We’re so grateful for your generosity, passion and creativity! Because of you, Children’s Wisconsin is able to fulfill our mission of helping Wisconsin’s kids be the healthiest in the nation. Thank you for taking a moment to learn how you can make the most impactful gift to the kids we serve.
Donating Items to Children's Wisconsin
Support the kids and families of Children's Wisconsin
Make the Fastest, Biggest Impact: Shop Our Registries
Our gift registries are the preferred in-kind donation method – it’s fast for you and ensures your donation makes the biggest impact possible!
*Note: In-kind donations are any non-monetary gift of goods or services.
We consider every element of a hospital stay through the eyes of the kids and families we serve. When you purchase a new gift from our registries, you enhance a child’s health care experience by providing comfort and therapeutic distraction to normalize the hospital environment. Likewise, treatment milestones, birthdays and holidays are made even more special with child-friendly surprises. Our Child Life and Creative Arts Therapies team frequently updates our Amazon and Target registries with our most-needed items. These purchases are shipped directly to Children’s Wisconsin.
Shop our Amazon registry or Target registry
Your Donations in Action
Start a Virtual Fundraiser for Books, Art Supplies and More
Help raise funds for our Child Life and Creative Arts Therapies program by hosting a virtual drive or Facebook fundraiser. Encourage your family, friends, coworkers and professional network to participate. By donating to our virtual toy drive, you allow our team to purchase age-appropriate items that are used to provide comfort, joy and help celebrate milestones for the kids in our care.
What About Donating New Toys or Other Items In-Person?
To help ensure a smooth donation experience, please call the numbers below (based on location) to review and schedule an appointment for your donation drop off. Please review the following guidelines before scheduling.
- Our team is committed to the health, safety and privacy of the families we serve. With that in mind, there are some items that we cannot accept. Please review the list of items we are unable to accept. We may have to decline or ask you to pause on making your donation if we have limited storage space or donations do not meet Children’s greatest needs.
- Donation requests and items that will be declined:
- All used items
- Beanie babies
- McDonald’s Happy Meal toys
- Vending machine toys
- Outdoor activities (skateboards, pogo sticks, water toys, etc.)
- Beauty items: scented lip balm, nail polish, make up
- Completed greeting cards
- Hats
- Trading cards/sports cards
- Comic books
- Scented toiletries
- Donation requests and items that will be declined:
- We serve kids and families in a number of settings throughout our system. Your donation may be redistributed to other areas in our system or community partners to best serve kids and families.
- Handmade items are not able to be distributed to clinical areas due to infection prevention guidelines. These items may be redistributed to other areas that support kids and families.
Below are our guidelines for drop-off:
- To keep our kids safe from infection, all donated items must be new/unused (store-bought and in their original packaging) and cannot contain latex.
- We cannot accept gently used items, items that have been stored for an extended period of time or food.
- Donated items cannot have additional labels, stickers, logos or attachments. This includes messaging from charities or other not-for-profit organizations.
- Handmade items must be individually wrapped in a sealable plastic bag.
- Please keep items to a “grab-and-go” size (no larger than 18 inches tall).
- We care for kids who may have experienced significant violence or trauma. All donations must be free from violent themes.
- We promote the social, dental, physical and mental health of those we serve. All donations should support healthy habits.
- We care for kids and families of all religious and spiritual backgrounds and beliefs. All donated items must be free from both generic and specific religious or spiritual themes or messages.
- We are unable to distribute gifts with names or photos that recognize specific individuals, including past or current patients, staff members, etc.
- *Note: We’d love to know if your donation is in honor of someone. We have options for how you might want to further honor this individual through your gift.
- To respect the privacy of our patients and families, we are unable to allow donors to personally deliver gifts. Our teams ensure gifts are appropriately and equitably distributed throughout our system.
- Questions? Email toydonations@childrenswi.org or call our donation staff in Milwaukee at (414) 266-2183 or in Neenah at (920) 967-9129.
Complete this scheduling form to start the donation process. A member of our team will be in contact with you to confirm your donation.
In Milwaukee (414) 266-2183: To help ensure a smooth donation experience, please complete this form or call the numbers below (based on location) to review and schedule an appointment for your donation drop off. Alternative times can also be pre-arranged by calling the numbers below. Donation hours are Monday – Friday, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Holiday Season – Later Hour Drop Off
- Wednesday, Dec. 3 (4 p.m. – 6 p.m.)
- Wednesday, Dec. 10 (4 p.m. – 6 p.m.)
- Holiday season – Weekend Drop Off
- Saturday, Dec. 6 (9 a.m.-12 p.m.)
- Saturday, Dec. 13 (1 p.m.-4 p.m.)
In Neenah (920) 967-9129: We are accepting in-kind donations at Neenah’s Children’s Corporate Center. There is limited availability for in-person drop-offs and extremely limited storage capacity. Please call in advance to discuss current donation needs and to schedule a drop-off time.
Many other community organizations accept gently used items. If your items don’t match our needs, we encourage you to contact these organizations to see if they can accept your gently used items.
Learn More From Children’s Donation Coordinators
Other Ways to Support Children’s Families
Thank you for being thoughtful about giving in the ways that are most meaningful to you, and the kids and families of Wisconsin! There are many ways to support kids and families, from volunteering to corporate sponsorships. View our full list to learn more.
Your generosity will help us ensure that kids’ futures are brighter than ever.