Goods

Your donations change lives!

Donated items help fund skills training, employment services, and jobs for people with disabilities, recipients of public assistance, ex-offenders and people with limited education or work history.

Support our Mission with good quality donations.

Donations are sold and become someone else's treasure.

Fund services to help people improve job skills & find good jobs.

You're now a "job creator" helping others live more independently.

Clothing and household goods donations​.

Goodwill gladly accepts gently used clothing and household items in good working saleable condition. After you drop off your donations, they are inspected, sorted, and priced by our employees and then sold in our stores or online.

When you donate, you are also doing your part to help the environment. We are able to reuse and recycle items that would otherwise go into the landfill. Together we can help sustain individuals, communities and the environment.

What to Donate

What NOT to Donate

Where to Donate

Computers and peripherals donations.

Goodwill’s Dell Reconnect partnership is a FREE program for consumers and businesses to responsibly recycle unwanted computers and peripherals – any computer brand and in any condition are accepted. Visit dellreconnect.com for more information.

Items that can be recycled through the Dell Reconnect program include:

  • computers
  • flat screen monitors
  • mice / keyboards
  • modems
  • USB drives
  • cords
  • printers
  • scanners
  • other related hardware
  • computers
  • flat screen monitors
  • mice / keyboards
  • modems
  • USB drives
  • cords
  • printers
  • scanners
  • other related hardware

Simply pack your old computer equipment into the car with other household donations and drop it off at any of our Goodwill store locations. Some items may require extra preparation before you bring them in so remember to remove your personal data from hard drives or other storage media before donating to Goodwill.

Goodwill will accept and sort the donated computer equipment. The equipment will be responsibly recycled through Dell’s product recycling programs.

Dell Reconnect is managed to both Goodwill and Dell’s high standards for workplace and environmental safety. A third party audits all collection and recycling practices to ensure these standards are met. Standards include an absolute prohibition on the export of waste and environmentally sensitive material to landfills. For more information on how to recycle your computer visit earth911.com.

Donors are able to deduct the value of the computer for tax purposes. Save time and fill out your receipt ahead of time. Take it, along with your donations, to the nearest Goodwill store and ask for the Goodwill attendant’s signature.

Corporate donations of overstock, closeout and returns from area merchants.

We gladly accept donations of overstock, closeouts, and returns from area merchants, business, state and community organizations. Please, contact us at 260-478-6346 Ext. 5001 for more information on corporate donations.

Commercial/Church pick-ups in the Fort Wayne area.

In order to accommodate our Commercial and Church donors, we operate a free pick-up service in and around the Fort Wayne area. Professional drivers will come to your location to take the items you’re donating. They will also gladly provide you with a donation receipt for tax purposes.

Schedule your pick-up by calling (260) 747-0537, Ext. 5010

*We no longer do residential pick-ups.

Your donations are tax-deductible!

If you donate during regular Goodwill store hours, our donation attendant will offer you a donation receipt to keep for your tax records or to pre-fill one out before you go. According to the IRS, clothing and household goods must be in “good used condition or better” for tax deductions.

Remember:

  • All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
  • Have our donation attendant sign your Receipt/Tax Record form.
  • Goodwill does not keep permanent records of donations.
  • You are responsible for placing a value on your donation.

Most donations to Goodwill Industries are tax deductible, but you must maintain a record of contributed items for your tax report. Before you bring your donation to one of our stores, you can pre fill out a Receipt/Tax Record form, then when you arrive one of our Goodwill representatives can sign it.

For more information, read IRS Publication 526 for an explanation on the types of contributions you can deduct, how much you can deduct, what records to keep, and how to report charitable contributions.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires donors to value their items. IRS Publication 561 defines “fair market value” and helps donors and appraisers determine the value of property given to qualified organizations. It also explains what kind of information you must have to support the charitable contribution deduction you claim on your return.

What can I donate to help fund Goodwill's programs?

Our stores take gently used items in good condition. Donations should be clean, safe, in good working condition, and resalable. Your donations to Goodwill are tax-deductible.

  • Women’s, Children’s & Men’s Clothing*
  • Vintage Clothing
  • Coats & Outer-Wear
  • Accessories (hats, scarves, gloves, mittens, ties, belts, handbags & purses)
  • Jewelry & Watches
  • Luggage
  • Shoes, Boots & Sandals

*Clothing not suitable for resale can be sold as salvage material.

