Goodwill Donation Centers

Goodwill donation centers will take some of your unwanted items off of your hands and make them accessible to those who need them at a very low price. Plus all proceeds go to help others become financially independent through education and career assistance.

Goodwill donation boxes are widely available.

Goodwill is a non-profit organization that stands for helping others reach their full potential. According to the Goodwill website, their values are:

• Respect
• Stewardship
• Ethics
• Learning
• Innovation

They believe in "education, training, and career services for people with disadvantages." So where does the donation part come in, the part that everyone can participate in? Well, when donations are made, they're then sold in Goodwill stores all over North America (there are 2,200 of them) as well as ShopGoodwill.com. Those items are sold for relatively low costs, but all of the money received for them is used to fund projects to help disadvantaged individuals get jobs and lead healthy, happy lives with confidence and skill.

You can take new or gently used clothing, appliances, furniture, etc, to one of the 3,200+ Goodwill donation centers in North America. In some cases, you can even donate cars and computers if you'd like. Find out ahead of time which Goodwill locations near you accept vehicle and/or computer donations.

All of the donations are then transported to the retail stores mentioned above so that others may purchase them. Eighty-four percent of the money raised by selling the clothing, furniture, and so on, will then go right back into the community, helping others become trained for jobs—and get jobs.

Make sure the clothes and furniture you donate are clean and that anything (appliances and toys, for example) include all the parts. Also make sure that you delete all data from your computer if you choose to donate one. In general, just make sure that what you leave at the donation centers are things that others may want to buy (and in the case of the computers, don't include any personal information). Though the quality doesn't have to be brand new, "like new" or "in good condition" are ideal.

Remember to check with your accountant when it comes to the tax deductions related to the donations made at Goodwill or other charity organizations. Things can get pretty tricky. For example, according to the Goodwill site, you can only deduct the amount the charity receives for your donated vehicle and you will need written proof including the sales price from that charity. However, if they use the car in a program like Wheels-to-Work, you can deduct the fair market value of the car.

Goodwill donation centers are everywhere. To find the one closest to you, you can visit the Goodwill Locator on the Goodwill website. This is more than a city and state search; you can enter in your address for the most accurate results possible.

Once you have entered your address on the site, you'll see a map with markers representing all of the Goodwill centers in your area. Over to one side, you'll see the addresses and phone numbers for each one. In addition to that, you can get maps and directions to each location.

Choosing to donate to any charity is a phenomenal thing. Donating to Goodwill ensures that the proceeds from your items really will be recycled into the community, since 84 percent of the money is used to help others gain financial independence through training and jobs.

Since there are so many Goodwill centers in North America, it's easy to donate there. Just make sure that your items are in good condition and do not leave them outdoors, unattended (some locations are "drop-boxes" in store parking lots, so items left there will differ from the variety you can leave at a larger location). If you're already planning to throw out some of your old clothes and furniture to make room for new items, why not turn it into a way to help someone else?

• Tracking Charitable Donations for Taxes
• Fundraising Strategic Plan
• Request for Donation Letters

• List of Nonprofit Organizations
• Furniture Donation Pick Up
• Sample Letters Asking for Donations
• Samples of Non Profit Fundraising Letters
• Samples of Thank You Letter for Donations

• Furniture Recycling Charities
• UK Registered Charities
• Furniture Donation Pick Up
• Charities Which Accept Automobile Donations
• Donate Furniture