Contributed by John Rozzi
Your donations support local nonprofit thrift stores in the Mat-Su Valley. In most cases, excess revenue from a nonprofit thrift store gets invested back into the community through programs or store and staff enhancements.
The “mindful” donations generate the revenue needed to operate the thrift store and any associated community programs. “Mindful” is just another way of saying thoughtful or sensible. “A donated item from someone’s attic or garage is another person’s hidden gem”
I wanted to take a moment to explain the importance of your donation. The donated sellable items are priced based on what the community will pay, and what’s needed to cover thrift store operating expenses. Unfortunately, the pricing can be a moving target when dealing with operating expenses. You also must take the quality of the item into consideration when you attach a price. You can offend donors if you under price, or you may turn off shoppers if you price too high. It’s an interesting balancing act.
But what happens to donations behind the scenes? How does it impact local nonprofit thrift store’s operating budgets, and community outreach programs?
Despite the great job staff does in the initial screening many donations, like electronics, need to be tested or screened further. It isn’t until the testing for the working condition that many items are found to be unsellable. Bags of clothing may contain items that are not in suitable condition to be sold. A significant part of staff time is spent screening clothing looking for stains, rips, broken zippers, or missing buttons. The donations that can’t be sold may be funneled into some of the following categories around the Valley: Mat-Su Borough Central Landfill, Valley Community for Recycling Solutions, or various church programs (i.e., Wasilla 1 st Presbyterian Church furniture ministry).
“These behind-the-scenes expenses impact a staff member’s work hours, or the money designated to a social service program.”
Fortunately, the abundant amount of donations in the Mat-Su Valley are why we have the positive experiences of shopping at local nonprofit thrift stores where you can find that great bargain or hidden gem. Mat-Su resident’s mindful donations enable local nonprofit thrift stores to thrive.
Thank you for your support.