Saying no is hard to do

I am constantly asked for product donations for various charities and fund raisers. How do I decide who to donate to? It's so difficult, because there are just so many deserving groups and obviously a small business can't donate to everyone.

I hate saying no.

However, the fact is that I am a small business and I can't always say yes. Here's how I handle it:
- I have a few key charities that I donate to each year
- I created PAWS for Charity with 3 other like minded business women and raise funds for breast cancer research
- I participate in events, and donate part of my sales to charity
- I donate part of the proceeds from some of my dog biscuits to charity
- I donate items to some groups that hold a personal interest to me

And when all else fails, and I run out of donation budget, I do something like this:

These are 2 watercolours that I painted and sent to the Maritime Greyhound Adoption Program in New Brunswick. One of the organizers is a customer of mine, so I wanted to help out in some small way. These paintings will be auctioned off at their Annual Picnic & Auction to raise money for special needs greyhounds that would otherwise be euthanized. This year the auction will take place on July 29th, and I really hope someone bids on my little paintings!