Convert in-kind donations into cash deductions at retail value — with proceeds routed to verified EBT/SNAP shoppers at the register.
Uses your existing retailer POS integrations. No new vendor onboarding for your retail partners. Counsel-reviewed Donor-Advised-Fund structure with documented arm's-length gift-card purchase.
Three structural differences a tax counsel will care about
Cash gift, not inventory donation
You write a cash check to a Donor-Advised Fund. The DAF buys SKU-level gift-card-equivalents from you at retail. That is two separate transactions: a charitable contribution (cash to DAF) and an arm's-length commercial sale (gift-cards from you to DAF). The structure avoids the §170(e)(3) inventory-classification complexity that food-bank donations carry.
Retail-value attribution, with audit trail
Every redemption is logged at SKU + location + date. You receive itemized redemption-attribution reports each quarter. Compared to a bulk food-bank donation, you have line-item proof of which families received which products in which markets.
Zero retailer ops change
The cooperative integrates through two existing POS rails (a national coupon clearinghouse and a SKU-level adjudication program manager) already live at major US retailers. Your retail partners do not onboard a new vendor; the cooperative is recognized as an existing coupon-class participant.
Three documents your team will want
Comparison table
§170(e)(3) inventory donation vs direct food-bank gift vs cooperative DAF pathway — deduction basis, cash flow, recipient reach, audit posture, retailer ops impact.
See the table →Compliance & counsel pack
Counsel posture on DAF sponsor structure, audit precedent, USDA-FNS coordination posture, and the four open questions counsel has worked through.
Read the brief →Retailer integration spec
How the two POS rails route a brand-funded credit at checkout, with zero new code on the retailer side. Confirms the zero-ops-change claim with the integration architecture.
See the spec →Ready to talk?
The cooperative is in pre-charter formation. We are accepting Charter Donor Program inquiries from brands now — request the briefing pack and we will route you to a counsel-to-counsel intro.
Request the brand briefing pack