Tips for a more impactful donation
It’s spring cleaning time. You’re clearing out your closets, and you’re thinking about donating them to a local charity. First of all, thank you for thinking of us! Organizations like Zharity run on donations, and we couldn’t operate without you.
With that in mind, here is a list of things to consider before donating to ensure that your donation has the biggest impact.
What condition is the item in?
At Zharity, we want to make sure that the person receiving the donated item can feel their best while wearing or using it. A good guideline is to ask yourself: Is this something I would offer to a friend? If a friend offered it to me, would I be happy to receive and use it? If the answer is no, the item is better off recycled or discarded.
Some examples of things not to donate would be:
Clothing with that is dirty, ripped, stained or worn out
Toys, games or puzzles with missing or broken pieces
Used underwear, water bottles, snorkeling gear, or other products that pose a hygiene concern.
2. Is the item appropriate and inclusive for anyone who might receive it?
The people that receive our donations come from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances. In order to remain inclusive to everyone, we can’t distribute items that depict war or violence, vulgarity, religion, politics or anything else of an exclusive or divisive nature.
Some examples of things we can’t accept are:
Toy guns, swords or knives
Clothing or toys supporting a particular political group, ideology or religion
Clothing with swears or inappropriate language
3. Is this item in season?
We distribute donations to our partners as they are needed. In fact, most donations we receive are sent to our community partners within a few weeks of being donated. This means that any items that aren’t suitable for the upcoming season need to either be stored or discarded, and as a small charity, we simply don’t have the space to keep items long-term.
To ensure that we are able to pass on your donation to someone who can use it, please only donate items that will be useful in the coming months (for example, we can’t accept winter jackets in May).
4. Is this item specific to the mission of the charity?
Most charities will have a list of what they will accept as donations. In our case, we ask our community partners what specific items they need, and we post a wishlist of these items on our website.
For an up-to-date list of items we are currently seeking and accepting, please check our wishlist. If the item you want to donate is not on the list, we’ve also compiled a directory of other organizations in the area that may be able to take your donation.
Our volunteers work hard to sort and categorize all of the items that we receive so that we can give our Community Partners exactly what their clients need. The more care you take in selecting your donation, the more likely it is to go to someone who needs and can use it. With your cooperation, we can make the most of both your donation and of our volunteer’s efforts!
On behalf of the Zharity team, we wish you all happy spring cleaning, and thank you in advance for your donations!
