I donate everything to my local YWCA Thrift Shop.

They take care of all the paperwork, and they send me an IRS-approved form at the end of the year. The amount of the donation is the actual amount to items sold for.

Thank you for posting this, mariend!

Last night (while searching for an appropriate outfit for a non-work event), I realized I was keeping too many clothes (many with the tags still on) that are just too big now. (Did they ever fit me? I shudder to think...)

Some stuff could go to goodwill, but I also wanted to find a smaller group to which these could really make a difference. I will research domestic violence groups in my area. Thank you!

I've had trouble finding agencies that really want my cast-offs. I mean, things that are in decent shape, not raggy or broken,etc. After much hunting around, I found Birthright will take maternity clothes and baby items, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill will take furniture and clothing, but they are picky. Sally wouldn't take a wicker chair. But they would take a computer desk. And some insist you bring the items to them. For pick up there was a minimum of three big items. And the driver has thge final word.

I've had luck sticking a 'free' sign on things and putting it out by the curb.

I've been donating to a big name thrift store with a drop off point near my house. I've been thinking about getting more selective. I called around for something for a costume a while back. They said if they got that particular piece of clothing in it would be thrown out. I think I'll start driving farther and getting my stuff to people who would use it.

When I want to donate, I just want the junk OUT as soon as possible. Goodwill and Volunteers of American has taken everything I ever dropped off except for one baby item (walker).

My sons' Boy Scouts troop has the mother of all garage sales in August every year. We start collecting in May and have so much junk you can't even imagine! It's HUGE. What amazes me is that when we're putting it all out, there is stuff that I think there is no way anyone will buy - BUT someone always does! I do save my better junk for the troop starting in about April.

Most of my stuff I have been giving away on freecycle. I usually put it outside for them to pick up. Did drop some stuff off at GW the other day and they are pretty expensive on every thing.

some great suggestions and Ive been thinking lately instead of donating just to the big organisations I should be looking for some smaller ones who would really appreciate specific items and often get overlooked. dont forget about animal refuges either, theyre often in need of old bedding, sheets, towels etc for the the animals to sleep on even if theyre not in near new condition anymore.

Here we have a local PTA Thrift. The money goes to the PTA which in turn uses it for improvements at the school (playground improvements, book purchases for the library, etc.)

Most of our stuff goes to a local charity. They do a monthly pickup and are just so efficient and well organized that I make it a point to have a box for them every time. We always have a "give away" box in progress. Really helps move things along.

I'm attaching a link some may be interested in. This article followed donated clothing as it gets sorted/sold/shipped or thrown away.

Here is a link that might be useful: Old Clothes Go Global

Interesting article! Thanks for posting that.

I actually sat down and researched (via the internet) all the charities in my area. I made a spreadsheet containing their telephone numbers in case I have questions, when they are open for drop-offs, what they like to receive, what they don't want, etc. That way, when I have something to give away, I can see all my options and pick the best place.

I use Freecycle when I can't think of a charity. Surely, someone out there in the Freecycle community can use this stuff. And it has been true. I have successfully donated some pretty specialized stuff. Sometimes I had to wait a month or two and try again, but each item has found a new home.

There is a clothing box in my neighborhood. I save up clothes that are in decent shape and drop them off as needed. I recently added two winter coats-one childs, one adult. Somebody told me such donations get picked through and most are sold as rags. I certainly hope not. My kids outgrew that coat and my husband has lots of winter coats. They were both warm and in like-new shape.

Thanks for the interesting article about what happens to donated clothes.

I would also like to say that as a quilter, I turn old shirting material into quilts! It has to be tightly woven, take a crease well, and be 100% cotton or mostly cotton to used for quilts. It might be possible to find a church making charity quilts that would be grateful for fabric donations.

The person who told you that was correct. Did you notice that there was no name of any organization on it???? Those generic drop off boxes are owned by private individuals and run for profit. It all goes for rags. Nothing is ever sorted and distributed to the needy or resold as is.

Charities have eliminated drop off boxes altogether. They were bing used as dumping grounds for useless items and cost the charity money to dispose of. Then there was the problem of theft of the good stuff. Vandalism was a problem too. It became more and more difficult to find businesses who wanted the ugly boxes on their property with all the people coming and going from the boxes, either dropping off pure junk and leaving it strewn about, or sifting through the contents for things to steal. People were too lazy to put things in the box or the boxes were overflowing and stuff that could have been used, got ruined in the rain or buried under snow, sometimes frozen and stuck to the ground until Spring. Some people mistakenly think the boxes are for dropping off recyclables and filled them up with cans and bottles.

All the big charities in my area require that you drop off at their collection centers when they are open. They come out to your car and carry the stuff inside. There are signs that say you are being photographed and they will have you fined for dumping if you leave stuff there in the middle of the night.

All of the larger charities will also come to your house with trucks to pick up stuff. Smaller ones will send out neighborhood flyers for every one to put items out curbside on a certain day.

Most of these clothing collection boxes do not name any charity and are 'for profit' rag collectors. One version of this scam is to use a name of a legitimate charity on the box without their permission. They excuse given if that a small "donation" of the profits goes to that charity.

http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/13757087.html

http://cbs2chicago.com/investigations/F.C.H.2.327641.html

If you want some info about those little coin collection boxes that sit near cash registers and everyone thinks all the money goes to charity. Good reading:

http://bulkvending.blogspot.com/2008/04/making-money-from-charity-boxes.html

Thank you for that info! I am shocked to realize that some people are taking advantage of our desire to "do something for charity."

In my former home town, our church ran a Thrift Shop. I often volunteered, so I saw the operation from the inside. I can't count how many people came through and said "I couldn't clothe my family without the TS." They sold mostly clothes, but also books, small housewares, toys, etc. Things not deemed worthy of pricing were in a "freebie" box. Yes, there was a continuing problem with people dumping stuff, but on the whole, it was considered a wonderful ministry and a great value to the community.

Arlene