Giving back this holiday
The holiday season is upon us and that means endless wrapping of gifts, time spent with family and friends, and loads of fun. It also means stacks of boxes and piles of wrapping paper.
The eco-minded among us may be inclined to gather up those paper and cardboard items and put them in the appropriate recycling containers. While this is, without a doubt, a fantastic idea, there is another equally fantastic option: the Give Back Box.
Give Back Box, you say?
The Give Back Box encourages people to take their cardboard boxes and fill them with donations; specifically, donations that will end up at Goodwill.
You can select clothing, household items, and anything else you might typically donate to a brick-and-mortar Goodwill store (except electronics) to put in your box. Then, you can go online and print a free shipping label, arrange for a USPS mail carrier to pick up your box, and you’re good to go.
What makes Give Back Box great
The Give Back Box has been around for a few years, but is gaining popularity because of their partnership with several high profile companies. Amazon is the newest and has put the Give Back Box in news headlines again. Newegg, Ann Taylor, Overstock and more are also participating in the program.
If you have boxes from these companies (or any of the partners listed here), you can fill the boxes up and send them in to donate. Once mailed, your box will be routed to the nearest Goodwill store that’s participating in the program.
Worried about a tax credit? Don’t be. If you register for a Give Back Box account, you can receive a tax receipt for your donation, making a win-win for everyone.
Create a Giving Party
These partnerships have given the Give Back Box quite a bit of publicity this holiday season and rightfully so, but the fine print on the website does state that you can use any cardboard box if you’d like to donate items. They do not need to be a box from the partners listed. I think this is a great way to get donations going within a large group of people.
Rally contributions from your office, your neighbors, your friends and family; you could even make this a holiday game: whoever gets the most donations wins a prize.
Your office could collect and assemble donations to create one giant donation; the options are endless and you’re not only purging your house of your old stuff to make room for the new, you’re also helping someone else in need by giving the items to the Goodwill without actually making a trip to the Goodwill donation center (and getting an easy last-minute tax credit for this year). Win-win for everyone.
