Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with donation

Why are clothing donation boxes proliferating in my neighborhood?

Dr. Wu — Sat, 11 May 2013 08:26:13 -0800

I live in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and have noticed that, over the past several months, a sizable number of clothing donation boxes have appeared on sidewalks and in little disused nooks of urban space. There are three on my block alone that have sprung up, seemingly overnight, within the last couple months. What's going on? I'm referring to the big, steel boxes -- each about the size of a commercial refrigerator -- that have large levered drop-compartments to accept donations. Most of them are painted or stickered with the name(s) of the charitable organizations that are ostensibly collecting and donating the deposited items.

My question is: Why? Why so many, why at this particular moment, why in this neighborhood? Also: who is behind the placement of these boxes? There's a fair bit of infrastructure needed: the boxes themselves, trucks, cranes, workers, not to mention a system of collecting, sorting, and dealing with the donated materials. This is not just two guys and a van.

I am somewhat suspicious about the "charitable organizations" whose names are on the sides of the boxes, but I can't put my finger on why. Maybe I'm too skeptical, though...

Some data points:
- While I don't remember the names of those charitable organizations, they have struck me more than once as sounding "generic" -- along the lines of "NYC Clothing Charities," e.g.
- I noticed, just this morning, that one of the new boxes had been slapped with a sticker by some branch of the city government. The notice indicated that this particular box had to be removed within 30 days, because such boxes are not permitted on NYC sidewalks. Another small piece of evidence that these things are perhaps a little shady.
- Crown Heights is gentrifying at a pace heretofore unseen in human history. What was until very recently a predominantly middle-aged West Indian neighborhood is transforming unbelievably rapidly into a neighborhood favored by white 20- and 30-somethings. It occurs to me that perhaps this demographic shift has something to do with the proliferation of donation boxes -- the logic being that, since the young white kids turn over their wardrobes pretty often, there's an opportunity to collect and profit from their castoffs. But do donated clothes and shoes really represent a solid revenue stream?

All of this is speculative. I'd like to know more about the "system" behind these boxes, and would be grateful if you could point me to resources where I could learn more.

How do you decide when something should be thrown away vs. donated?

insectosaurus — Wed, 08 May 2013 08:56:07 -0800

I have some old, seemingly useless clothing. How do I decide what is worth donating and what should just be thrown away? Examples of what I am talking about:
- Crosstraining shoes that look okay, but recently started to hurt my knees when I walk around in them, presumably because they are took worn out to wear
- Very old, worn out clothing with small stains or holes
- Single socks in good condition
- Underwear with stretched out elastic
- Jeans with large holes in the thigh area (these are theoretically repairable, but surprisingly difficult to repair, because the material around that area gets very thin. The holes are too high up to make them in to cutoffs. This happens to all my jeans eventually)

Looking at the list, it seems to me that all of these items should just be thrown away, because no one would want them. But, I'd rather not add to a landfill if it could be helped, and I like to donate things. Ideally the items end up helping someone in some way, but in the end keeping stuff out of the trash is a good enough reason for me to donate.

I have historically donated items to Goodwill (because it's so easy). The next time I donate clothing - which will include many items in good condition that I just no longer wear - I am planning to take it to a women's shelter instead. I am happy to take the very used items to the same place as the good condition items, or to a separate location (or two). I am not willing to list the very used items individually online on craigslist/ freecycle / etc.

I am in Los Angeles.

Where can one donate to Iraqi and Afghan victims of violence?

Sleeper — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 06:48:36 -0800

Are there any organizations I can donate to or help with that are devoted to cleaning up the messes we made in Afghanistan and Iraq? I keep seeing news of American and allied bombings accidentally killing children and civilians, and it seems like all these require something more than just an "oopsie!" or indifferent silence. The guy in whose boat the surviving Boston bomber was found has gotten $10,000 over the past few days and keeps getting more even though he doesn't want it. There's been a massive outpouring of sympathy for the 3 dead and 100+ wounded in Boston.

I'm curious to find out how I can get involved in whatever similar efforts there are for the dozens of civilians killed and many more wounded in Afghanistan by American bullets and bombs. Yes, when American forces kill civilians it's almost always an accident, and the Taliban, Iraqi insurgents, and terrorists usually do it on purpose. But I think we're supposed to be the good guys.

