frequently asked questions
general FAQs
Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Donations may be tax deductible according to IRS regulations. Consult your tax professional for further information.
No. We never charge for our charitable services. RAFI delivers to individuals in healthcare facilities free of charge, as a gift from the community to the individual.
We are 100% privately funded and rely on generous donors in our community, corporate sponsorships, grants/foundation support, and special event fundraisers.
We don’t. By design, RAFI relies on nurses and caregivers in healthcare facilities to determine patients who are in need of extra cheer.
Unfortunately, no. We deliver to whole facilities or hospital wings/departments. We do not individualize our charitable services, but rather work with healthcare professionals to determine the floral recipients who might most need some extra hope and encouragement.
financial support FAQs
There are a variety of ways to support RAFI. You can make a financial donation, donate materials like flowers or vases, and even contact us about becoming a corporate donor or sponsor.
All financial donations go directly to RAFI to support operations fulfilling our charitable mission. For more information, visit the About Us page.
volunteering FAQs
Without the dedication of our hundreds of volunteers, RAFI would not be able to provide beautiful bouquets and moments of kindness throughout our community. Volunteers repurpose donated flowers from grocery stores, wholesalers, special events, and memorial services to turn what would otherwise be waste into something fresh and meaningful!
We require all volunteers to attend a New Volunteer Info Session. After that, training for shifts is provided on site, and there is an array of volunteer opportunities perfect for individuals or groups! Please visit our Volunteer Page to see if we are accepting new volunteers.
No. Our volunteer opportunities are best suited for 18+.
Groups are encouraged and welcomed. Learn more on our Groups page.
- Picking up donated flowers and vases
- Sorting, composting, and preparing donated flowers
- Arranging fresh bouquets
- Delivering bouquets throughout our community
Our program schedule is Monday through Thursday, between 10a – 4p
Absolutely! A great way to be involved is to lead a vase drive, plan a Flowers After Hours, or participate in our yearly fundraiser, Flor-a-thon.
All contributions to RAFI are invaluable. To make a financial donation, click here. We also always need vases, feel free to bring any extras to our workshop or even hold a vase drive.
Most volunteers prefer to work while standing, but for those who do not want or are unable to, barstools and fatigue mats are available for use in our workshop. Our facility is wheelchair accessible.
Volunteer opportunities are in a warehouse-type setting so we recommend comfortable clothing and closed-toed shoes. Gloves, shears, and aprons are provided.
Just your enthusiasm and smiling face! Our workshops will have all of the tools you need.
Students can host a vase drive in order to achieve academic success and give back to the community.
floral donation FAQs
We are proud and honored to repurpose flowers and deliver them to people in area healthcare facilities. Once donated flowers are brought back to our workshop, volunteers disassemble arrangements, determine which flowers will last another 5-7 days, give all flowers a trim and fresh water. A second group of volunteers use the flowers to create new bouquets, which are then delivered to a healthcare facility by a third volunteer group. This whole process takes only 2 days!
- Please fill out the Floral Donation form on our Floral Donations page to get started.
- Floral donations can be dropped off at our facilities, Monday-Thursday, from 9:30am – 4:00pm and Friday by appointment.
- Pick-Up Radius: We are generally able to pick up floral donations within a 30-minute radius of our workshop during our business hours.
- Because of our limited resources, we are unable to do weekend or late-night pickups.
- Vases: If the vases and containers from your event cannot be donated to RAF Indy, we have buckets you can pick up prior to the event to make flower collection easier. Or we can coordinate directly with your florist.
For planning and scheduling purposes, please coordinate your donation with us 2 – 4 weeks before an event.
Once we receive your floral donation, we will issue an acknowledgement letter that will provide the date of donation, a description of what was received, and our tax ID number for your records. We cannot place a value on the in-kind donation, so please contact your tax preparer for assistance.
vase donation FAQs
Vases are the vessels of our mission. Each donated vase will be filled with beautiful, repurposed flowers and delivered to a person in need of a moment of joy and compassion.
We currently deliver bouquets to thousands of people each month. We do accept “returned” vases from recipient partners, but the vases are primarily a gift to the recipient to keep. In short, we always need vases!
You can drop vases off at our workshop, Monday-Thursday, 9am-4pm, Friday by appointment. We also partner with a few area businesses and private residences who collect smaller quantities of vases. Contact information and hours of collection are listed on the Vase Donation Page. If you’d like to help, we are always looking for new collection locations!
Yes, please!
Much like canned food drives, vase drives are a fun way for businesses or groups to volunteer and give back to the community. Successful vase drives include an outreach notification or promotional flyer (RAFI can provide templates), a centralized drop-off location with RAFI vase drive signage, and flyers that can be posted on community boards. Visit our Vase Donation Page for more details!
We like to let beautiful flowers speak for themselves and we have limited storage space in our workshop. For these reasons, we do not collect any other donations for our arrangements other than flowers and vases.
When requested, RAFI can provide an acknowledgement letter that will provide the date of donation, a description of what was received, and our tax ID number for your records. We cannot place a value on the in-kind donation, so please contact your tax preparer for assistance.
media and speaking engagement FAQs
If you’re a member of the media, and you would like more information about us, please contact us directly 317-282-0144 or info@rafindianapolis.org.
Please contact us directly via phone or email with requests.