Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with donate

What to do with the Apple II?

niles — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:27:18 -0800

What do I do with several Apple IIs (and a Commodore, and maybe a few other "vintage" comptuers) that I have? Nostalgia has finally given way to practicality, and I need to do something about the basement shelf overflowing with computers older than I am - but I have absolutely no clue how to do it. It seems wasteful to throw out a perfectly working Commodore 64 (in the original packaging!), or any of several models of Apple IIs with boxes of related 5.25" disk software. I read about a team at MIT creating cheap computers out of Apple IIs for developing countries, and while I can't find any further information for them online, donating to a cause like that would be awesome. Short of that, what else can I do to clean out the house? What's the best thing to do with these computers?

Canadian definition of products for donation purposes

acoutu — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:12:14 -0800

Canada Donation Filter: Can you donate a productized service and have it count as an in-kind donation to a charity? Services are exempt from in-kind donations under CRA rules. But what about the donation of a tangible product? For example, what if a freelance writer provided a tangible product, such as a finished article in Word format? This is not a service, since it's an actual "thing". Or what if a consultant donated a report and not the services involved in developing that report? Or if a graphic designer donated a newsletter template or finished newsletter? These things could be sold on a website -- lots of consultants sell templates, ebooks, reports and such on demand.

It's unclear to me how these products would be treated under tax laws. For example, if you donate an ebook, which is a product, would that be eligible?

When I read CRA definitions, they seem not to get into how they define products, other than for capital or personal use. And certainly something like an oil change or haircut is a service and not a product. And CRA would not want volunteers to start writing off all the time they spend working in hospitals, at ticket booths and so on. But I am not talking about volunteer time. I'm talking about donation of an actual finish product. Is a report or ebook like a handmade wooden table, if there is a market value for the finished product?

When I worked for a charity some years ago, I did note that my boss did some sort of write off for donations of services by using some sort of definition of products. But I have no idea whether that was legit.

Note: If you're in the US, please note that your tax laws are different. I understand that, in the US, services can be donated at fair market value. But, in Canada, we can only donate products.

The world has enough t-shirts and crap.

mandymanwasregistered — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:05:50 -0800

How to ethically dispose of clothes that are too worn out for a thrift store (and bonus broken electronics!)? In Los Angeles? I'm purging a bunch of clothing I no longer need/use and feel like my local thrift stores probably have more than enough random college/5k/earth day t-shirts to deal with. Not to mention there was that article a few years ago that basically said don't dump your old t-shirts on the developing world (ie don't donate that shit to Goodwill). The previous askmes I found didn't really answer that question. Is there some place that would recycle the t-shirts in a better way?

What about my non-functioning burr coffee grinder? I feel like dumping it in the trash is wasteful, but don't see the point of dumping it at a charity thrift store if they're gonna throw it out as well.

Which charity is the most cost-effective?

SamuelBowman — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:20:42 -0800

What is the most cost-effective charity I can donate money to online, in terms of welfare increased per euro donated? I'd like to donate money to a charity, preferably one in the developing world because I want my money to be used as efficiently as possible. Which charity's work saves the most lives (etc) per euro donated?

I know that it's tough to compare different positives with others (how can you compare, say, restoring somebody's sight with giving someone an artificial limb in terms of utility?) so this will have to be a rough measure, but I want my money to have the highest marginal utility possible.

This isn't a question about overheads – those don't necessarily matter. Nor does the country in question. I'd prefer to avoid politically active charities. Thanks!

I'm in Ireland, if that's relevant.

Help me give my books to people who really need them.

Jawn — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:52:28 -0800

How do I donate a bunch of books to a prison? Bonus for Washington state based resources. I'm in the process of getting rid of most of my book collection in preparation for a move. I'd like to do something useful with them, and as I recently spent a couple nights in jail with nothing at all to read I thought that giving them to a prison would do the most good for the most people. The problem, I've got close to a thousand books to get rid of and no automobile. Does anyone know of a charity that might be able to pick them up and bring them to a prison for me? Any other ideas on how to get them into the hands of someone that needs them more than I? Thanks in advance for any help.

