Original Article by Amy Freeman and The Washington Post, cited below.

SUMMARY BY SIMPLY THE BASICS

Simply the Basics has two goals; 1) To improve physical health and overall wellness and 2) To safe nonprofits time and resources. When it comes to meeting these two goals, the way we source and distribute the right hygiene supplies to Recipients and other service sites matters greatly.

Through surveying nonprofits we found that their staff was spending up to 14 hours per week sorting and managing donations which has been reduced almost by half once becoming a Simply the Basics partner. The article attached highlights the differences between what makes an impactful donation vs what can quickly become a burden for the nonprofit or client.

Building Trust

“You might think it’s better to have a torn shirt than to have none. But for the people we’re serving, our work is based on relationships built on trust and mutual respect. If we were to offer people items that are obviously not respectful, that can damage the relationship.”

Staff Time Lost

“Someone would clean out a closet, and we’d be inundated. We’d spend a lot of staff or volunteer time sorting through bags of donations. It stressed out staff to have to triage the stuff, and it taxed our physical space. We’d give usable items to the Salvation Army, but that’s again costing us time and resources and probably wasn’t the donor’s intent.”

Nonprofit organizations want donated items that both meet clients’ basic needs and bring them dignity.

Rule of Thumb

“Chapman says that a “good” donation is what you’d give to a loved one, friend or neighbor. ‘I want gifts that inspire and give hope, that let people know that someone cares about me who doesn’t even know me.’”

This article is a great tool when creating policy and best practices for the items you accept and also the items you distribute out.

Citation: Freeman, Amy. “How to Make Sure Your Donated Items Aren't Burdening Charities.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 3 Dec. 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/how-to-make-sure-your-donated-items-arent-burdening-charities/2019/12/02/5e4f9ac8-018e-11ea-8501-2a7123a38c58_story.html.