Donation and receipt policy

What we give you

When we collect or receive a donation we can identify, we give you a written record that states:

• Our name and address.
• The date we received your donation.
• A description of what we received — the categories and roughly how many bags, boxes or pieces.
• A reference number you can quote back to us.
• Whether you received anything in return (normally, nothing).

What we do not do

We do not put a dollar value on what you gave. This is not us being unhelpful. Under US tax rules the organization receiving a donation is not a qualified appraiser of it, and determining the value of donated property is the donor’s responsibility. A number we invented would carry no weight and could cause you a problem later.

If you plan to claim a deduction, the IRS publications on determining the value of donated property and on noncash contributions set out what is required, including when a qualified appraisal is needed. A tax professional is the right person to ask about your situation — we are not able to advise you on it.

Anonymous and unattended donations

If you leave a donation at an unstaffed drop-off point without giving us your details, we have no way to know it was yours, so we cannot send you a record. If you want one, donate at a staffed location, book a pickup, or leave your details with the partner running the Hot Point.

What happens to what you give

Once a donation is received it belongs to Thrift Good, and we decide how it can do the most good — selling it in a store, listing it online, giving it directly to someone who needs it, or recycling it if it cannot be reused. We cannot promise that a specific item will be sold, kept, or given to a particular person or cause.

We also cannot return a donation once it has been collected and processed. If you realise something was given by mistake, contact us straight away with your reference and we will do what we still can.

Personal items and data

Personal belongings turn up inside donations — keys, cards, documents, photos. We hold anything identifiable and try to reach you, but we cannot promise to recover something, so please check pockets, drawers and bags before you donate.

For devices, please erase your data and sign out before donating. We wipe what we can, but a device still locked to your account cannot be resold or properly recycled, and we would rather it did not go to waste.

Questions

Email us at hello@thriftgood.org or use the contact page.