Whither castoffs?

longsleeves — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 10:48:31 -0800

What happens to donated clothes? I'll be bringing a batch lightly used and/or never worn clothes to the Goodwill store in town today, clean and folded. Do you know what will happen to them? Will they be shipped to Africa or the Carribean? Sold Locally? Shredded for insulation? I'm just curious.

Mad Magazine, pure brilliance.

DolorousEdd — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:14:05 -0800

I know many magazine questions have already been asked, but I believe this one needs its own thread. What do I do with the MAD magazines I have from about 2000 to now? Specific ideas would be preferred, as I know I can toss them on Freecycle or Craig's List any time. I tried to donate them to the military once, as I had read a letter from an Army librarian in Iraq to the magazine thanking them, but there is no real way to give it to them.

One skull too many.

PhoBWanKenobi — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:23:50 -0800

IWishIWereKiddingFilter: How do we get rid of a human medical skull we inherited? omnigut's recent question about unloading a tiger head has reminded me that I have a similar dilemma that, hopefully, you guys can help me solve. A pretty icky, spooky dilemma.

In the nineteen sixties, my father (somehow) obtained a medical skull. It's a real human skull with the plates marked up. I think it has some sort of shellac on it. Being the hippie that he was, he glued a scarab to its forehead and named it Percy. He and his (hippie) friends invented a holiday around Percy called Percymas where they exchanged handmade and recycled junk with one another. Yes, I know, they were pretty weird.

My father died when I was eight and the skull has been passed around between his friends since then. People didn't want to get rid of it for sentimental reasons, but didn't really want it, either. Because, you know, human skulls are kind of creepy. Honestly, I think it's pretty creepy, too. Somehow, at the last celebrated Percymas, Mr. WanKenobi was given Percy to "hold on to." He doesn't really want it (it definitely holds no sentimental value for him!). My mother and my sister don't want it. I certainly don't want it, but Mr. WanKenobi is moving in with me soon, and since he'll be moving across state lines to do so we should probably get rid of it sooner rather than later.

But we can't really figure out what to do with it. We don't want to do anything illegal or of dubious legality since these are human remains we're talking about. Since this question was asked, you can no longer sell human remains on Ebay. Since there's a scarab glued to the forehead, I'm not sure that a med student would want it, but maybe I'm wrong. In case it's relevant, Mr. WanKenobi is in New Jersey. Any ideas as to where we can donate it? People we can sell it to? Any ideas as to how we can . . . erm, dispose of these human remains?

What should I do with my old books

willnot — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:54:29 -0800

What is the best thing to do with a box or two of old books? They're mostly paperback and mostly genre fiction (SciFi, Horror, Fantasy). The less work for me the better with the provision that I'd like the books to be read again if possible. I had thought about donating them, but this question about old text books suggested that it was a hassle for whoever got the donation.

Is that just true of outdated text books, or is that true of fiction books as well? Is it really better to just toss them or is there somebody out there who might want them (with a relatively easy way to get them to that somebody)?

I don't want to be guilted into explaining why I don't give blood!

librarylis — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:11:05 -0800

How do I get coworkers to stop asking me to donate blood? I work at a place that is very pro-blood drive. As a concept, I think that's great. It's when my coworkers continually ask me to donate blood that I am less thrilled.

Usually my coworkers will ask me to give blood, I will politely refuse, and they will ask why or try to persuade me to give blood despite my refusal. These are wonderful people who just want everyone to donate blood like they do--but I have reasons why I cannot that I don't really want to share with everyone I work with.

