NAVIGATION
Places To Donate
Donation Considerations
Why DonateFinding a place to donate items after decluttering can take a lot of brainpower, something you may not have much of after you’ve just given all your energy to downsizing. Luckily, there are actually tons of services both locally and worldwide that take donations and can make use of the things you don’t need anymore. You just have to know where to look!
Hi, I’m Ryan
As an avid minimalist who likes to keep things in order, I go through my decluttering regimen fairly often. Over the years, I’ve run into tons of awesome services that take donations of second-hand goods.
25 Unique Places To Donate After Decluttering
After spending hours, days, or sometimes even months decluttering my entire house room by room, the last thing I want to do is scour my community for the right place to donate my decluttered items. I am tired, and ready to get my too-small jeans and 30th birthday party decorations out the door quickly!
A lot of times, this looks like bringing a box straight to larger, more widely known donation centers like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other similar services. However, in recent years, some controversy has swarmed around how the profits garnered from their retail locations are allocated.
There have been several studies on the ethics of these groups that call them out for worker exploitation, poor treatment of shelter residents, and using donation money for personal gain. However, I can’t exactly call myself an expert on donation center morality, nor have I dug enough into the controversy to give my honest stance on these big-name centers.
I’ve compiled a list below of 25 services that accept new and used donated goods. If you don’t see anything on the list that makes sense for you, I would suggest doing some research on the local donation and community services that exist in the region and town where you live.
I have, however, taken a lot of time over the last few years to find lesser known, more focused services that take donations. For me, giving my decluttered goods to smaller services that directly benefit a specific in-need demographic has made all the difference in giving purpose to my clutter.
General Places To Donate Decluttered Items
There are lots of groups that take a wide array of general household goods. This can include clothes, blankets, furniture, kitchen appliances, sports equipment, musical instruments, and much more.
GreenDrop
Their Needs: Clothing, shoes, blankets, bedding, tools, collectibles, kitchenware, toys, small appliances, electronics, musical instruments and sporting goods.
Vietnam Veterans Of America
Their Needs: Clothing, baby items, housewares, electronics, small appliances, tools, and lots more.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation
Their Needs: You can schedule a pickup with BBBS for acceptable items only, which includes knick-knacks, dishware, glassware, pots and pans, toaster ovens, jewelry and accessories, and vinyl record albums.
Give Back Box
Their Needs: Clothing, shoes, accessories, blankets, household items.
Forgotten Soldiers Outreach
Their Needs: Travel-sized toiletries, food and snacks, crew socks, insect repellent wipes, scotch tape, hand warmers, and other approved FSO care package items.
Places To Donate Clothes, Shoes, And Accessories
Clothes, shoes, and accessories are some of the first items that I declutter, and I like to make good use of my donations when I’m downsizing my wardrobe. I’ve linked some clothing donation services to look into if you’d like to do the same.
Soles4Souls
Their Needs: New and gently used clothing and shoes.
Dress For Success
Their Needs: Women’s suits, blazers, business clothes, footwear, and professional accessories.
The Buy Nothing Project
Their Needs: Clothing, shoes, accessories, and more.
Sew Much Comfort
Their Needs: Flexible, adaptive clothing that easily fit around prosthetics, including basketball shorts, boxers, T-shirts, sweatshirts, yoga pants, loungewear, PJs, and twill, flannel, and woven shirting fabric.
Freecycle
Their Needs: Clothing, shoes, accessories, and more.
Where To Donate Decluttered Phones, Laptops, And Electronics
In our digitally run world, it’s hard to stay connected and up to speed without electronics. These services take second-hand electronics and repurpose them to serve those in need.
World Computer Exchange
Their Goal: The World Computer Exchange provides developing communities, schools, and libraries with used technology and computers.
Their Needs: Tablets, eReaders, chargers, smart phones, digital projectors, webcams, digital cameras, camcorders, digital microscopes, laptops, desktops, hard drives, USB thumb drives, and USB hub/multi ports.
Digitunity
Their Needs: Laptops, desktops, and tablets.
Cell Phones For Soldiers
Their Needs: Used flip phones and smart phones.
AbleGamers
Their Needs: Gaming consoles (PlayStation 4, Xbox X, Nintendo Switch, and more) as well as new and used games for listed consoles.
PCs for People
Their Needs: Gently used laptops and PC computers.
Places To Donate Decluttered School, Office, And Craft Supplies
It’s crazy to me how quickly office supplies and craft supplies accumulate in my workspace. There are actually lots of services that take new or gently used supplies and put them to good use in their communities.
Schoolhouse Supplies
Their Needs: Backpacks, office supplies, arts and crafts supplies, stationary, classroom media, and other donation items.
The Gray Matters Foundation
Their Needs: Postage stamps, blank cards, encouragement themed cards, envelopes, colorful stickers and sticker sheets.
Beads of Courage
Their Needs: Bags of craft beads and wood turned bowls.
Pens for Kids
Their Needs: Pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, notebooks, and notepads. Pens for Kids asks that you please test your pens before sending to ensure that they work.
Mother Bear Project
Their Needs: Yarn, knitting needles, PolyFil, postage stamps, packing tape.
Where To Donate Decluttered Books
I am certainly a bookworm, so whenever I take the time to truly declutter my bookshelf, I end up with plenty of books that are ready to see their next life. These donation centers take used books and give them to groups who need them.
International Book Project
Their Needs: Textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, vocational books, and children’s books.
Little Free Library
Their Needs: New and gently used books of any reading level or genre.
Darien Book Aid
Their Needs: New and gently used books of all genres and levels.
Bridge of Books Foundation
Their Needs: New and gently used children’s books, grades K-12.
Books Through Bars
Their Needs: New and used books of many genres. Contact BTB directly before making a donation.
Things to Consider When Looking For Places To Donate
Like I said before, I go through a fairly regular decluttering regimen, so I’ve learned a lot about the most important considerations to keep in mind when undergoing the process. There are a few general rules of thumb I try to keep in mind as I look for places to donate after I’m done decluttering.
Do You Control Your Clutter Or Does Your Clutter Control You?
While that is an altruistic goal, to me, it shows that the person hasn’t fully let go of the item. The decluttering process isn’t just about getting rid of the stuff itself, but removing it from your mind and letting it end up wherever it may.
Will The Donation Center You Choose Take Your Stuff?
The best way to make this happen is to just do a simple Google search of the company you’re considering donating to find their website. Typically, donation centers will have a list of accepted items on their website for donators to reference.
Ask Your Friends And Neighbors What They Need
Oftentimes when I’m decluttering, I will think of specific people in my life who could benefit from what I’m letting go of. Then. I’ll either ask them if they want the item or gift it to them later on.
Why Donate Decluttered Items?
Overall, there are so many resources out there to take your decluttered stuff that it’s hard to make a wrong move. The most important thing to keep in mind is the reason why giving your things a second life is so important.
It’s a surefire way to give back and improve someone else’s life, as well as your own. Not only does donating decluttered goods help improve the lives of others, it is also a valuable way to reduce waste and help out our earth. There are so many reasons donating second-hand items is worth it in the end.
Your Turn!
- Where do you plan to donate your decluttered items?
- What items can you declutter and donate to someone in need?
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