An American photographer in Afghanistan talked to local Afghans about the Boston attack and they showed sympathy, sharing the pain. What can I do to send the same type of message back?

It seems like Americans have very little connection to Afghans and Iraqis. Is there some way to get an Afghan pen pal?

How can one ensure that money donated for a good cause in Iraq or Afghanistan doesn't go to the wrong place? For example, a recent airstrike on a Taliban commander killed him and six other Talibanis--but also killed 16 civilians, 12 of them children. So though I have a lot of sympathy for the fact that we just killed a bunch of civilians and kids, money going to that family would be money going to the Taliban. Yet the bombing calls for some kind of balancing positive effort on America's part.

There's comments in the opinion section of newspapers in my area of the US that say that Muslims should do more to denounce terrorism. How can we make it clearer to Afghans, Iraqis, and others who may be radicalized by the killing of civilians that we denounce the killing of civilians?

What can we say, apart from "Hey man, sorry my country wrecked your country"?

F*ck you, cancer (but how?)

estherbester — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:11:50 -0800

If I had gobs of money to throw at a "cure" for cancer, or at least ways to make it suck less for those who have it*, where would the money go farthest? Research for better treatments, research to develop better diagnostic tools, funding for better treatment/diagnostic programs, funding for patient support (like hospice) service, or anything else? Do organizations exist that might be more effective than the American Cancer Society, for example? *If we wanna get specific about which kinds, let's put pancreatic cancer at the top

Appropriate donation for a dinner in a restaurant in a new location?

palliser — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:06:42 -0800

We're going to a restaurant that is just moving to a new location. At their old location they charged $115 for the type of dinner we're having (chef's tasting with wine pairings) and were successful and well-reviewed. This is their pre-opening week, and they say they have a few wrinkles to iron out so are asking for donations at diners' discretion to help cover costs. What would be an appropriate amount -- or range, depending on how it goes? I'm going in a group of 4 that includes 2 people I don't know, so it has the potential to be an awkward situation, and I'd like to get a read on what seems appropriate, maybe especially from someone who's worked at a restaurant that's done this.

I'm very familiar with fine dining and do not balk at a $115 tasting; that's not the issue.

I've looked at this question, but that was for friends and family; this is for the general public. Plus this is an established restaurant that's changing to a new location, not an entirely unknown entity. Thanks.

Trying to donate a TV, or give it away for free. Failing. Help?

tzikeh — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:51:25 -0800

I have a Toshiba 35" TV from the mid-90s that still works perfectly. I still have the manual it came with, and the original remote. The TV stands on a custom TV stand that was built by the manufacturer specifically for it. Unfortunately, I don't want it anymore, the TV weighs 165 lbs., and I cannot carry it myself. Options I've exhausted include: Chicago Freecycle. "Come get it and it's yours. Free. You'll need two strong people to move it." No takers.

The "free" section of Chicago Craigslist. Same announcement; same difference.

Goodwill. Though you might read that they will come pick up TVs as donations, it turns out that they, in fact, won't. I know. I called.

I will not donate anything to the Salvation Army.

If I could just get the thing out into the alleyway, I guarantee that it would disappear before 24 hours were up. But I can't. And, okay, here's the pathetic part, I don't have many local friends to help me. Almost none, really--and those I do have are not known for their upper-body strength.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I can't afford to pay a haul-away service.

Best organization for helping the mentally ill homeless in San Francisco

Afroblanco — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:09:02 -0800

I'd like to donate some money to an organization that helps mentally ill homeless people in San Francisco. Which organization would give me the most "bang for my buck"? I would rank my preferences in this order :

1) Efficient, well-run organization with the resources and experience to do the most good for the greatest number of homeless people
2) An organization that specifically helps homeless people in SF
3) An organization that specifically focuses on helping the mentally ill homeless

Also, given a set amount of money, which would make my money go further? One big donation to a single organization, or several smaller donations to a number of organizations?

How can I ethically get rid of these clothes?

quadrilaterals — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:00:59 -0800

I want to give away clothes! But how can I do so ethically? I need to get rid of a lot of new and gently-used clothing. Assuming I'll discard the unwearable/shabby items, what is the most ethical way to give away all of these clothes?

- The clothes are either slightly used or new (some with tags!).
- They are J. Crew, Gap, Ann Taylor, etc. There are no full suits, but some would be appropriate for professional wear (skirts, tops).

