Last week, I received a request from one of our suppliers for a donation. It was for a good cause, so I obliged.

Don’t miss updates on Procurement & Supply Chain, Subscribe here!

And that got me thinking…

I’ve seen a lot of instances where purchasing professionals solicit donations from their suppliers. Educational institutions asking for supplier donations to scholarship funds. Professional association members asking for supplier donations to their golf outings. Individual purchasers asking for supplier donations to their walk-a-thons.

I have opinions on this topic, but am interested to know what you think about the following questions:

• Is supplier donation solicitation truly professional practice?
• Is it a breach of courtesy or even ethics?
• Does it put undue pressure on suppliers to part with their money?
• Is there a covert “or else” implied when soliciting donations?
• Can this lead to higher costs for goods and services for your organization if the supplier notices a pattern?

That comment link is right down there.

I’m waiting to hear from you…

And, oh, if you’re in the vendor community, I’d like to hear from you, too, regarding how you feel about getting solicited for donations by buyers.