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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this site really free? What's the catch?
Yes, this site is really free! No catch! It is free for charities to use and free to people who want to give. We are supported by advertising and sponsorships, and there is no catch. Our goal is to remain free, allowing everyone to benefit from the wealth of information we offer. Please let your local charities know that you found them on DonateThings.com!
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Do I need to register? How will you know who I am?
To find a charity, you do not have to register. We don't need to know who you are, we know only that you are a well-intentioned, generous person and that's enough. Go do something good today! Click here to search for charities. If you are a nonprofit and you want your charity's information to be available on this site, you do need to register and you can do so in a few minutes. It's super easy. Click here to register your charity.
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How can I get a charity to register at DonateThings.com?
If you have an email address for them, please feel free to copy and paste this text into an email: Hi, A great new website at www.DonateThings.com allows charities to register their donation "wish lists". By entering their zip code, donors can search for local charities that accept the items they wish to donate. It is free to use (for both donors and charities) and registering your charity can take less than 3 minutes. When you register your charity you can let your local community know in real time what specific items you need, when you need them! It is great free publicity and you can tell your supporters about it on your website or in any regular communications, such as fundraising campaign letters and newsletters. It costs you nothing and may result in increased visibility and contributions to your organization. I thought you'd want to know about it!
Another way to tell charities about us is to print this form and give it to them: Registration Form. It will certainly take longer to see the listing in our database, but sending this information by mail also gets your charity registered. Unfortunately we can't update listings by mail for security reasons, so someone will need to keep the list current by logging in to the account online.
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Do I get a receipt for my donation?
The charity that accepts your donation will give you a receipt if you ask for one. DonateThings.com does not benefit from your donation in any way and therefore, we are not involved in or aware of donations that you might make. Make sure that you request a receipt at the time you drop off your donation or when your donation is picked up. To be clear, DonateThings.com directs you to local charities, but we do not track donations, nor are we responsible for any communication between you and a charity you select from the listing. It is your responsibility to contact the charity, make sure that they still are accepting your specific donation (that their wish list is current) and to find out what their procedures are for receipts. It is usually a good idea to make a list of your donations with your name, address and the date. Many charities ask that you bring two copies of that list when making your donation so that the charity can keep one copy and you can keep a signed, dated receipt for your tax records. Other charities use your list to send you a letter indicating their receipt of your donation by mail. We know of instances where a donor forgot to get a receipt when they made their donation, but later asked for (and got) a receipt by explaining what they donated and when in a letter to the charity.
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Will I get a tax deduction for my donation?
Ask your accountant or tax advisor. If you itemize your taxes, you typically can claim a tax deduction for charitable contributions. Make sure you keep a signed, dated receipt of your donation. For donations valued at over $250, the IRS requires that you MUST have a receipt in order to claim any deduction. You'll find a lot of easy-to-use information at www.irs.gov/.
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Who can pick up my items if I have no way to transport them?
Your charity results include pick up and drop off information. If you must drop off the items at the charity location, it says "drop off only". If it says "Pick up" or "Pick up and drop off", then call the charity to arrange a convenient time for them to pick up your items. Scan the listings for the closest charity that picks up and give them a call.
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How do you know what I donated?
We don't.
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Are the Charities listed on this site affiliated with DonateThings.com?
No. The charities are registered in our database. We wanted to make giving easy, so we created this site. We are not owned by, nor do we own, any charitable organization.
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Does DonateThings.com benefit from my donation?
No. The charity (and the people they serve) benefit. We only benefit indirectly from people using our site, as they view our advertisements and give business to our sponsors. More people using DonateThings.com makes our advertising space worth more, so we want to be a great resource for you and the charities you support!
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How do I know that these are real charities?
We require a Tax ID for the charity to register with us. We make every effort to verify that ID with the IRS before accepting and listing the charity. For security reasons we don't include that tax ID number in our listings, but there are many ways to get that number including calling the charity directly. For your peace of mind, we recommend that you do your own homework on charities that you decide to support. For example, you can check out our Charity Research Links to find out how much of every dollar received actually goes to benefit those in need.
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