Donating to a charity is a fantastic way to give back to the community. If you can’t give your time or money, consider donating Furniture and household items you no longer want or need. It’s especially convenient to donate these items if you’re moving, downsizing or decluttering.

Donating large furniture items isn’t as difficult as you might think. No, you don’t need to call that one friend with a large Pickup truck again. Instead, get in touch with one of the 10 charities listed below who will come and pick up household items for free or at an extremely reduced rate. 

If you’re renting, save your landlord or property manager the hassle of dealing with furniture items that have been placed near or inside trash and recycling receptacles. Vice versa, if you’re a landlord dealing with tenant abandonment, save yourself a headache managing the tenant’s abandoned belongings.

Table of Contents

1. Habitat for Humanity

2. Salvation Army

3. GreenDrop

4. Pickup Please

5. The Arc

6. AMVETS

7. The Furniture Bank Network

8. Donation Town

9. Housing Works

10. PickUpMyDonation

Tips for Furniture Donation Pickup

How To Help Your Tenants Donate

Donation Pickup FAQs

1. Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is an international nonprofit organization focused on creating affordable shelters for families. It operates in all 50 states across the nation and approximately 70 countries. Habitat for Humanity also dedicates itself to teaching others about the barriers to affordable housing and the impact a healthy home has on families. 

The nonprofit has Habitat ReStores, most of which offer furniture, large appliances and building material pickup. You can schedule your pickup here.

Who your donation serves: Families across the U.S. and the world in need of affordable housing

Items Habitat for Humanity accepts:

• Sofas
• Chairs
• Dining room tables
• Dressers
• Bed frames
• Coffee tables
• End tables
• Filing cabinets
• Bookshelves

Note,any donated upholstered or leather furniture must be free of tears, stains or pet damage. Also, if you’re renovating your home, here’s a list of renovation donations they accept.

Website: https://www.habitat.org/ 

2. The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is a Christian-based nonprofit who’s program- and community-focused. It helps those who have experienced a disaster, poverty, addiction, domestic violence and more.

The Salvation Army offers scheduled pickups and drop-off locations in a variety of areas. You can use their ZIP code finder to schedule a pickup in your area and to determine which items are available for pickup. Its Thrift Stores page also has ZIP code finders for their drop-off locations, thrift stores and vehicle donations. Note, The Salvation Army’s list of items they’ll take is one of the more comprehensive lists on this post. 

Who your donations serve: Families who find themselves in crisis or those experiencing homelessness 

Items The Salvation Army accepts:

• Vehicles
• Clothes
• Couches
• Household appliances
• Electronics
• Power tools
• Upright freezers
• Fridges
• Washers
• Armoires
• Grandfather clocks
• And more

Website: https://www.salvationarmy.org/ 

3. GreenDrop

GreenDrop primarily serves the east coast. The organization distributes to the American Red Cross, the Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Philadelphia and the National Federation of the Blind to help raise funds via the collection of donations. 

Uniquely, GreenDrop offers a free home clean-out service, which allows for families moving, downsizing, or in need of an estate clean-out to donate large amounts of household goods and clothing.

Who your donations serve: The American Red Cross, the Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation, the National Federation of the Blind and the St. Vincent de Paul

Items GreenDrop accepts:

• Clothes and shoes
• Household items
• Kitchenware
• Games and toys
• Small appliances
• Electronics
• Sporting goods
• Books
• CDs and videos
• Small furniture (less than 50 pounds)

Website: https://www.gogreendrop.com/ 

4. Pickup Please

Pickup Please is another donation program that helps veterans. It’s an extension of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). They work in select states across the U.S., and you can schedule a free pickup online. Items will often be collected within 24 hours. 

Pickup Please’s convenience and quick turnaround are some of their major benefits; however, it’s more limited in areas covered and is fairly limited in what it will collect. All items should be small and light enough for one person to easily lift and carry, and they do not pick up large appliances or furniture, nor televisions of any kind.

Who your donations serve: Vietnam veterans

Items Pickup Please accepts:

• Clothes
• Small appliances
• Toys
• Electronics
• Books
• Sporting goods
• Non-fuel power tools
• Bikes

Website: https://pickupplease.org/ 

5. The Arc

The Arc was founded in 1950 to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The company has more than 600 state and local chapters across the U.S. 

You can drop off items or schedule a pickup by calling a local chapter. Use this chapter locator to see what items are accepted and to schedule a free pickup (if allowed). To donate a car, use this online donation form or call (877) 272-2270.

