5 Charities That Pick Up Your Donations | Move.org (2024)

Home > Junk Removal

We've researched dozens of donation centers to find charities that will come to your home and pick up your donation instead of requiring you to drop it off. These five are our favorites.

One of the first steps for a successful move is to get rid of all the stuff you don’t need anymore. You could pay to ship these items to your home, or you could donate them.

When you donate, your old household goods go to a new home where they will be used and appreciated. Plus, donations to charitable organizations are tax-deductible. Ka-ching.

If the inconvenience of hauling heavy or bulky stuff to a donation center is what’s holding you back, then we’ve got good news for you. All the companies on this list will pick up large items like sofas and tables from your home.

Getting ready to move?

The Salvation Army—Best overall

First on our list is The Salvation Army, an international organization that uses donations to help those in need all over the world. If you've ever gone shopping around the holidays, you've probably seen Salvation Army volunteers asking for donations for the organization's red kettle project.

That may be what The Salvation Army is best known for, but the organization also accepts donated household goods, and it will send someone to pick up your furniture donation.

That may be what The Salvation Army is best known for, but the organization also accepts donated household goods, and it will send someone to pick up your furniture donation.

Items The Salvation Army accepts

• Appliances
• Clothing
• Furniture
• Dishes and kitchenware
• Decorations and household items
• Computers and other electronics
• Automobiles

Who The Salvation Army helps

The Salvation Army assists roughly 25 million Americans every year, and it operates in 133 different countries. Here are some of the communities that the organization assists:

• Disaster victims
• People experiencing homelessness and/or food insecurity
• People in addiction recovery
• Veterans
• Older adults
• Victims of domestic violence

Habitat for Humanity—Best for donating furniture

Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit with an ambitious humanitarian goal: “A world where everyone has a decent place to live.” Habitat for Humanity collects monetary donations to build and renovate affordable housing that those in need can apply for.

You can also donate furniture and other household goods to Habitat for Humanity. The organization resells these items in home improvement stores — called Habitat ReStores — and uses the money to fund its humanitarian efforts.

Items Habitat for Humanity accepts

Your local Habitat ReStore may have specific donation requests, but here are the items Habitat for Humanity typically accepts:

• Appliances
• Furniture
• Building materials
• Household goods
• Vehicles

Who Habitat for Humanity helps

Habitat for Humanity helps individuals and communities in more than 70 countries. Anyone can apply to live in one of the organization’s homes, but applicants are accepted based on financial need.

In addition to paying their mortgages, which come with affordable and realistic financing options, Habitat for Humanity home buyers also agree to help the organization with volunteer work.

Goodwill—Best for donating clothing and appliances

Items Goodwill accepts

Like Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill resells donated furniture and other household items to fund its charitable objectives. It sells these items on the Goodwill website and in thrift stores across the country and uses its earnings to provide career training and employment assistance to underemployed individuals.

Goodwill also offers discounts and vouchers to the people enrolled in its training programs, allowing them to affordably furnish their homes and buy clothes for their families.

• Clothing
• Books, DVDs, and other media
• Sports equipment
• Dishes and kitchenware
• Tools
• Electronics
• Small appliances

Who Goodwill helps

Goodwill gives vocational training and career assistance to anyone experiencing employment barriers. This can include people with disabilities, people who have been laid off, veterans, and people who don’t have marketable job skills or resumes.

Goodwill’s free online training programs teach valuable workplace skills, financial literacy, and interview coaching. Goodwill also helps people earn high school and college degrees (or equivalents) and can even assist with industry certifications.

Lastly, Goodwill offers a job search tool to help job seekers connect with employers.

PickUpMyDonation.com—Best for finding local charities

PickUpMyDonation.com isn’t actually a donation center like The Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity, and it doesn’t pick up your donations and distribute them. Instead, it helps you find local nonprofits and thrift stores that do.

If your donation isn’t large enough for a local nonprofit to send a truck (most nonprofits can afford to pick up only large donations), PickUpMyDonation.com can still help. The company will put you in touch with a company like —one of our favorite local moving companies—to pick up your donation and take it to a nearby center.

Items PickUpMyDonation.com accepts

Who PickUpMyDonation.com helps

PickUpMyDonation.com doesn’t help communities directly. Instead, you choose the nonprofit you want to work with — and who your donation benefits.

After PickUpMyDonation.com directs you to nonprofits in your area, choose one that benefits a community you care about and want to help.

Furniture Bank Network—Best for donating home goods

Furniture Bank Network helps people furnish their homes with comfy and practical secondhand items donated by people within the community. The best part is that recipients get the furniture for free (aside from delivery fees).

People can get furnishings from their local Furniture Bank only if they are referred to the organization through one of its social service partners. This ensures that the furniture goes to those who need it most.

Items Furniture Bank accepts

• Furniture
• Electronics
• Appliances
• Dishes and kitchenware
• Decor

Who Furniture Bank helps

Furniture Bank’s goal is to help those who can afford apartments or homes but can’t afford to furnish them. This can include the following groups:

• People who have experienced homelessness
• People who are unemployed
• People with disabilities
• Disaster victims
• Victims of domestic violence
• Immigrants

Donation FAQs

Recommended resources

Now that we’ve talked about the great charities that will come to your house to accept your donations, we recommend checking out these other resources that can help you when you’re moving or downsizing:

• The 3 Best Moving Labor Companies
• The Best Junk Removal Companies
• How to Host an Estate Sale

People also asked . . .

• How Much Does It Cost to Move?
• What Is the Average Cost of Junk Removal?
• How Do Moving Companies Charge?

Sources

1. The Salvation Army, “What We Do,” Accessed January 2024.
2. Habitat for Humanity, “Our Mission, Vision and Principles,” Accessed January 2024.
3. Red Cross, “About Us,” Accessed January 2024.
4. Sawso.org, “Vision,” Accessed January 2024.
5. Habitat for Humanity, “Where We Work,” Accessed January 2024.
6. Habitat for Humanity, “Frequently Asked Questions,” Accessed January 2024.
7. Goodwill, “FAQS,” Accessed January 2024.
8. Goodwill, “Jobs & Training,” Accessed January 2024.
9. Furniture Bank, “Accessing Furniture Bank,” Accessed January 2024.
10. H&R Block, “Charitable Donations,” Accessed January 2024.