My reasons for not giving blood:
*Under doctor's orders, I can't--the medication I am on can pass through the blood
*Due to this medication, I have to get blood drawn every month anyway and am not eager to up the number of needles entering my body
*I have very small veins and it take quite a lot of effort and pain to find a vein that will give blood (we're talking one arm that has no veins they can use and the other arm they can only get blood from the top of my hand)
*I got a piercing in a foreign country recently (against Red Cross regs)
*I faint every month when they draw my blood, and one time I was rushed to the ER with a concussion. Needless to say, I don't like needles.

What's the best way/best explanation that will help my coworkers understand why I don't give blood while also preserving some of my privacy?

quick-and-easy ways to volunteer/donate

sLevi — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:51:12 -0800

What are some quick-and-easy ways to volunteer/donate to support causes (anything really)? I already donate time and money to my primary causes, but there are a lot of cracks in my day when I could do something else small.

I know about click2donate, more sites like those would be welcome (do they really make much difference?). I'm willing to put in a little time up front, to sign up for cancer research studies or such. I'm also willing to collect things like soda can tabs, write letters, etc--anything I can wedge into the cracks of my day, with a possible occasional larger effort.

I'm primarily interested in social justice, health research and the environment, but in the interestests of anyone else following along, hit me with everything!

Where to donate dilemma...

GrooveStix — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:36:38 -0800

Michigan: I would like to donate some clothes, so help me find a good organization to do so. I am looking for a non-evil organization to donate few bags of my family's unused clothes. Of course the organization needs to be secular and not being in any military order (ex. Purple Heart). I know my criteria knocks off the biggest players, but there has to be an alternative somewhere in Michigan. The location does not matter since I frequently travel around, so that won't be a problem.

The closest I found is IICD but wanted to know what else is there.
Let me know, thanks!

Anyone had regrets about a massive decluttering of their lives?

studentbaker — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:16:03 -0800

Anyone had regrets about a massive decluttering of their lives? I want to seriously declutter my life in terms of the items I have in storage and those that sit unused around my home.

I have a lot of stuff. Electronics, iPods, comic books, books, DVDs, clothes, doodads, doohickeys, baubles, etc. all of which are unused in storage or just taking up space in my home. I’d like to declutter. I’ve researched it quite a bit and considered it for a while now.

I plan to do this through Goodwill, Freecycle and a good old-fashioned Yard Sale.

I think I’m ready.

However, I want to know from those who have gone through an extreme purging of stuff, do you have regrets? Is there stuff you wish that you would have kept? Did you go through a post decluttering depression? Did you turn around a buy more junk?

How do I lower my blood protein?

Glitter Ninja — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:51:59 -0800

How can I lower my blood protein? I attempted to donate plasma the other day with a friend (poor college student, only able to work full time, trying to help out with some odds and ends bills) but was told my blood protein level was about 14, when it should have been between 6 and 9. They asked me if I ate a lot of red meat (which I don't- almost 95% white meat only). Are there any alterations I can easily make to my lifestyle or my diet that would make it so I can donate plasma?

Is an appreciation gift appropriate here?

Ruby Doomsday — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:09:11 -0800

Two parts: 1. Is it appropriate to give a gift to someone to thank them for donated services? 2. If so, what kind of gift? My organization, a nonprofit, is having a grand opening event for our new location next week. We had planned on hiring a musician (something we've had at past events) to play background music while guests mingle, eat, etc.

However, due to our small budget it didn't look like it was in the cards this time - but a co-worker talked to a musician friend of hers and has gotten her to agree to play for us at no charge. It's a lunchtime event, about an hour commitment. There will be 75 to 100 guests in attendance.

So, since we are not able to pay her (and she understands that), I was thinking we could get her some kind of appreciation gift. We give public recognition to businesses that donate money and/or raffle prizes for our events, but since this is an individual who is giving her time (and doesn't really stand to gain anything from public recognition, though she is acknowledged in our program) it feels like something else is in order.

Any thoughts on whether it's appropriate (or even expected) that we get her something, and what kind of gift to give?

