Back in August of this year, we introduced automated monthly donation reports to our Exclusive Pick Up providers. These automated reports include an organization’s total donations over the past month along with their estimated value. In addition, the report email includes a CSV attachment with details for each donation the organization received. This lets our … Continued
Recently, the question was posed, “How far out of the way will a donor go to donate an item before he or she gives up and tosses the items in the trash?” I would love to tell you that 100% of our donors give because they care about our local charities, but that is just … Continued
Before I started working in thrift, more than 15 years ago, I had the tendency to keep stuff “just in case”. Now, after years of being around everyone else’s excess, I am ruthless when removing things no longer being used. If I haven’t touched an item in the last six months, it doesn’t need to … Continued
Moving is a pain. My family moved 9 times when I was growing up. We were always building & selling. Moving & shaking. Throughout these numerous moves, one lesson learned was how to get rid of stuff we no longer used. Don’t Waste It The simplest way is to throw everything away, but simple does … Continued
PickUpMyDonation.com started and still exists to help non-profit thrift stores get more large items into their stores for sale. With over three years and $20m+ in donation value delivered to our non-profit partners, the demand for pick ups still exceeds the willingness and/or the capacity of our non-profits to pick up all of the referrals we receive. With … Continued
In an interaction with an employee the other day I asked, “Why are you here?” It seemed like a simple question, but the longer she thought about it, I was challenged by the fact that I probably hadn’t done a good job of communicating that to her. The usual answer is something like “It’s my job” … Continued
About a year ago I had an “I wonder” idea: “I wonder what all the junk haulers do with the items of value that they pick up when they are cleaning out homes.” I understood the habits of the typical donor, I understood the self imposed limitations of the transportation teams in the stores I … Continued
Donations are the life line to your thrift store. PickUpMyDonation.com can help you increase the quantity and quality of your thrift store donations. Join PickUpMyDonation.com’s growing network of non-profits that made the decision to offer their donors the convenience of online pickup scheduling, while increasing exposure of their thrift store. “SVdP Arizona was able to … Continued
Without fail, my conversations with clients always include directly or indirectly the impact that the local “Big” thrift stores chains potentially have on their business. It is true, there is an impact. The nature of free enterprise is such that we have to compete for business. That simple line can be viewed as a threat, … Continued
When I started managing thrift stores back in 2005, I found out early on that donations were going to be the key to success in this industry. Thrift shoppers are like bloodhounds and will find you wherever you are, and we love them for it. Donors however, will always find the most convenient place to … Continued