As an alternative to a garage sale, or to put unsold items to good use, you may wish to make donations to local charities, community organizations or religious organizations.  Some donations are tax deductible.  Speak to your tax advisor to see whether you can receive any tax credits for donations.

If you’re not sure of which charities operate in your area, you should check your local yellow page listings for “Charities”, "Associations," “Thrift Stores”, "Social and Human Services”  and other categories to find local organizations.  Internet searches will usually turn up additional charities in your area. 

Pickup and Drop-off

Many charities have pickup services for large items, but in some cases they may ask that you bring the items in yourself.  Be sure of their pickup policies, and if you can’t accommodate each other’s needs, be prepared to look at alternative donation options. 

Alternatives to Charities

In addition to charities, local theater groups, and college and high school drama departments may be interested in accepting vintage clothing for their costumes department, or furniture and other decorative items for set dressing. 

Preschools and daycare centers may be able to accept toys and children’s furniture, depending upon their condition.  Your local ASPCA or animal shelter can make good use of old pet care items. 

In every case, ensure all items are clean and in good condition before you donate them.  Overly worn or dirty material may be discarded by the charity.

Tax Credits

If you’d like to get tax credit for the donations, you should get a receipt from the charity during drop-off or pickup.  Once you get the receipt, itemize the items you gave to charity, list them with their fair market value, and keep it with the receipt.  As the overall value of your donation rises, you may need to provide additional documentation to claim tax credit.  For more information on this topic, please review IRS Publication 78  http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96136,00.html on charitable giving or talk to your tax advisor.