Who your donations serve: Children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Items The Arc accepts:

• Used vehicles
• Boats (with trailer)
• Recreational vehicles
• Furniture and housewares
• Clothing
• Electronics
• Books
• Toys and games

*All items are location-dependent

Website: https://thearc.org/ 

6. AMVETS

The AMVETS National Service Foundation represents more than 20 million veterans and has more than 250,000 members nationwide. AMVETS has physical stores and donation pickups across the country. You can find the group’s stores here.

You can schedule a pickup in the following states and areas: Maryland, Washington D.C., northern Virginia, Delaware, Texas and Oklahoma.

Who your donations serve: United States veterans

Items AMVETS accepts:

• Clothes
• Small appliances
• Electronics
• Jewelry
• Kitchenware
• Household items 
• Flat-screen TVs (five years old or newer)
• Exercise equipment (five years old or newer)
• Computers
• Books

You can inquire about items not listed by emailing [email protected]. 

Website: https://amvets.org/ 

7. The Furniture Bank Network

The Furniture Bank Network consists of registered charities that help individuals donate gently used furniture to people in need. The Furniture Bank Network helps other organizations with furniture pickup.

The charity serves a wide range of folks, including but not limited to those who are unemployed, immigrants, families that have experienced domestic violence or homelessness, and those affected by natural disasters or fires. 

Use their North American location finder to see if there’s a furniture bank near you.

Who your donations serve: Families who have experienced homelessness, unemployment, domestic violence, natural disasters, robbery or fires

Items The Furniture Bank Network accepts:

• Gently used furniture
• Used cars and recreational vehicles

Website: https://furniturebanks.org/ 

8. Donation Town

Donation Town is similar to Furniture Bank Network, but instead of acting as an overarching network, its website is a search engine in which individuals can locate charities. Think of it as an online real estate marketplace, where you can find homes for sale or rent. Instead of apartments or houses, it lists charities that provide donation pickup or have donation drop-off locations. 

Each nonprofit Donation Town works with will provide you with a tax receipt for your donation.

Who your donations serve: Various charities across the United States and Canada

Items Donation Town accepts:

• Clothes
• Bedding
• Small appliances 
• Household items
• Books
• Non-computer electronics
• Toys
• Sporting goods
• Office supplies
• Small furniture (small chairs, nightstands, end tables, bookshelves and small rugs)
• Home renovation items
• Vehicles

*The list above is general and varies depending on your local charity. You can see which items Donation Town does not accept here.

Website: http://donationtown.org/ 

9. Housing Works

Housing Works’ mission is to help support the community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, particularly those experiencing homelessness or poverty. Housing Works was founded in 1990 and provides service to more than 30,000 homeless and low-income New Yorkers.

Housing Works offers online donations, thrift shop donations and furniture pickup. You can learn more about furniture pickup here or call (212) 366-0820. Currently (December 2021), Housing Works is not offering pickups free of charge due to COVID-19 adjustments. However, its costs are still well below many moving companies and could likely change. You can schedule a pickup here.

Who your donations serve: Individuals in New York living with or affected by HIV/AIDS

Items Housing Works accepts:

• Furniture in excellent condition
• Clothing (in plastic garbage bags only)
• Antiques
• Art
• Houseware (packed in boxes)
• Jewelry
• Clean rugs (up to 6′ x 9′ with occasional exceptions)
• Up to 4 boxes of books (24″ x 24″ box max)

You can find a detailed list of items Housing Works does and does not accept here.

Website: https://www.housingworks.org/ 

10. PickUpMyDonation

Similar to Pickup Please, PickUpMyDonation helps to make the donation process easier for nonprofits. Since 2012, PickUpMyDonation has helped donate more than $89 million to nonprofit organizations. 

The process is easy. You make a donation request based on your ZIP code and select either a free pickup or priority pickup. Priority pickup requires a fee but is carried out by professional moving companies that have partnered with PickUpMyDonation and will move donations to a local thrift store or donation center. The free version puts you in contact with other nonprofits, some of which have free pickup services.

Who your donations serve: A variety of local charities and nonprofit organizations

Items PickUpMyDonation accepts:

• Large household items that meet their minimum requirements 

Website: https://www.pickupmydonation.com/ 

Tips for Furniture Donation Pickup

Donating household items, appliances, and furniture can happen year-round, especially when you’re moving homes, downsizing or moving in with your partner. Another time to donate is if you upgrade furniture and don’t know what to do with the old pieces.