- I do not want to donate them to an organization that will dump them. This rules out a huge number of groups (Purple Heart, Salvation Army, etc.). Unless there is a definitive statement about dumping, I do not feel comfortable donating my clothes to an organization. I would prefer to throw them out over donating to a group that will dump them.

- These clothes could probably be sold (to a store, on Ebay, etc.), but I have neither the time nor inclination to do so myself.

- I live in Washington, DC. I am definitely open to local charities who are looking for specific clothing items! I have not had much luck looking myself, though.

- I am very much sensitive to the fact that clothing donations are not an efficacious means of charity. I really just need to get rid of these clothes, and I cannot stomach throwing them out when they are good quality. Not all of them are mine; some of them haven't been worn.

That's about it! Any and all ideas welcome, even if they're something like "put a box on your porch".

Looking for good team-based giving opportunity.

found missing — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 16:48:53 -0800

Apart from Kiva, do you know of any good charities that support team-based giving?

Is there a Portland area school with a technology program?

NotSoSimple — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:07:03 -0800

Is there a Portland, OR area high/middle school with a good computer technology elective/program? I work in an IT Dept for a decent size company and have a ton of pretty good equipment we are getting rid of. Back when I was in high school I was part of an elective class that taught anywhere from the basics of Computer Tech (Reloading Windows, replacing hardware, basic networking, etc) on up to server builds, actually working on the campuses network, assisting the district IT guys, etc. All equipment was either donated locally or picked up from a program called StRUT. Intel donated a ton of stuff and still do. I have searched the Beaverton and Hillsboro district schools, and no one has a class like this. The only thing close is Computer Applications (Word, Excel, etc), Programming, or Web Design. Those are great, but I want the equipment to be used.

One thing why I am searching high and low, is because that class actually put me in the job I have now. I started as a student in an elective class. I eventually got hired on at the district as a part time tech. Straight out of high school I was recommended a job at an ISP. From there I was able to take those core fundamentals and make a successful IT career out of. I would love to be able to give back to that type of program.

So does anyone know in the Portland area of a school? I am sure I could even work something out with my employer to do a bit of driving if we have a location in that area as well.

Is there such a thing as a fashion related charity?

peppermintfreddo — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:23:59 -0800

Is there such a thing as a fashion related charity? I will be wrapping my workmate's Christmas presents and asking for a donation for charity. I work in fashion, so would like the charity to be fashion related in some way.

My ideal would be a charity that works with women in third world countries who make clothing or textiles, and actual projects that help specific people, not just general activism.

In in Australia, but I'm not too fussed where the charity is based, as long as it is reputable, and can take credit card payments online.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Acquaintance passed away. Do I donate to his preferred charity, despite my concerns?

evadery — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:26:24 -0800

An acquaintance has passed away, and in lieu of flowers, his family is requesting a donation to a religious cause that gives me some concerns. What to do? A co-worker has passed away. He worked in a different office, and I did not work closely with him, but in my 2.5 years at my company working with him we had a couple good conversations, and in the rare times we worked together we got along well. He was a very nice man, passed away much too soon (in his 50s) and will be missed by all.

He left the company for a new job about 2 years ago, about the same time he was diagnosed with lung cancer. I didn't know he was ill until I found out he passed away this week.

He was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his family is asking for contributions to Watchtower, which makes me uncomfortable. He never discussed religion with me, but I know he had an uncomfortable run in with a colleague who was divorcing which made her quite uncomfortable. I identify as an atheist who celebrates the cultural aspects of Judaism.

A side note: I do not know if his religion prevented him from getting treatment for the cancer or not, and have read mixed things online about whether this would happen. However, even the possibility of this disappoints me, although I know it is his choice to live by whatever religious code he chooses.

So, do I make a nominal donation to Watchtower, which I know he and his family would have wanted? Or do I make a donation to a cancer charity, which may be viewed as a slap in the face by the family? Or, since we weren't particularly close anyway, should I just not make a donation, as one likely isn't even expected of me anyway? Thoughts on these or any other options would be appreciated.

What smaller, local NYC charities need our support the most in the wake of Hurricane Sandy?

tweebiscuit — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 11:38:24 -0800

I want to donate more in support of Hurricane Sandy, but I'm concerned that while the Red Cross and the NYC Mayor's Fund are probably getting a ton of love, there are other charities in the city that are in dire straights as a result of the hurricane. (Or just in general.) What smaller, local NYC charities need our support the most?

