Obtaining Donations for Refurbishers

This wiki is part of a series of Manuals For Computer Refurbishers.

• Sources of donations include:
  • Public
  • Businesses
  • Governmental agencies
  • Corporations
• Donations are easier to get if donors know you will protect their information on hard drives, cell phones, flash drives and other devices containing information.
• Donors will give if they know you are helping schools, non-profits or low-income families through reuse and not just recycling.
• Educate donors that reuse is better for the environment and about the need to have access to technology for everyone and not just those who can easily afford it.
• Form a partnership with schools. Let them encourage businesses and others to donate to you so you can help the school by furnishing good, licensed computers. The school will help with publicity. You can also get the discards from the schools to refurbish for low- income families. Teachers wanting computers in their classrooms can be a big help.
• Use your web site to publicize the good results you have had. Success breeds additional donations. Have free events to accept donations. Create a simple brochure.
• Talk to anyone working for a large business or agency where many computers are being used. Hospitals can be a good source as well as universities. Anyone using large quantities of computers will need to upgrade a find an outlet for their discards. If you can provide a social benefit and make the transfer easier, they will select your program.

• Ask your bank, insurance company or vendors what they do with their old computers. Contact every one with whom you are doing business. Get contact information for the person in charge of buying computers as they will also know how the old systems are being discarded.
• Talk to the warehouse manager where surplus computers are stored. Tell them that your group would help schools and will take all electronic equipment (won’t pick and choose). Make his life easier. You will get repeat business and referrals to other warehouse managers.
• Talk to governmental agencies. Assure them that their donations will be used in their district to help students or families become educated about technology that will help their educational goals and ability to get jobs. Find out the name of the person in charge of making the decision.
• Corporations often have newer equipment and different needs. Some have a social conscience but others want to have certain services performed such as: removal of stickers identifying the corporation, a survey including the serial numbers, make and models of donations and a complete wipe of hard drives or the destruction of the hard drives. Some corporations may want assistance in physically removing computer systems from their offices. Other corporations with newer equipment may want to sell their equipment. Some refurbishers offer to share in the eventual sales of the systems for higher end systems.
• Publicity explaining the good results you have had can be your easiest road to getting more donors. Develop a newsletter or brochure to hand out. Use photos or videos.