Donating a car in the Bay Area

chan.caro — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:15:03 -0800

DonateYourCarFilter: While there seem to be plenty of places that are willing to take your dead car as a donation, what if it's still got some life left to it? My brother, who is in the process of moving to Hong Kong from San Francisco, is trying to figure out how to pass our junky, but much beloved and still very functioning 1995 Plymouth Neon to a responsible organization. The only issue the car has is paint that is rusting on the roof - purely physical, nothing mechanical.

A little bit of background: The car belonged to our mother who passed away from colon cancer. We'd both like to see the car come full circle, i.e. donating it to an organization that is involved in cancer research or is in some capacity dedicated to making the lives of cancer patients better. If at all possible, please offer suggestions in the Bay Area.

Thank you, hive mind =)

Where is a good place to sell or donate office furniture in Toronto?

tracert — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:56:39 -0800

Where is a good place to get rid of office furniture in Toronto? We have 8 large modular desks in our office that we would like to get rid of. Is there a good place in Toronto that we can sell or donate to quickly?

I don't mind Craigslist, but I much rather go with a business or something that can pickup from our downtown location so that we could get rid of these things as fast as possible. Normally my instinct would be to go with Goodwill, but it seems that they don't take modular office furniture. Any suggestions besides those two?

How do I clean the data off these donation-bound hard drives?

jamaro — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:14:14 -0800

How do I clean the data off these old hard drives without using software or a mallet? I have a number of old hard drives pulled from computers I've used in the past. I'd like to donate them to CRC or a similar organization for possible reuse. Currently the drives are all uninstalled, sealed in static-free bags, and I do not need to recover the data that is on them.

I've googled for information on how to wipe them, the advice all falls into two categories: wipe the drive using software or physically destroy the drive, e.g. smash it or take it apart. I want to avoid the later as I hope they could be reused (none of them are bad, they were pulled to make room for larger capacity drives). I can't do the former as all of them have an interface (SCSI) that none of my current computers use. I'd prefer not to spend any money on purchasing adaptors, enclosures, or spend time fiddling with finding an old computer and reinstalling them.

I also read using a very powerful magnet might wipe them but would the scrambling a magnet cause also render them un-initiable? Would the magnet treatment 'get' everything (in other words: render all my data unrecoverable)? Are ~9-20 GB hard drives worth this effort to donate?

Postsecret Proceeds

ASM — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 17:40:13 -0800

How much of the revenue generated from the Postsecret books is donated to the Hopeline Network? I would like to think that a significant portion of proceeds is donated but I can't find any information in regards to this.

The inside cover of the book reads:

A portion of the proceeds from this book go to support the National Hopeline Network (1-800-SUICIDE of 1-800-784-2433), a twenty-four-hour hotline for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.

This could mean anywhere from 1% to 50% to 99%.

Which climate change organization should I donate to?

walla — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 07:49:43 -0800

We would like to contribute to an organization that is dedicated to alleviating global warming. Ideally a nonprofit but any organization that takes action in this direction would be fine. I'd prefer that it be something I could research online or find a rating such as those available on charitynavigator.com. Any ideas? Thank you!

Tracking donations due via PocketPC

niles — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 12:50:59 -0800

I need to keep track/remind myself of a weekly contribution. Is there a (PocketPC?) program that will help me? I am donating a certain amount of money weekly for the rest of the year to a organization as part of a fundraiser. Because they are keeping track and announcing money raised throughout the year, I don't really want to donate all the money right now, or at the end of the year. I do not, however, need to donate weekly - monthly or so is great. My problem is that I tend to forget when I last donated, and then I have no idea how much I'm turning in. I would like a (free) program to help keep track of this.

---------------

My ideal solution:
Integrates with the calendar on my PocketPC. If I don't mark a donation paid for a certain week, it rolls over to next week, adding all unpaid dates. When I check my appointments for the day, I would see something like "Donation: X amount due".

OK Solutions:
A regular PocketPC program, a desktop based program, email based reminder service, or online program - in that order of preference.