Sandy Relief Organizations?

hapax_legomenon — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:38:47 -0800

Please help me donate to Sandy Relief! I'd like to make a donation to the Sandy relief efforts and am looking for recommendations for a list of organizations to target. I know about the biggies (Red Cross, etc. - although do feel free to list others) and have already made donations there. Now I'm looking for those organizations that are perhaps less well known and that are on the ground directing monies toward this immediate and specific need.

(As an example, this morning I ran across an article mentioning a grassroots volunteer effort coordinated by a small local Asian community organization that's sending people into affected buildings that have yet to see any assistance from the Red Cross, FEMA, etc. It seems to me that these types of organizations could really use an influx of cash immediately.)

Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Best electoral bang for my buck?

turducken — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 22:30:48 -0800

What's the most effective way to donate to Obama this late in the game? Let's say it's a week from election day, and you've got, I dunno, $100 to donate to aid President Obama's re-election. Where will your cash do the most good, and how do you get it there? (I've seen this question about down-ballot races; but I'm specifically interested in the Big One.) I know donating to the Dem party machine is the best default option, but I'm talking about the equivalent of buying a hobo an Egg McMuffin: I want to know exactly where my donation goes. So please tell me about a grassroots group in Ohio that's raising Kickstarter funds to rent vans to take seniors to the polls, or Floridians mobilizing to counter True the Vote thugs -- that kind of thing. I want to know my money is making a difference, not paying off the bill for a balloon drop.

Which Democratic Senate candidates should I donate to?

Afroblanco — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:16:11 -0800

I would like to help some Democratic candidates get elected to US Senate. Where will my money make the most difference? Obama's chances are looking good for November, so I think I'm ready to switch gears and donate to some Senate campaigns. Where will my money make the most difference? To which campaigns should I donate? Feel free to name a few candidates, in priority order -- I can probably make a few donations between now and November.

Does anyone want old computer memory?

WestCoaster — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 13:05:42 -0800

Just replaced the memory in my MacBook Pro (was 2GB, now is 6GB) - what should I do with the old memory sticks? So now I have two 1GB memory sticks from a 4+ year-old computer. I'd be happy to sell them, but I think they're worth $10 or so at most, and I couldn't find a website that would be particularly interested (maybe because shipping costs and other transaction costs mean this is almost pointless). I'd be happy to donate the memory, but again my Google-fu has failed me. Suggestions?

How can I purchase/donate/ship computers to a Third World school?

mattstan — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:58:42 -0800

How can I go about purchasing computers to donate to a school in a developing country? That is, a _specific_ school -- the woman in my life is in the Peace Corps, and one of her dreams since she's been there has been to find some way to update the ancient computers at the school where she teaches. (This goal is shared by local teachers and administrators at the school.) This sort of targeted giving seems to fall outside the scope of most charities I've looked into, such as OLPC. Are there organizations suited to this kind of project, or which could offer advice on handling this (from the U.S.) as an individual? Is the latter remotely feasible? If so, what should I keep in mind, as far as insurance, taxes, shipping, customs, etc.? Via a commitment from an outside donor, I have a specific budget lined up, which should allow for the purchase of a number of desktops or inexpensive laptops. That part, I should be able to handle. Shipping, however, seems daunting (given that my last care package, around the size of a shoebox, cost me $50 to mail from the U.S.). Should I look into a consolidated shipping company? Complicating matters is the fact that the school is in a somewhat rural location -- I imagine such services wouldn't go far outside the capital city, leaving the rest up to her (and Peace Corps, hopefully) to arrange.

There are a number of factors to consider here. But mainly, I'm looking for a way to direct a specific amount of money so as to directly benefit this school; new computers have been a stated goal for the school, with no in-country purchase options known to be feasible; and just writing a check seems unwise and potentially graft-prone.

What to do with a dying van?

ashtabula to opelika — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:45:26 -0800

What to do with a 2000 Econoline which is (not so slowly) dying? Hello all! Thanks for reading!

I have a 2000 Ford Econoline conversion van (150,000 miles) which I have loved for years but is now slowly dying. I travel for work so it sat through a Chicago winter in my mom's driveway without being driven, and now it's in Louisiana where it's not being driven very much and the salt from Chicago has combined with the humidity of Louisiana and it's slowly rusting out.

