Christmas is just around the corner, and a fair share of Americans spread some holiday cheer by helping families in need. Charitable donations are more than welcome at this time of year. Here are a few pointers to make donating clothing to charity (and other items, too!) good for you, good for charities, and good for people in need.
Write It Off On Your Taxes
Good news — you canwrite off clothing donations on your taxes. For that matter, you can write off just about any item that you may donate to local charities. There are a few things to keep in mind, however. “Donations must be made by the end of the tax year for which you want to claim the deduction. If you put a check dated Dec. 31 in the mail by that day, you’re OK,” Bankrate.com advises. Similarly, all donated items must be picked up or dropped off before Jan. 1. Additionally, in order to write off items on your taxes, you must have written documentation. Charities will give you receipts with a valuation of your items, but you will have to request this particular service. Finally, do the work! Seventy percent of U.S. men and women donate to charities annually — and a much smaller percentage enjoy the related tax benefits.
Some Guidelines On Donating Clothes
Donating clothing to charity is one of the very best things you can do — for several reasons. First, the average American will produce four-and-a-half pounds of garbage in one day; donating clothing helps reduce waste, while also giving new people the chance to enjoy gently used items. While all clothing items are useful and welcome, consider donating less popular items, like prom dresses and suits, to keep all clothing items affordable for everyone.
You only have a few weeks left to donate items and write them off for the 2014 tax year. Make sure to get a receipt or written documentation of your donations, and donate all kinds of clothing items, including rare ones, to truly make a difference.
Did you know that clothing is one of the easiest materials to recycle and yet it makes up 5% of all trash in U.S. landfills? Americans throw away approximately 12 to 13 million tons of clothing each year, in fact, when instead those clothes could be donated to your local charity organizations.
1. It’s good for your community. In the United States alone, there are millions who live in poverty. Donating clothing is one way to serve a basic need in your community for adults and children alike. Not only are gently used clothing donations given directly to certain populations, but they are sometimes also sent to secondhand stores to be sold. These charity-run shops take in about 20% of all local clothing donations, and they are able to use the proceeds to help others in their communities.
2. It’s good for the planet. By donating to other people, you’re not only helping out your community. You can also keep the planet clean by diverting waste from the landfill to others. Even if your used clothing donations aren’t given directly for helping families in need or sold in secondhand shops, it can be broken down and recycled into new material.
3. It’s good for you. It’s easy to get bogged down by purchases and let our possessions control us. When we donate what we’re not using on a regular basis, we take back that control. Even if you don’t think you have anything to give, be sure to go through your closets at least once per year to clear out the clutter. You may be surprised by what you find — and there’s a good chance someone else could use those discarded items.
Have more questions about giving local clothing donations to your area charities? Leave a comment below.
When we think of making donations to charity, we often think of the grand gestures made by celebrities who donate millions to worthy causes or to keep great parks open and organizations running. We also see the generosity of large organizations that donate their charitable offerings, making huge impacts in communities for generations to come. However, many of us should consider that we can make a huge impact on many worthy causes just by making non-cash charitable donations.
These contributions, often overlooked, can make just as significant a difference in the lives of those who need it the most. Whether big or small, each act of giving has the power to transform someone’s future. Whether you donate clothes for people experiencing homelessness, food for orphans, or home appliance and furniture donations for families, your generosity and charitable offering can go a long way toward making a difference in our society.
At your local community center, you could inquire about the best charities for children in need of assistance. You could find several that take donations for your old computers and books and even ask for a little of your time to volunteer. Your kindness can change the trajectory of someone’s life and turn what seemed like a hopeless situation into a better one without spending any money.
In 2012 alone, people in the United States gave over $300 billion to charitable organizations. Not all of that money was actual money — some came from goods donated at local schools, for example. A more accurate way to report the figure would be to say that total donations amounted to $300 billion, and it’s an important distinction to make. People sometimes get a notion that in order to make a difference, they have to give some kind of tax-deductible charity write-off, and that’s just not true.
Of course, money is still the most immediate way to affect change in any charity’s agenda. But Americans haven’t particularly had the best decade themselves, with stock market plunges and housing market crashes littering the landscape even today. That’s why it’s crucial to find the ways you can help out charities in your area that are looking for donations without having to give any actual money. For example, you could…
Donate clothes.
What You Can Do: Look for the blue donation bins around your town or city, pack up your old clothes and textiles and plop them in. It’s really just as easy as that. And don’t worry about your old pair of ripped jeans — those might not be sold, but they might be able to be broken down to make cloth wipes. If you can, find the organizations that focus on fostering growth, like the ones devoted to helping disabled veterans.
Why It Matters: When you make clothing donations, you might just be helping a vet pay for his next round of medical bills. You might be helping give a homeless person a bed for the night. Whatever you’re doing, you’re making a real difference.
Donate food.
What You Can Do: How many times have you walked into a supermarket and seen a donation bin labeled “Canned Goods Only” or something like that? The sign means what it says — all you have to do is drop in a non-perishable food item. Canned fruits and vegetables are a good place to start.
Why It Matters: A can of corn or beans or peaches can go a long way to someone who hasn’t had a proper meal in weeks because of poverty and homelessness. Again, it might be another step toward helping disabled veterans.
Donate your time.
What You Can Do: You might think a VA hospital would be an intimidating place, but it’s really just filled with men and women looking for someone to spend a little time with them.
Why It Matters: All it takes to make someone’s day inside a medical facility is smile at them, but if you want to go the extra mile, strike up a conversation. Find out about their families. Write them letters. You’re doing more than just helping disabled veterans — you’re helping people.
Remember that there other ways to contribute besides just by giving money. For a list of local organizations to get involved with, find out more about what’s going on in your community. For more information see this: www.gogreendrop.com