---------------

Technically, I am donating the same amount per week. But they sometimes have months where people are encouraged to give more. Bonus points if I can "add" money to a week or month

Oh, this is a small organization, so ideas like automatic bank account withdrawals won't help. This is straight up cash.

What to do with my shoes?

Slimemonster — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:59:07 -0800

What do I do with my old shoes? I'm a packrat, plain and simple, and I've been accumulating shoes for the last 5 years or so. A lot of them are pretty torn up now (I play a lot tennis and I don't get new shoes until my old ones are torn up, which is every 5 months or so). So what do I do with these 6 or so pairs of old size 15 (no typo) tennis shoes? It seems like, at very least, a waste of material to just toss them out.
I don't know how desperate people are for shoes in Seattle, but is there someplace/someway to donate and/or reuse and/or recycle these shoes? Even if it's just an art project of some sort it'd be better than the trash, in my opinion. Ideas?

School fundraiser: contribution instead of purchase?

DevilsAdvocate — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:41:42 -0800

I ordered a CD from the neighbor kid raising money for his school. I realize now I'd rather have just made a donation. How could I handle this in the future? So the neighbor kid (maybe 12 or 13 years old) came by yesterday. He was selling magazine subscriptions and CDs to raise money for his school. He was clearly uncomfortable doing this, and I can't say I blame him--I was uncomfortable when I had to do that kind of thing at his age.

I thumbed through the catalog he had, and eventually ordered a CD for $15 from their rather paltry selection. It was one I only kinda sorta wanted--certainly not one I would have bought from a music store for $15. I bought it to support the school and the kid, not so much because I actually wanted it.

I realized some time afterward that I would have been much happier just making a $15 donation to the school--I don't need the CD, and the school would get the whole $15 rather than just some small fraction thereof.

But, if something like this happens again, how would I handle that? Obviously, the first step would be simply to ask the kid if I could just make a donation without purchasing anything. But based on my own vague memories of doing such things ~25 years ago, I'm not sure that would be possible. I don't remember any instructions on whether we could accept it if someone just wanted to make a donation. So if I ask to just make a donation instead of buying something, and the kid can't/won't accept the donation, what's the next step?

I'm in the U.S., and this was for a public school, if it makes a difference.

Finding help when you cannot offer payment?

Sevenupcan — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 07:11:22 -0800

I have an graphic novel that I would like to publish online, however I've found it a little difficult looking for people who want or can help me with the project. Perhaps you might have some advice? It's not a surprise that it is hard finding help, primarily because of two reasons. There is no payment included, and the graphic novel has been inspired by the Oddworld Universe.

The project is an idea I have been developing for a while now and I really want to get started on it. However I need talented artists that are willing to help bring the story to life. The benefit for the artist would be that their work would be showcased to a wide audience on a professional level.

I've thought about offering free hosting and domain names or even running a competition for a new iPod nano (but I'd lose out on the latter idea, unless someone donated/funded a prize).

Perhaps someone has some advice, or suggestions on what I can do to help me find help (that's talented)?

Thanks for your time.

I want their cash!

twirlypen — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 01:28:31 -0800

How do I go about getting corporate sponsors for a trek down the Murray River (Australia) in order to raise money for a charity? I'm doing it for a legitimate charity, so how do I get companies to donate? I've never done anything like this before, so all help is appreciated. I'm raising money for a centre run by the Jesuit Mission in Cambodia. It'd be wonderful if I could find some company to either donate or lend us the two kayaks we'll need.

Also, once that's sorted, I'm hoping to get some companies to donate money. I don't really know the best way to go about this. I was thinking of trying to get some kind of publicity in newspaper or radio, and then writing to various companies saying "we'll be in the paper, donate $ to our cause and you'll be a sponsor and people will hear about you!"

Is this a reasonable way to go about it? Who should I write to in these companies? Should I call instead? Show up in person?

Any ideas as to how we can be as convincing as possible? Thanks in advance.