Anything that you are in need of or will help you in light of COVID-19. Donations are intended only for the essential worker and not to be sold. We'll provide a number of categories in the form to make it easier for the donor to match up with your categories of needs:
Cleaning supplies (cleaning wipes, disposable gloves)
Personal hygiene/care products (ex: hand/dish soap, shampoo, detergent, lotion)
Female hygiene products (ex: pads/tampons)
Kids activities (educational subscriptions, electronics, board games/puzzles)
Gift cards (grocery, gas station)
What condition should my items be in?
We ask that donors who are planning to send hygiene products and COVID-prevention items to send brand new — in other words: unused, unopened, and undamaged — items. All other items should be in new or like-new condition. Items that come in its own packaging are okay, even if is out of the original container.
When will the care package arrive?
We will send you a tracking number for your delivery as soon as we receive one from the donor!
Are you covering shipping costs?
While we would love to, we are currently not covering shipping fees. However, for those who are planning to make more than 5 donations, please email us and we will work with you to figure out the best shipping options / potential reimbursements.