How to Donate Clothing

Donations of clothing play an important role in the work of many charities. When donated clothes are sold through thrift stores they help the charities raise funds while providing both the needy and bargain hunting consumers with inexpensive clothing. Other programs give clothing directly to the homeless and other needy adults and children. To donate clothing, you first need to locate a qualified charitable organization. Donations of clothing are usually tax deductible as long as you follow IRS rules.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Clothing to donate
• Cardboard boxes

1. Consider some of the national organizations as places to donate clothing. Three well know national organizations that operate thrift stores selling donated clothes and other items are Goodwill Industries, the Salvation Army, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (see Resources). For the Salvation Army you can also call 1-800-95TRUCK. For St. Vincent de Paul you can call 1-602-266-HOPE or schedule a pickup online. Other national organizations that accept and distribute donated cloths are the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Vietnam Veterans of America.

2. Gather the clothes you no longer want and children's clothes that have been outgrown. Shoes, blankets and other linens are also helpful. Check with your neighbors to see if they have more old clothes they no longer want. Buy a few packages of inexpensive underwear and socks, as these are usually in short supply among donated clothing.

3. Inspect each item to make sure it's in wearable condition. Clothing that is torn or worn out should be discarded, not donated. The clothing should be clean, folded and packed in a box, rather than placed on hangers. Put multi-piece items like shoes in a plastic or paper bag so they stay together.

4. Donate the clothes. Charitable organizations have various methods of accepting clothing donations so you will have to check with the charity you select to find out their procedures. Goodwill Industries, the Salvation Army and most other national organizations can pick up donations. In addition, Goodwill places collection kiosks in many cities at convenient locations. Most local organizations don't have the resources to provide pickup service so you'll need to take the clothes you donate to them. However, check with local churches and schools as these often act as collection points. Be sure you get an itemized receipt if you plan to deduct the value of your donation on your taxes.

Tips & Warnings

• For your donation to be tax deductible the organization must be qualified under IRS rules. Churches are qualified, and for other organizations, you can check with the IRS guidelines for donating property (link below). Generally, the clothing must be in wearable condition to be allowable as a tax write-off.

Resources

• Society of St. vincent de Paul
• The Salvation Army
• IRS Publication 526: Charitable Contributions
• IRS Publication 78: Qualifieed Charities
• Goodwill Industries