I've spent considerable money to keep it functioning, but now I don't trust it for the long road trips I've been using it for, and considering how little I use it, I'm thinking about just using rental cars for the short periods of time I am home until my job situation changes.

So, now what to do with it. I don't think it's worth selling for the not much money I would get for it, (around $2000 I think). Would it be worthwhile to hold on to it for a trade-in in the future, or donate it?

Thanks so much!!!!

paying it forward

everydayanewday — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:01:45 -0800

Today I acquired a Kindle 4. Yay! Now I have 400+ books I'd like to donate. I'd give them to the library but I know they regularly have clear-outs, and I'd like the donation to help as much as it possibly can to people who need it the most. Any ideas where they should go? I am in the Vancouver BC area. Schools? Prisons? Old Folk's Homes? Any suggestions welcome.

Interesting coin donation ideas

acoutu — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:23:47 -0800

Please give me your groovy coin donation ideas. Our elementary school is about to hold a big celebration and fundraiser. Someone mentioned Spiral Wishing Wells as a fundraising idea. However, they cost $2300 to ship to Canada, so we're not sure whether to bite. (We're okay with ROI over the long term, as we could see using it at other events.)

What other interesting coin donation devices are out there?

Conditions:
We can store it at the school. Ideally, we'd sit it outside the office so people could donate coins all year.
Must be easy to remove coins, although perhaps not constantly requiring us to do so.
Must be secure (although we'd park it outside the school office or have it under supervision at an event).
Preferably already assembled, although we might be able to jerryrig something if it was simple enough.
Fun enough to get people to use it to donate coins.

I'm open to ideas...if you come up with something inexpensive - maybe something made out of PVC pipe - maybe we'd be okay with it being for one-time use.

Thanks.

Donating to an NGO in Uruguay

Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:50:29 -0800

I'd like to make a donation to the SOS Rescate Fauna Marina, an NGO in Uruguay, but I'm not sure how best to do so. On this site of theirs, they say (going off of Google Translate) that they "have an account for donations: Abitab No. 16907." Abitab looks like some sort of financial institution. Is it possible for me to make use of it? (I'm a U.S. citizen. I also cannot read Spanish.)

I also came across this site (which also appears to be theirs) and has a "Donate" button using Google Checkout. But for some reason, much of the text on the site is rendering in what looks like Japanese characters, which makes me wonder whether a donating here would even work. It certainly would be simpler to give here rather than going the Abitab route, but obviously I'm a little wary.

What causes to donate to?

that's how you get ants — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:08:54 -0800

My husband and I are looking to begin donating to one LGBT rights group and one immigrants' rights group. Who should we pick? We want to set up an automatic biweekly donation to three causes:

(1) Women's rights/health, but we're pretty set on Planned Parenthood for this.

(2) LGBT rights: We are leaning toward the Human Rights Campaign but there's also the Courage Campaign and other marriage equality or bullying causes.

(3) Immigrants' rights: perhaps the ACLU?

We moved to Nebraska a couple of years ago, so any groups that have a focus on NE or the Midwest would be nice to hear about, but it's not necessary.

Is blood donation an efficient way to help others?

Area Man — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:25:55 -0800

When I donate blood or platelets, how much am I helping others? Is this an efficient form of community work? Donating platelets takes a couple of hours. Should I be working those hours and donating the money or volunteering in some more active way? I've been donating for years and always feel good about it, but wondered this morning if I've been kidding myself. I regularly see articles on the internet, usually written by economists, about how some well meaning form of charity is actually harmful or inefficient. I don't think that's the case with blood and platelet donation, but wondered about it. The whole process is so easy (sitting there reading my book, watching a movie, or chatting with employees of the blood bland), that the idea that I'm actually doing some good seems too good to be true.

Donating an iPad

not that girl — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:14:24 -0800

Donating an iPad for use by kids with disabilities. My partner and I want to upgrade to an iPad 3. I have an original iPad that is in good shape and still works perfectly. We've heard a lot of interesting stuff about iPads being used by kids with speech-related and developmental disabilities, and would love to donate the old iPad to an organization that uses them to work with kids, or gets them into the hands of kids who can use them. Any recommendations?

I did a little googling but it felt hard to evaluate organizations, so we'd love recommendations from folks who are familiar with a group's work.