Below are four steps to follow when scheduling a donation pickup:

1. Research Your Charity

The above-listed charities and others not listed use your donation directly or indirectly to help individuals. That being said, most charities serve a particular group of people. So, research each organization’s website to ensure its values align with your beliefs or if there’s one you’d prefer to reach out to. 

2. Confirm the Organization Accepts Your Donation Type

Most importantly, confirm that the organization accepts your donation type. Many of these nonprofits’ websites list items that they do and do not accept, along with exceptions. If your chosen charity doesn’t accept or won’t pick up one of your items, research one of the other ones on our list.

3. Schedule a Donation Pickup Time with the Charity

Most charities make it easy to schedule a donation pickup. You can typically do so by filling out an online form, sending an email or inquiring via phone. Once you have a move date, schedule your donation pickup. It’s best to plan so you’re not in too much discomfort without an often-used furniture piece like a bed or couch. 

Note, charity donations increase dramatically during the holiday season so there might be longer wait times for scheduled pickups.

4. Coordinate Donation Pickup Time With Landlord and Neighbors

As a tenant, it’s best to make your landlord and close neighbors aware of your scheduled donation pickup. If you can’t be there during the exchange, ask a neighbor or friend to sub in for you. Also, let your landlord know so they don’t toss the item intended for donation or fine you for breaking lease rules. 

How To Help Your Tenants Donate

Part of being a great landlord means organizing fun and exciting events for your tenants. One option is to create a canned food drive or a donation pickup for your tenants. You can organize a community-wide donation pickup by contacting one of the above-listed organizations and working with them to do a large sitewide pickup. 

Below are a few donation pickups or drives the entire complex or community can help with:

• Canned food drives
• Clothing drive
• Animal shelter needs
• Toy drive
• Blood drive

Another option is to advertise these charities that pick up appliances and furniture via email, flyers or your monthly newsletter. This way, tenants are fully aware of these services. You can organize this type of event annually during high turnover seasons or biannually and quarterly.

If families, particularly children, are having a difficult time deciding what to donate, share this donation flowchart to help them quickly decide which item should be donated, kept or trashed.

Donation Pickup FAQs

Below are some of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to donating household items and scheduling a pickup.

1. What does “gently used” mean?

When you consider an item that’s gently used, think about an apartment and what normal wear and tear means vs. property damage. Furniture items in particular can be loved, but not to such an extent that no one would want them. 

Here are the major reasons why a charity might pass on your furniture item:

• Furniture that’s not structurally sound
• Contains or has experienced bed bugs
• Upholstered furniture with tears, stains or pet hair
• Furniture with missing parts (legs, cushions, shelves, etc.)

If you can’t donate these items, you can try to sell them online at an extremely low rate. Another alternative is to research local companies that will remove your item in an environmentally responsible manner. 

2. Are donations tax-deductible?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) authorizes you to claim a charitable deduction each year for donating to charities or nonprofits. You will need a receipt from the charity organization; most of them know this and have systems in place to prepare your receipt. 

If your donation is $5,000 or more, you’ll need to fill out Form 8283 when filing your taxes. You can learn more about Form 8283 here. You can use our handy donation tracker below to keep track of your receipts and charitable contributions.

3. When can I donate?

For the most part, you can donate year-round. This is dependent on the charity organization you’re wanting to donate to or schedule a pickup from. As mentioned earlier, nonprofits see a rise in donations around the holiday season, so plan accordingly since they might be stretched thin from November through January. 

It should feel good to donate. Organizing a donation drive or donating to charities is an excellent way to declutter your home and property. Donating to others is also beneficial to you. 

Here are several reasons you and others should donate:

• Older adults who volunteer for two or more organizations are 66% more likely to live longer.
• According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generated 9.78 tons of furniture waste that went to landfills in 2019.
• You can deduct up to 60% of your adjusted gross income via charitable donations.

So, the next time you’re considering tossing a large item, or even clothing or miscellaneous items that have cluttered up over the months, consider contacting one of the above-mentioned nonprofits or charities — they’ll be happy to take these items off your hands. If you are a landlord who has recently had a tenant move-out, market your property today so you can fill your vacancy as soon as possible. 

Sources: Washington Post | Cleveland Clinic | EPA | IRS 1, 2, 3