Filed under: Storage & Cleaning, Storage & Organization
When it comes to donating old items, tackling your space once a season can help those in need all year long.
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Tossing all of your give-aways in one donation drop box is better than pitching them to the curb, but donation centers appreciate when you separate and disburse these goods to various charitable groups. It not only spreads the wealth but ensures your belongings are making it into the homes of folks who need help most.
Here are some easy ways to make donating common household goods time efficient:
Clothing
For business attire that you no longer wear, look to Dress for Success, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting self-sufficiency and success for women. Check for the affiliate nearest you to donate all women's professional clothing, including suits, handbags, shoes and accessories in good condition (no casual or men's clothing, please). Or, mark your calendars for the annual Send One Suit weekend in partnership with Dress Barn drop-offs across the country. Note that plus-sized clothing is always in high demand.
Don't let an old prom dress gather dust in the back of a closet - donate it! DonateMyDress.org helps connect your lightly used prom and special occasion wear with girls in need. Tammy Tibbetts, founder of Donate My Dress, offers a few simple guidelines for what to donate:
- Dresses in all sizes are welcome, but there often tends to be a shortage of dresses in the smallest and the largest sizes.
- As for style, dresses from the last 2 to 3 years are best -- no poofy sleeve dresses from the '80s!
- Bridesmaid dresses can sometimes double as pretty prom dresses, but wedding dresses and flower girl dresses aren't useful for prom.
For everyday basics The Salvation Army and Goodwill are always great options with the caveat that need varies by season and by region. "Winter coats and sweaters might really be needed at family stores during Minnesota winters, but not so much in Miami," says The Salvation Army's Jennifer Byrd.
Any and all clothing should be washed or dry-cleaned before donation. If clothing is stained or irreparably worn, consider cutting it up into earth-friendly cleaning rags or using it toward something crafty such as quilts or rag-dolls -- if it's truly too ragged or stained for you to wear, it probably shouldn't be donated.
Electronics
The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) is a resource for learning where to donate every electronic, from buyback programs to local electronics recyclers. Says Executive Director Jason Linnell, "It's a win-win situation," he says "it's a win for the environment, and it's a win for those receiving used but working equipment they may not be able to afford."
Linnell says that when recycling electronics be mindful of data security. Don't assume the charitable group you're donating to will strip the personal information stored on hard drives for you -- ask first. You can always use online tools to erase a hard drive's contents, or simply remove the hard drive and destroy it yourself.
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You can donate phones to Cell Phones for Soldiers, a family-run, 501c3 nonprofit organization that has raised almost $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas. Senior Business Development Manager Sue Koch cannot stress enough that, "It means [so much] to soldiers to hear their loved one's voice: It cannot even compare to email -- it's really a big morale booster."
In addition to giving calling cards to American troops, Cell Phones for Soldiers sends phones that can be refurbished to developing countries, providing many with their first personal phone. Non-repairable phones are also recycled, recovering raw materials used across the world. To donate your phone, simply print a free mailing label and drop it in the mail, or support the site's cost and ship your own.
Verizon's HopeLine gives domestic abuse victims phone access and support through donations of used cellphones. With drop-off bins in all Verizon stores plus online mailing labels, there's no excuse for letting unused phones go neglected. If your phone is broken, HopeLine will recycle it and donate the funds back to their domestic abuse support program; if your phone is still salvageable, they will refurbish and donate it to men and women in domestic violence situations.
Tip: Before donating your phone, consider first removing the data from your phone with an easy online data eraser - otherwise both programs will scrub the data for you.
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For gently-worn stuffed animals, children's books and blankets, consider donating to one of Project Night Night's many locations around the country; the group's mission is to help homeless children get a good (and comfy) night's sleep. Their Night Night Packages include like-new stuffed animals, books and blankets assembled in inviting tote bags and distributed for free to regional homeless shelters.
When it comes to school supplies, Cradles to Crayons, which services the Philadelphia and Boston area, serves as a great example of what to look for and expect. With the kids going back to school, Community Outreach Manager Josh Nespoli encourages donors to think: "When I was a kid getting ready to head back to class, what was I looking for?" Clothing, backpacks and shoes are essential year-round but even more more so as soon as school hits. "Quality is really important -- it's really an issue of self esteem," Nespoli says, encouraging all items to be free of any stains or rips. "We want parents to be proud to give their kids these products, and for the kids to be proud to wear them."
For larger pieces of baby equipment (strollers, playpens, cribs), check freecycle.org to find someone in your local Freecycle group in need.
Bikes
"A bicycle can get someone someplace...like from poverty to self-sufficiency," states the tagline adopted by the Baltimore-Washington area's Bikes for the World program, which has used community driven efforts to help collect and send 40,000 bicycles since 2005.
Not only is it a great option to donate your bike, but also a "way to get Americans involved in very tangible, rewarding community service for groups," says director Keith Oberg. Bikes must be of good quality and condition and must be submitted with a $10 donation fee to help cover the cost of shipping. If interested in involvement or bringing Bikes for the World to your area, contact the program directly for volunteering and sponsorship opportunities. "We want to empower others to do it as well," Oberg says, "and are always open to lending advice and support."
For regions in the greater New York and Philadelphia area, Pedals for Progress is another great option for both bicycles and sewing machines, which David Schweidenback, President of Pedals for Progress, describes as "a job in a box." Likewise, donating your bike "is the one thing that can really change lives overseas," Schweidenback says. "It's not a hand out but a hand up -- it enables people to work. It allows people to help themselves." The organization accepts bicycles in repairable condition ("not super rusty or looks like it's been run over with a truck") and must be donated with a $10 shipping fee. All bicycle sizes count, says Scweidenback. "The little bikes get the kids to school; the larger bikes get adults to work."