Shopping for New Shoes

Posted on: 18 August 2017

If your church would like to do something more to give back to the community, you may want to consider placing a donation box for used clothing and shoes in your parking lot. Passersby and members of your own congregation alike can leave their used clothing in the box, and a volunteer can take the items to a local charity once a week or so. To ensure your donation box project works well, follow these tips.

Post specific guidelines on the box.

Excessively worn, stained, or torn clothing is not useful, and having to sort out all of the unsuitable items before taking the clothing to the charity center will take up valuable time from your volunteers. To help keep people from donating unsuitable items, post clear guidelines on the box. Specify what is and is not allowed, and state that everything must be in good, wearable condition. 

Check and empty the box often. 

If the box gets full, people who visit may start leaving items outside of the box where they become damaged by the weather. So, make sure someone checks the box every couple of days. Even if they don't take the items straight to the charity every time they check, they can at least take the clothing indoors to make more space in the box.

Tell donors where the clothing is going.

Find a local charity that needs the clothing. This could be a group that works with the homeless, a group that gives clothing to women and children who have been victims of abuse, or even an organization that sends clothing to needy families overseas. Once you've agreed to work with a charity, get as much information from them as you can. Most have a pamphlet or informational booklet they can give you. You can then pass this information on to congregation members and members of the public who wish to donate.

Provide receipts upon request.

Some people who donate clothing are going to want a record of their donation for tax purposes. So, make sure someone is available in the church office during certain hours to write out these tax slips. You can post the hours they're available on the box. Many people will just leave the donations in the box and not worry about the slip, but those who care can stop by during these open hours to obtain the slip they need. You can pre-print donation receipts so all your office manager needs to do is fill them in with the items donated and sign them.