Donating Old or Used Computers to Charity

It’s a shame that computers become outdated  before you can even hook them up. It's hard for people to have the money to keep buying upgrades for this and that. Even harder when you get everything upgraded as far as you can and the computer isn’t able to handle any further upgradges. When it's time to buy a new computer, you have to take the time to transfer your information and files to the new computer. Making a charitable donation of your old computer to a group or organization is a way to give it a second life while helping someone who might not be able to afford to buy a computer.

The old computer is hard to sell to someone because it is outdated and because people are afraid that it may have virus' or a hardware issue so they really don't want to risk it. The dollar value you can get when you try to sell your used computer also makes donating it to a charity a more viable option and it might even qualify as a tax deduction.  Of course the main joy you would get from donating a computer would be knowing that you are helping someone else .

Computers can be donated if they are in good working order to different agencies and organizations. There is some information that most places will ask when you donate a computer and it's helpful to have as much of this information available as possible when you call:

• brand name and model number
• the year you purchased the computer
• megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB)of RAM
• hard drive size in megs or gigs
• megahertz (MHz) processor speed
• what software you are donating with the computer (like recovery disks) and if the software is originals or copies.

To find most of the requested information, click Start then right click Computer and select properties. There are some groups that may be willing to take computers that need to be repaired or refurbished. The Surplus Exchange would be a good place to start checking or your local computer repair store if the computer needs work before it’s ready to be given to someone.

Before you donate the computer, you will also want to make sure that all of your personal information has been completely deleted from the computer. We have all heard stories of cell phones and other electronic devices being being sold as refurbished or reconditioned but still containing the private information of the original owner. It does happen so the best way to make sure your personal information is removed would be to restore the computer to factory condition with the recovery disks. Some models do come with a separate partition in the hard drive that contains the recovery information and you won’t need disks to complete the process.

Once you have your information removed, the required information ready and all software and hardware you are donating ready; you will need to contact a charity and find out what other information that specific group or organization will need to accept the donation. If you have some place in mind that you would like to receive the computer, start there. Don’t be surprised if a group does not wish to accept the donation. Many local groups with national affiliations have to follow the rules of their parent organization when it comes to accepting donated items. If you are planning to write the donation off as a charitable donation, it would be a good idea to ask when you call if they provide receipts for donated items.

If you don’t have a particular group or organization in mind, you can check the website of the computer manufacturer to see what programs they offer. Manufacturers like Dell and Hewlitt Packard have computer recycling programs that you can find more information about on their website. Groups like The Surplus Exchange and Hearts and Minds are good resources for donating electronics equipment. Throwplace.com provides information about donating computers in the US or to other countries around the world.

As important and helpful as having a computer has been for you; just imagine the joy someone who can’t afford a computer would feel to finally be able to have a computer to use. Their children will be better prepared for school by having a computer in the home and they would have a chance to learn and experience things they hadn’t been able to in the past. It’s a wonderful feeling to know something as simple as donating something you no longer have a use for to someone who will appreciate and enjoy it for years to come.