  • Books
  • Comic Books
  • Musical Instruments
  • Antiques, Collectibles, Knickknacks & Giftware
  • Seasonal Decorations, Holiday Decorations (New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas)
  • Halloween Costumes
  • Music (vinyl, cassette tapes & CDs)
  • Movies (Blue-rays, DVDs & VHS)
  • Toys, Stuffed Animals, Games & Puzzles
  • Sporting Goods
  • Framed Art & Mirrors
  • Craft Supplies
  • Small Working Appliances (microwaves, blenders, mixers, toasters, multi-cookers, griddles & bread makers)
  • Vacuum Cleaners
  • Sewing Machines
  • Housewares (dishes, china, serving bowls, platters, glasses, cups, utensils & flatware)
  • Cook & Bakeware (stainless steel or cast iron skillets, pots & pans, casserole dishes & glass food storage containers)
  • Kitchen Items (measuring cups & spoons, mixing bowls & kitchen scales)
  • Clean Domestics (linens, blankets, comforter sets, towels, area rugs, curtains & drapes)
  • End Tables & Coffee Tables
  • Dining Room Sets
  • Kitchen Tables/Chairs
  • Lamps
  • Dressers
  • Sofas & Easy Chairs

*Furniture can be donated at 3127 Brooklyn Avenue. This location has the equipment and support available needed to safely handle furniture. Sofas, chairs and other upholstered furniture with rips, tears, stains, mildew, mold or pet hair cannot be accepted. Do not leave furniture outside of Goodwill’s buildings.

  • Cell Phones
  • Electronics in Working Condition (Blue-Ray, DVD & VCR players, stereo & sound systems, speakers, headphones, CD players, MP3 players, GPS, cameras, video cameras, clocks & radios)
  • Game Systems & Accessories
  • Personal Computers (monitors, hard drives, towers, laptops, tablets, eBook readers, printers, mice, keyboards, scanners & modems)*

*Goodwill’s Dell Reconnect partnership is a FREE program for consumers and businesses to recycle unwanted computers and peripherals – any brand and any condition are accepted. No recycling fees are charged by Goodwill.

  • Small Power & Hand Tools (in working order)
  • Sporting Equipment (golf clubs/bags/balls, tennis & handball racquets, sports balls & outdoor games)
  • Bicycles, Tri-Cycles, Wheeled Riding Toys, Scooters & Skateboards
  • Weight Sets (no benches)

What donations does Goodwill NOT accept?

Goodwill employees may decline a donation if it is not in clean or in saleable condition or if they are unable to assist with larger items due to risk of injury. Our employees often help unload donations, however cannot help if (in their judgement) doing so may damage any vehicle, or if doing so is unsafe for them or anyone else.

  • Air Conditioners
  • Automobile Batteries, Gas Containers, Oil, Fluids, Parts & Tires
  • Batteries (household)
  • Bed Pillows
  • Blinds (unless unopened)
  • Building Materials (shutters, doors, windows, toilets, sinks, shower stalls, tubs, plumbing pipes, scrap lumber, concrete, bricks or stones)
  • Carpet, Carpet Padding (room size)
  • Chemicals & Cleaners (of any kind)
  • Children’s Items Containing Lead or Phthalates
  • Consumer Products Safety Commission Recalled Items: older model car seats, strollers, high chairs, pack n’ plays, tubs, bouncy seats, swings, cribs and bumper pads for cribs
  • Dishwashers
  • Dryers
  • Electronic Items (that do not work or have exposed wiring)
  • Entertainment Centers
  • Fireworks
  • Fluorescent Light Fixtures/Bulbs
  • Food (or pet food)
  • Freezers
  • Furnaces
  • Grills (gas or charcoal)
  • Hospital Beds
  • Hot Tubs
  • Hot Water Heaters
  • Lawnmowers (non-working)
  • Magazines (unless pre-1970’s)
  • Mattresses & Box Springs
  • Medical Supplies & Waste
  • Organs & Pianos
  • Paint & Painting Supplies
  • Personal Care Items (shampoo, conditioner, nail polish or remover, toothpaste, shaving cream, razors, hairspray, fragrance items, etc.)
  • Ping-Pong Tables
  • Pool Tables
  • Propane Tanks
  • Refrigerators
  • Rugs (over 6 feet long)
  • Stoves
  • Televisions
  • Trash Compactors
  • Washers
  • Water Beds & Frames
  • Weapons (side arms, rifles, shotguns, BB/pellet guns, ammunition, knives, bows, arrows, slingshots, swords, grenades, martial arts weapons, etc.)
  • Automotive Fluid Recycling
  • Community Recycling Drop-Off Sites
  • Fluorescent Bulb Recycling
  • Household Battery Recycling
  • Household Hazardous Waste Disposal
  • Medical Waste Disposal
  • Tox-Away Events