CoinStar is a popular coin machine that lets you cash in loose change. Not only can change be redeemed for dollars or gift cards, it can also be donated to charities right from the CoinStar machine. Some of the charities supported by CoinStar are the American Red Cross, UNICEF, March of Dimes and the World Wildlife Fund. It's a great way to make charitable donations without taking a huge bite from your wallet. Finding out how to use CoinStar to donate to charity is the first step.

Collect change from around your home and car. Some common places where loose coins collect include between cushions of furniture, under the seats of your car, in pockets, in trays near the washing machine and the bottoms of purses and change purses.

Clean the change if it is dirty at all. Coin machines often miss dirty coins; cleaning it ensures it all gets counted and doesn't stick together in the CoinStar machine. Usually just soaking coins in water for several minutes or overnight will clean it enough to be accepted. If change is very grubby, try soaking it in soapy water, then scrubbing it with a brush. Dry change with a soft towel and spread it out on a flat surface to dry thoroughly.

Visit the CoinStar website at CoinStar.com to find out more about how to use CoinStar to donate to charity with helpful videos and instructions. You can also read about the charities that CoinStar works with. The site contains individual pages for each. At the Red Cross page, you can see exactly what your donation purchases for individuals or families affected by disaster. The smallest donation earns a kit that contains basic personal supplies including toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, washcloth, shampoo, soap, lotion, and comb razor and shaving cream. Larger donations are used for blankets and hot meals.

Enter your city or zip code in the top right corner of the CoinStar site to find the nearest machine. You can also find coin machines in most supermarkets, especially large ones that are part of regional or national chains.

Go to your local CoinStar machine. Get familiar with menu options and the coin sorting device. From the main menu of the CoinStar machine, select the option to donate the coins to charity.

Place the coins into the slot of the machine. Lift up the handle at the side to empty more coins into the machine if some get stuck.

Wait for coins to be counted and for your receipt to print. Since the change you donate is tax deductible, you can use the receipt to list charitable donations on your annual tax return.

Make a habit of collecting change regularly and donating to charity. One idea is to bring change with you to the supermarket and place it in the CoinStar coin machine for donation on your way out.

Get a folder or envelope to collect records of your tax deductible CoinStar donations. It will make it easier to find the records at tax season. Keep the envelope in your glove compartment or another area of your car.

source : http://www.wikihow.com/Use-CoinStar-to-Donate-to-Charity

donating

Posted By Stellar

You have many options when disposing of your empty ink and laser toner cartridges. There are local disposal boxes in libraries, schools, churches - they are all accepting your empties and they will benefit the organization that you are disposing the cartridges with. Charitable organizations operate on very thin budgets, and the way you dispose of your empty cartridges with them will greatly impact how much money they will be able to get for them in return. Some easy steps will ensure that they get the maximum return for your efforts.

1. Decide who you want to donate your cartridges to. There are many online resources - simply online-search the term "empty cartridges for charity" which will return many resources.

2. Do you want to send them directly to a charity organization? There are a few. Be sure to ask them questions.

3. Consider local organizations such as libraries, churches, schools, etc. Contact any one of them to see if they accept empty cartridges and whether or not they benefit from them.

4. If they have a collection box, empty ink and toner cartridges should be placed in sealed plastic bags only. For ink cartridges, use a zip-lock bag. Ink invariably leaks out during shipment and could prevent delivery. Toner cartridges can be individually placed in a plastic shopping bag or garbage bag.

5. While organizations may pay shipping charges for these cartridges, consider paying the shipping charges yourself.

6. Use easily recyclable and bio-degradable materials to send the cartridges back.Pack them with recycled newspaper or paper bags in corrugated cardboard boxes.

7. Consider recycling your cartridge for cash or rewards and donating the cash or rewards directly to your own favorite charity. Many companies will send the check or rewards directly to the charity for you.

source : http://www.wikihow.com/Donate-Empty-Ink-and-Toner-Cartridges-to-Charity

donating

Posted By Stellar

Wedding dresses carry sentimental value long past your wedding day. However, you only wear it once, and then you tuck it away in a closet. If you are ready to part with your wedding dress, then you have a number of options available to you. You can donate to any number of charities that accept wedding dresses.

Picking an Organization

Decide what kind of organization you want to support. That is, every charitable organization supports a different cause. When it comes to donating wedding dresses, you can support causes such as breast cancer,  military wives,  or just everyday people who can't afford wedding dresses, just to name a few. 

Distinguish between types of donations. In some cases, your wedding dress will be sold, and the profits from the dress will be used by the organization to benefit the cause, such as Brides Against Breast Cancer. On the other hand, other organizations will collect dresses to give to people in need, such as Brides Across America  Both are important. You should choose based on what's most important to you.

• You can get the best of both worlds, as many places that resell wedding dresses do so at reduced cost, benefiting low-income families.

Try a thrift store. Many thrift stores, such as Goodwill and Salvation Army, take donations of any type. They are happy to accept donations of wedding dresses, as many people cannot afford to shop at high-end stores for their weddings.

Look at national organizations. Many national organizations take wedding dresses for various causes. Often, these organizations resell the dresses to make a profit for the charity. You can try organizations such as Brides for a Cause. 

Check for local stores. You may have a local store in your area that accepts wedding dresses as donations. Most of these will offer the dresses free or at a reduced costs for low-income people in your area.

Checking Up on Charitable Organizations

Check for nonprofit status. Most legitimate charities will have nonprofit status with the federal government. Look for the designation 501(c)(3), which is the designation given to nonprofits. However, sometimes, people will put together drives for a particular charity without having the designation themselves, which is still legitimate. 

• One place you can look for this information is on the IRS's website. You can find out which organizations are allowed to receive charitable donations. 

Ask a few questions. Legitimate charitable organizations will have no problem providing you with information about their mission, where any donations will go to, and the costs associated with the donation. If you ask a few questions and the staff seems unwilling to help, the organization your dealing with may not be a legitimate charity. 

Research the charity online. If you're still not sure, take some time to look up the charity online. Try adding "scam" to the name of the charity, as that is more likely to bring up any negative information about the organization. 

Preparing a Wedding Dress for Donation

Check the rules. Most organizations have a few rules about donations. For instance, most places prefer to have the dress dry cleaned first. In addition, many places have rules about how new the dress needs to be. As an example, Brides for a Cause generally accepts wedding dresses from the last 5 years. 

Have it dry cleaned. While not all organizations require it, it's a good idea to have your wedding dress dry cleaned before you hand it over. That ensures that the organization has to do very little before it uses your donation.

• Check for major stains before you get it dry cleaned so you can point them out to the dry cleaner.

Check for tears. Before handing it over, make sure the dress doesn't have any major rips or tears. Most organizations prefer dresses in good repair. If you do find a rip and it's small enough, try having a seamstress repair the damage.

Realize that not every gown will be accepted. Some organizations have too many of one style, and they may not be able to accept yours due to space limits. The same goes for sizes. Therefore, you may want to line up a second place as an alternative place to donate your gown. 

Drop off or mail your donation. Once your dress is ready for donation, simply drop it off at your charity. You can get a receipt for your dress to use for your taxes, though generally you will need to fill in the cost of the dress yourself. If your charity is not local, pack it up well and ship it in.

source : http://www.wikihow.com/Donate-a-Wedding-Dress

donating

Posted By Stellar