I started volunteering at a local organization focusing on infant/children services helping to organize their donation room. I’ve always been a big believer in donating when possible, but this experience has given me an additional lens being on the receiving end of donations that I hadn’t considered before. As Spring approaches, the transition of the season might kick up an urge to declutter and start that donation pile of winter clothes or finally get rid of the baby items. With that, I wanted to share a few tips to keep in mind so you can donate like a pro:

1.) GIVE QUALITY OVER CAUSE

We want to give those receiving donated items our best, gently used or new items. Items that are stained, have holes, are heavily worn, broken, or missing parts that makes the item unsafe or un-usable will likely be discarded by the person sorting donations. Charities have limited space to store donations & those receiving the donations have limited resources to mend/wash/fix the item as well. Ensuring we give our best donation maximizes everyone’s resources (time, people, space) on the receiving end.

2.) FIND THE RIGHT HOME

I’ve been guilty of taking everything to Goodwill just to get things out of my house or assuming a charity needs something without looking on their website for items they accept. But there are local charities that would love certain items that might have to be tossed by others. For example, at the organization I’m volunteering at, they do not take adult bath towels but there were several bags of towels we recently received as a donation. However an animal shelter would have LOVED this donation of bath towels. If you are in St. Louis, I have a comprehensive donation resource guide to help you out! Otherwise taking a second to do a Google search can help get your donation to the charity who values it the most.

3.) HELP OUTFITS STAY TOGETHER

If you are donating kids clothing and putting it all in one bag, the coordinating outfit might get lost as the bag is dumped out. Help the sorter on the back end by rubber-banding a matching top & bottom together before putting it in your donation bag. Taking an extra step to do this really helps ensure the complete outfit gets to the family that needs it.

4.) CONSIDER WIDELY ACCEPTED ITEMS

If you have an excess of cleaning supplies or perhaps a Swiffer mop you never used, I’ve found that most charities will take cleaning supplies/paper towels/etc. in a heartbeat! Both to help their own operations and clients they serve. Same goes with new/unopened kids/women/men’s hygiene supplies.

5.) KEEP IT CLEAN

If you are donating clothes that have been in storage for awhile (and assuming the item isn’t stained etc.), take a second and run the clothes through the wash so items are clean when they arrive at the charity. Items typically go straight to the family/person that needs it and they might lack the resources & time to wash items. For non-clothing items, taking a second to wipe down/sanitize the item is also so helpful on the receiving end.

6.) KEEP IT CURRENT

Organization needs vary throughout the year & they are typically tight on storage space. As Spring starts you might be ready to donate all those winter clothes. However those in need are living in the same season as us. If you can, holding on to a donation a bit longer until clothes are appropriate for the season really helps an organization with storage space. Also organizations often post their most in need items on their websites (for both new & used items). Taking a moment to check this helps ensure we are meeting their current needs.

Please reach out to me via the comments below to receive my comprehensive donation guide to help get your items to the right organization in St. Louis!