A BIC donation request goes through the company’s corporate community relations channel rather than a public online form: you contact BIC directly through its corporate website, provide proof of your nonprofit or school status, describe what products you need and how they’ll be used, and submit the request six to eight weeks before your event. Requests are accepted on a rolling basis, so there is no annual deadline, but early submissions have the best chance of being filled from available inventory.
What BIC Gives and Who Can Ask
BIC’s charitable giving centers on writing instruments — pens, pencils, markers, and similar classroom supplies — distributed through its “Writing The Future, Together” education initiative. The company also makes shavers and lighters, and some nonprofit requests have historically involved those lines, but stationery and school supplies are the bulk of what gets donated.
The program is aimed at nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. Tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code is the standard credential a corporate donor uses to confirm that a requesting organization operates for charitable or educational purposes and won’t resell the goods.1Internal Revenue Service. Exemption Requirements – 501(c)(3) Organizations Accredited public and private schools fit BIC’s education-focused mission as well.
Individuals, political organizations, and groups whose primary purpose is partisan advocacy are generally outside the scope of corporate donation programs. Religious organizations may qualify when the donated products serve a broad community benefit — a back-to-school supply drive open to the public, for instance — rather than a sectarian purpose. If your situation isn’t clear, ask BIC before assembling a full request.
What to Have Ready Before You Contact BIC
Gather this information first. An incomplete request is the most common reason a corporate donation stalls, and if a representative tries to verify details and hits a dead number or bouncing inbox, the request tends to drop to the bottom of the queue.
- Your Employer Identification Number, the nine-digit number the IRS assigns to identify your organization for tax purposes.2Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number
- A copy of your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, ideally as a PDF you can attach.
- The date of your event or program, the number of people you expect to serve, and a short description of how the products will be used.
- The specific BIC products and quantities you’re asking for. “500 BIC Cristal pens for a school supply drive” is more useful than “some pens” because it lets the donations team match the request to what’s on hand.
- A working name, title, phone, email, and mailing address for whoever will receive the shipment.
How and When to Submit
BIC does not maintain a widely publicized standalone donation request portal. The most reliable route is corporate.bic.com, navigating to the community or social responsibility section and using the contact information there. The BIC Corporate Foundation page describes the company’s nonprofit partnerships and is a reasonable starting point for finding the right contact.3BIC Corporate. BIC Corporate Foundation
Send everything in one message. Attach the determination letter rather than pasting the EIN alone; it saves a round trip. Use a subject line the inbox owner can triage at a glance, such as “Product Donation Request — [Organization Name] — [Event Date].”
Timing matters. Six to eight weeks of lead time is a reasonable minimum, because the company needs to review the request, check inventory, and arrange shipping from a warehouse. A request sent two weeks before an event will almost certainly arrive too late, if it’s approved at all.
What Happens After You Submit
Expect an email confirming receipt, followed by an approval or denial within several weeks. An approval usually names the products allocated and gives an estimated delivery window. Shipments generally move by standard ground, with tracking sent once the package leaves the distribution center.
If four to six weeks pass with no reply, send a short follow-up that references your original submission date and the event date. Keep copies of every message; you’ll need them for your records and for the tax paperwork below.
If the answer is no, ask whether the issue was timing or fit. Corporate giving programs sometimes cycle through categories, and a decline in January can become an approval in July when education inventory is being allocated for the school year.
Paperwork You Owe BIC After the Products Arrive
For any charitable contribution of $250 or more, the donor needs a written acknowledgment from your organization. The IRS requires the letter to describe the property donated — not assign it a dollar value, which is the donor’s job — and to state whether your organization provided any goods or services in exchange. If nothing was provided, a line reading “no goods or services were provided in exchange for this contribution” satisfies the rule.4Internal Revenue Service. Charitable Contributions – Written Acknowledgments Send the letter promptly after the shipment arrives; the donor needs it before filing the return that claims the deduction.
BIC must also file Form 8283 for any noncash contribution over $500, and a qualified appraisal is required for any single item or group of similar items valued above $5,000.5Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 8283 (Rev. December 2025) Your organization may be asked to sign Part V of the form as the donee, acknowledging receipt. This is routine. Sign it, but don’t fill in a value — that’s the donor’s determination, not yours.
When Your Own Organization Has to Report the Donation
If your organization receives more than $25,000 in total noncash contributions during the tax year, you must complete Schedule M and attach it to your Form 990.6Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Schedule M (Form 990) That threshold is aggregate across all noncash donations for the year, not per donor. For each category of property, Schedule M asks for the number of contributions, the amount reported on financial statements, and the valuation method used.
A single BIC donation of pens is unlikely to push a small nonprofit past $25,000 on its own. But donated furniture, computers, clothing, or other goods received throughout the year add up. Track each noncash contribution as it comes in rather than reconstructing it at year-end.
How to Make Your Request More Likely to Succeed
Corporate giving teams read hundreds of requests. Ones that stand out tend to share a few habits.
- Be specific about impact. “We expect to distribute 1,200 pen-and-pencil kits to students at four Title I schools in our district” tells the reader something. “We help kids in our community” doesn’t.
- Explain the distribution plan. Companies want to know their products will reach people, not sit in a closet. Describe the event, the handoff, and who benefits.
- Offer visibility. If you plan to photograph the distribution, post about it, or credit the donor in event materials, say so.
- Keep it short. A one-page letter or a concise email lands better than a five-page proposal. Decision-makers skim.