Can I Make Material Donations?

Interested in making an in-kind donation? Here is everything you need to know.

Global Brigades accepts limited material donations as long as they meet certain guidelines. Solicited and unsolicited donations must be confirmed with the appropriate Program Associate and be inspected for quality and useful life compliance before acceptance.

If you have a specific item(s) you would like to donate, please contact your Program Associate to find out if your donations can be accepted. 

The following additional guidelines apply:

  • The donor must be informed that the recipient of the donation is Global Brigades, Inc., on behalf of your Chapter, e.g. Medical Brigades at Pennsylvania State University.
  • Once Global Brigades accepts the donation, the donation will not be returned to the donor without the donor’s consent.
  • Global Brigades cannot accept any items for resale or store donations.

Tax Receipts for In-Kind Donations

Brigades that would like tax donation receipts provided to donors for making in-kind donations must first receive prior approval from Global Brigades, Inc., by contacting accounting@globalbrigades.org.

Global Brigades will only provide in-kind donation receipts for large equipment items donated directly to Global Brigades, Inc., such as dental units, wheelchairs, etc., valued over $250.

To receive a tax receipt, the Chapter Leader must submit the following information to their Program Associate:

  • Name and address of the donor, specific office, or title (if applicable)
  • List/description of the donation, fair market value, and date of the donation
  • Declaration that the donated items were needed/used for the Brigade and that all donated items were in the required condition
  • Purchase receipt for the donated item

Health Supplies & Donations

In the case of Medical and Dental Brigades, your Chapter will be required to collect health supplies and donations for that Brigade. Please reach out to your Program Associate to receive a supplies and donations inventory sheet according to your program and country.

These items are donated to patients after they have received treatment in Brigade clinics. If you want recommendations on how to get started, refer to our Supplies and Donations Guide to review best practices on how to collect these items. 

Other Material Donations

As we strive to be as sustainable as possible, we cannot support handing out in-kind donations of old clothing, school supplies, toiletries, etc. Handing out small amounts of such items results in unfair distribution of donations and can cause challenges within our community partners.

To make the most of items such as used clothing, we suggest looking into organizations like ThredUp. ThredUp takes like-new clothing and gives money to the donor’s charity of choice.