Collection: Charity Donations

In between throwing something away and trying to sell it we find the world of charity donations. Items that are still of use (we hope) to someone that we are happy to let go for free.

This section discusses:

Existing Provision

What

Almost anything that is still functional is of interest to one charity or another, whether they try to sell it to the public or provide it free to the homeless or those less fortunate than ourselves in our inner cities or in other countries.

How

Most high streets have at least one and often several charity shops where donations can be left and in which the better items will be sold on to the public. Other charities take in clothes, shoes, spectacles and the like which they send to developing countries.

Donations are typically made at the shop door or through collecting bins in council or car park recycling zones.

Volume and Frequency

We all get tired of clothes or decide they're no longer “smart” enough for us. Our kids grow out of clothes, toys, books and DVDs. Many such items are difficult or impossible to recycle but can bring a smile to someone else's face.

Getting items to charities is not difficult but can involve more effort than we're prepared to put in. If we have a spring clean once a year we might find a whole bin bag of clothes our kids have grown out of then there's a good chance we'll take the trouble to drop it off at a charity shop in town.

However, throughout the rest of the year, there will be many occasions when we come across a single item that we no longer need. In this case, there's much more temptation to just chuck it in the bin even though we know it would have been of value to a charity. Alternatively we might throw it in a corner of the garage intending to donate it when we have enough to make a trip worthwhile - only to find it has been ruined by damp, mice or moths when that day comes.

Financial Model

There is little to no money to be made from charity donations. Most of their work is done by volunteers and putting any sort of financial cost on donations would deter them unnecessarily.

Providers

There are many, many charities - each of which has a slightly different set of goods they are interested in. Often the householder is not aware which charity would best benefit from their particular donations.

Trends

As we all become more aware of the need to conserve resources, so we should be thinking ever more carefully about throwing anything away.

With Localnet

What

Anything that is not definitely “rubbish” could be of interest to one or more charities - whether they sell, use or have found some new way to recycle or repurpose specific items.

How

Any item that is usable can be placed in a  OmniBox that is being returned to the LocalHub. Simply touching the icon that says “Donation” on the user interface lets the system know that the contents of that box - whatever they may be - are freely given. A user might have programmed a personal preference among the local charities - in which case the item, if suitable for that charity, will be sent to them. Otherwise, it will be up to the localnet staff to direct the item to the most appropriate local charity. They will have lists of items that are of interest to local children's charities, those that help the homeless, the elderly, earthquake victims and so on.

Volume and Frequency

Most residents should donate something - whether a paperback, a magazine or an item of clothing every few weeks. Providing feedback through the localnet interface will help encourage donations. Seeing that your village donated 300 pairs of shoes to school kids in Mozambique last year will remind parents to drop the next pair of shoes their son grows out of in the box and press “Donation”.

Financial Model

The boxes containing donations had to make their way back to the LocalHub anyway. Doing so with a donation inside a few barely costs anything.

Providers

Charities may send volunteers to come to each LocalHub every so often to sort through the donations received and decide which to resell in their shops and which to send on to the homeless, the underprivileged or overseas.

Evolution

There is a fine line to be trodden between wanting to encourage people to donate items and not wanting to encourage them to consume more - as they go shopping to replace the donated item. It will be rewarding if we can change people's behaviours so that items are donated while they are still quite usable - rather than waiting till the moths have eaten them or they have decayed too far. If this approach not only makes it easier to donate in dribs and drabs as things are identified as unwanted but also gives people more confidence that their items do stand a good chance of getting to someone who can really use them then we should see a higher rate of donation - and of better quality items that are of more value to the charities.

 

Comparison

The table below assesses the impact of localnet on this service on a scale of -5 to +5 (details here)

  Existing services As part of localnet Score
Scope

No-one will travel far to find a charity looking for specific items.

 Consolidating collection allows more unusual items to find their way to the appropriate charity. +1
Frequency

Tends to be done on spring cleans not when a single item is discarded.

 Easier to do so more likely to be done even if a single item. +2

 
Security Not applicable. Not applicable. 0
Convenience Have to take stuff to charity. Pop it in localnet box and it goes. +3
Cost Zero. Zero. 0
Quality Ability to direct to appropriate charity limited. Better chance item gets to somewhere it can be used +2
Carbon Footprint Dedicated trip to deliver. No dedicated trips +2
Time Takes time to deliver. No time at all. +2
Resources Used Plastic bags - though usually already being reused. No need for packaging or wrapping. 0
Reuse & Recycling Every donation is a bit more reuse. Should encourage more donations. +1
Landfill Waste Most donations are a bit less landfill. Should encourage more donations. +1
Other Differentiators

Services