Four Tips for Donating Goods to Charity
Have you ever made American Red Cross clothing donations? If this is the first time you’re even hearing of American Red Cross clothing donations, you are not alone. Most people association Red Cross donations with blood or money; not many people realize that you can make American Red Cross clothing donations as well. But in fact, you can make American Red Cross clothing donations and they are put to good use, helping people in need.
Making a clothes donations to the Red Cross, or any other great cause benefits everyone. You win by clearing out clutter than you don’t want or need from your home. You also win by getting a tax break for things that you don’t want or need anymore. The organization that you donate to wins by converting your unneeded goods into money that furthers the great cause of the organization. The people who the organization helps win by getting the help they need, all from your unneeded goods! That is what we call a win win win win situation!
In order to do the most good with the items that you do not need around your home, make sure to take note of these simple tips:
- Organize Your Donations
Without many exceptions, the organization you donate to cannot do much with a shoe if its mate is not with it. They cannot do anything with a crock pot that doesn’t have a lid. In fact, if your donation is a mish mash of all sorts of things with no rhyme or reason, it takes a considerable amount of time just to sort it out and make heads or tails of it. On top of that, in addition to your donation, the volunteers who sort through donations have like hundreds of other equal-sized donations to process every day.
Taking the simple step to tie shoes together with a rubber-band, to put puzzle pieces in a zip-lock bag, and to group like items in the same box only costs you a few extra minutes, but makes the life much easier for the volunteer who has to process it. - Make a List of Your Donations
If you itemize your taxes, you know that charitable donations can take a sizable chunk off of your tax burden, but the IRS is going to want verification of it. Keep a running list all year long of the donations that you make. Make note of the condition that each item is in, and the approximate value of it. If you are unsure of how much the item you’re donating is worth, the organization you give it to can probably give you a suggested value. Or a quick internet search won’t let you down.
At the end of the year, you simply take your list to your tax professional, and they’ll love you for your organization. - Wash Your Clothing Donations
The organization you contribute will have to wash clothes that appear soiled, or dispose of them if they do not have the facilities to wash them. If they’re able to wash your dirty clothes, it wastes their resources, which could be better spent furthering the cause of the organization.
Instead, if you throw your clothes in the washer before you donate them, it ensure that the organization you give them to can get the most good out of them right away. Again, this is a simple step for you, but a big hassle for the charity you give to to do with all of their donations. - Weed Out the Broken Things
The charity you’re giving to cannot do anything with items that don’t work, they often have to dispose of them themselves. This is an added burden to the organization. In fact, you pay your garbage service to cart away your trash. If you give a charity items that should actually be in the trash, you’re treating them like a free trash service. We’re certain, no matter what the mission of the charity is, it’s more noble than providing free trash disposal to the public.
Simply sort through your goods, and make sure your items are still in shape that they can be put to use. Plug your electronics and appliances in and make sure they work. If your clothing is ripped or stained, it might be better off going to an organization the recycles them.