Charities being too picky??

[str8jkt]

I just bought a new couch and chair. Trying to get rid of the old set which is more than functional but has a couple rips in the seat caused by our puppy.

My fiance has been calling around to charities in Calgary (ie Salvation Army, etc..) to try and donate the couch along with two reclining chairs.

Nobody will take it because the seat is ripped??? We are willing to drop off the set (rather than take it to the dump) and no one is willing to accept it. You would think people in need would rather take some furniture with a couple small rips over having nothing at all.


Does anyone know of any Calgary charities that will take a slightly damaged couch along with two perfectly fine reclining chairs (the couch is a reclining couch as well).

[cranky]

this reminds me of the muffin stumps episode on seinfeld :lol:

[str8jkt]

[QUOTE=cranky]this reminds me of the muffin stumps episode on seinfeld :lol:[/QUOTE]

Isn't that the truth.. I just find it amazing that we will have to end up taking this fully functional (not all that pretty looking.. but still) furniture to the dump because they won't accept it with a couple small rips in the fabric. We've used the couch for over a year with the rips and it doesn't affect anything other than the aesthetic part of it.

[me!]

not just that but with money too.

I was going to donate only $50 to a charity, but they wanted more. They said that we need you to donate more, and suggest automated credit card deductions.

I said no way, it's $50 or nothing. they shut up and took the $50. I don't think i will donate to them again.

[15-20_God]

I think if you donate goods the charities sell it to raise funds. I don't think they donate the goods directly unless they specifically ask for something. That may be why they aren't accepting the couch, can't really sell a ripped couch, or a pee stained one for that matter since we're making Seinfeld references.

My suggestion is to put the couch on the curb, tack a "FREE" sign on there, and it'll be gone within hours.

[ephemera]

We donated $25 to covenant house and we have been inundated with charity crap DAILY now. They must spend more on stamps than the poor and sick. I don't trust any charity now. I don't really care. If they demand that your donation must be more than $50, and won't take a $20 bill... what is wrong there?! The whole charity 'business' needs a good looking into for crookedness. I want to know EXACTLY where the money goes. I want to know if the Heads of the charities are driving BMW's and buying new plasma tv's for their offices while children are eating out of garbage cans.

[ji2o0k]

[QUOTE=str8jkt]I just bought a new couch and chair. Trying to get rid of the old set which is more than functional but has a couple rips in the seat caused by our puppy.

My fiance has been calling around to charities in Calgary (ie Salvation Army, etc..) to try and donate the couch along with two reclining chairs.

Nobody will take it because the seat is ripped??? We are willing to drop off the set (rather than take it to the dump) and no one is willing to accept it. You would think people in need would rather take some furniture with a couple small rips over having nothing at all.


Does anyone know of any Calgary charities that will take a slightly damaged couch along with two perfectly fine reclining chairs (the couch is a reclining couch as well).[/QUOTE]

maybe check out the local shelter or even university dorms. I am sure they could use a perfectly functional couch and recliners.......

[x86asm]

[QUOTE=15-20_God]I think if you donate goods the charities sell it to raise funds. I don't think they donate the goods directly unless they specifically ask for something. That may be why they aren't accepting the couch, can't really sell a ripped couch, or a pee stained one for that matter since we're making Seinfeld references.

My suggestion is to put the couch on the curb, tack a "FREE" sign on there, and it'll be gone within hours.[/QUOTE]

Got that right, I put some crap out like that and it was gone in less than 2 hrs.You'd be surprised how many people look around for this stuff.

[wanted]

yeah, minimum donation, administrative fees, just more money for them and some for the cause.

[cOmAtOaSt]

Another thing that bothers me about charities is a couple of years ago I bought one of those $100 lottery tickets for a house or cars or something. Well, every year now, I get letters in the mail wanting me to buy a ticket and worse yet, phone calls to my house. I have an unlisted phone number and they are using the number I supplied when I bought the ticket - but I only gave them that number to tell me I won, not to hand to their marketing department for every subsequent draw until the end of time. Be carefull when donating money about giving out your phone number - every time they have a special funds drive or whatever, you're on their list to 'help out'.
They should be forced to have on a donation slip or lottery ticket a tick box "if you only want your personal information to be used just for this transaction and no others, check here".

[IceMan77]

[QUOTE=ephemera]We donated $25 to covenant house and we have been inundated with charity crap DAILY now. They must spend more on stamps than the poor and sick. I don't trust any charity now. I don't really care. If they demand that your donation must be more than $50, and won't take a $20 bill... what is wrong there?! The whole charity 'business' needs a good looking into for crookedness. I want to know EXACTLY where the money goes. I want to know if the Heads of the charities are driving BMW's and buying new plasma tv's for their offices while children are eating out of garbage cans.[/QUOTE]

I heard the salvation army hq looks like the Taj Mahal. :twisted:

[KrispyFive]

[QUOTE=cOmAtOaSt]Another thing that bothers me about charities is a couple of years ago I bought one of those $100 lottery tickets for a house or cars or something. Well, every year now, I get letters in the mail wanting me to buy a ticket and worse yet, phone calls to my house. I have an unlisted phone number and they are using the number I supplied when I bought the ticket - but I only gave them that number to tell me I won, not to hand to their marketing department for every subsequent draw until the end of time. Be carefull when donating money about giving out your phone number - every time they have a special funds drive or whatever, you're on their list to 'help out'.
They should be forced to have on a donation slip or lottery ticket a tick box "if you only want your personal information to be used just for this transaction and no others, check here".[/QUOTE]

Well, with those the numbers aren't sold to anyone or used for purposes other than the lottery (at least with the major Ontario ones). You can always call up the number on the brochure and request to be removed from the mailing list, which will result in you being removed from the mailing list. If you just want your number removed from the calling list, you can request that too.

Back on to the main topic, charities are damn picky. I live in an apartment on the 3rd floor, and they will not come upstairs to get the stuff. They insist that you leave it downstairs and someone will pick it up between 9 to 5. My mother is the only one home during the day and in her condition there's no way that she can bring down any heavy stuff such as furniture for them when they get here. Leave it downstairs, at least half (if not all) of the stuff left there is gone by the time they get there to pick it up. I don't even bother with that any more, I'd rather throw it out instead of giving it to them.

[wiggy]

I don't thnk the charities are too picky about what they'll take. Too many folks just use them to, quite literally, get rid of their junk and try to save themselves a trip to the dump or recycling fees.

The Goodwill in my town was damned near overrun by people's "donations". Think about it. Who in their right mind wants a ripped up couch for their place? Some trailer park boys maybe, but c'mon, really? (Think your answer throught before you make some all worked up reply folks).

After being innundated with people's unsalable crap the local Goodwill has taken charge of their situation. They've got a 40 yard dumpster in place to keep the mess under control. When you roll in a bell goes off to let them know you're there. They look at yor stuff and tell you if they'll take it or not. They've got signs posted saying what they will and won't accept - no computers under PII 300 for example, and they have to work. The place looks great, not like the dump it used to be.

Harsh? I don't think so. You think money spent on stamps and mailings is pissed away, what about what it costs charities to get rid of other people's garbage? Foisting trash on a charity is the lowest of the low. You wanna help, fine, but be genuine about it and don't just do it because it's convenient for you.