Places To Donate To...

Book: How & Where to Discard, Donate, Recycle, Sell Anything

Donations: website on recycling/donating

From a member of the COH Yahoo Group:

"After my mother died, I did want to get rid of some of her things that were still in the boxes and not damaged. I knew it was of some value, but there was just so much that I didn't have the time to deal with it. I loaded it all up in a pickup truck load, and to it to and took it to an "I Sold It on Ebay" store. http://www.i- soldit.com/index.asp

They take the photos, post it, mail it off etc. I didn't have to do anything but drop it off, and wait for a check to come in the mail later. I can't remember how much of a cut they took. Sure, you might make more money if you sold it yourself - but boy did they save me weeks of time, not to mention emotional turmoil. And in fact, my local "I Sold It" store was run by a charity supporting disabled vets, so their profits went to a good cause. I was SO grateful for their service!

Keep in mind that there are also building materials thrift stores that can give you a tax deduction for donating any tools or hardware (my mother had quite a hoard of new doors, windows, and tools that she bought when Hechingers Home Improvement Stores went out of business in the 1990's). These building materials thrift stores are often run by charities such as Habitat for Humanity (you can find them on www.buildingreuse. org and http://www.habitat.org/).

And as I'm sure you know, regular thrift stores like Salvation Army would be happy to have the housewares, kitchen items, and home decor."



Places That Pick Up Goods…

National
Freecycle.org (you post-others come and haul if they want it- you put outside)

A company that will come haul stuff away is 1-800-GOT JUNK

Craigslist.org - post items yourself on this massive bulletin board)

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• can only deduct the fair market value for an item
• fair market value takes into account item's condition and age
• IRS publication 526 will help you determine your values
• need a written appraisal for donations of $5000 or more
• may deduct mileage for dropping off donations
• contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 when in doubt

• your donation must be to a qualified organization to be deductible
• a "tax-exempt" organization doesn't mean "tax-deductible" donation
• check IRS publication 78 to see if the organization is qualified
• churches and governments are automatically qualified
• get a receipt for every donation
• must itemize your deductions on your tax return
• to itemize, your deductions must be more than the standard deduction

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Other info.:

CheapCycle - find your local group:
(or)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cheapcycle_Groups/

San Francisco: The Compact BLOG & SF BayArea Compact

Find a charity in your area to investigate the options.

Public Storage: lock it up in more than 2100 locations nationwide

Schedule a pickup with your local Salvation Army

Goodwill: your donations fund job training programs and social services

Find local recycling and reuse programs for all sorts of household items

Work with charities to find homes for your consumer electronics

Put scanners, computers and cameras in the hands of deserving kids around the world

Donate a refurbished phone (of any brand) to a domestic violence victim

Sell your phone to benefit an environmental charity

Send your phone to the field staff of a poverty-fighting mission

Give your technology to/for the disabled and disadvantaged

Connects donations with charities nationwide

Send computers to more than 50 developing countries

Match your household items with a local non-profit's wish list

Furnish homes for disaster victims

Donate a used vehicle to support your local public radio station

They take everything from storybooks to encyclopedias

Send towels and newspapers to animal shelters

Donate your leftover building supplies to Habitat for Humanity's ReStores

Give interview and work clothes to disadvantaged women

Donate a wedding gown to benefit breast cancer patients

Send formalwear to teenage girls who need help getting to the prom

A free coat to anyone who needs one

Ship shoes and sportswear to struggling athletes around the world

Supply children in foster care with luggage

Unite For Sight

Donate eyewear to underdeveloped nations

Attend nationwide clothing exchanges and DIY alteration workshops

Instructions for converting a pile of your old t-shirts into a quilt

Sell it to anyone on Ebay

Get cash for gift cards you'll never use

Donate gently-worn footwear to the needy, including victims of natural disasters

This nonprofit fund is run by the VFW and serves families of deployed soldiers

Find a complete list of places to drop off rechargeable batteries for recycling

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