How to Donate Books to Charities

Donations to charities can be an essential part of anyone's basic financial planning. Donations can help you to advance a cause you believe in, clean out unwanted clutter from your home and even allow you to save money on income taxes. Books are one of the most commonly donated items. Many charities like to receive books because they are easily stored and generally easy to resell.

Instructions

1. Sort through the books you are planning to donate. Certain books will be welcomed, and certain books may not. Many charities may not take old paperbacks or outdated editions of textbooks because they can be hard to sell. If you don't think a charity will take the book and you wish to get rid of it, then simply recycle it.

2. Clean the books you are choosing to donate. Some marks on covers can be removed with a bit of elbow grease and a quick dab of warm, soapy water. Paperbacks should be given a light dusting if they have been sitting on shelves for a prolonged period.

3. Research which charities take books. Many public libraries will solicit donations of books during a certain period and then hold an open house for buyers to peruse the donated items. School libraries appreciate donations of age-appropriate items. Other charities may not need any more items. Call and check before dropping off any materials.

4. Move books to the location. Place them in a box where charity officials can easily see the spines of the books. Make sure that the charity is open when you show up. Items casually dropped off during off hours may be stolen or ruined by the weather.

5. Get a receipt. Items given to charity are tax deductible. Ask for a receipt after you've donated books. If the books in question have value beyond the norm, point this out to the charity official. One good way to check the value of donations is to check what similar used items are selling for on eBay or Amazon. Books are widely sold in many venues, so finding out value is fairly easy.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not drop donated books into the off-hours collection bin at libraries. This creates sorting problems for library staff.