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| Grandma, back when my Christmas gifts to her were Woolworth's hankies that my mother would buy |
"Oh my, this is lovely. Oh! I didn't expect this," says my 92-year-old grandmother in her quivery voice, as she unwraps the sweater I am giving her for Christmas. "Because usually you get me such crap," she explains.
All the sweaters I have given her were lovely, in my opinion. But sometimes one person’s lovely sweater is another person’s crap, which brings me to the topic of this post - the reject-gift drive.
Here’s how the reject-gift drive works:
Nonprofits invite their supporters to donate unwanted gifts for use in upcoming raffles and/or fundraiser-auctions, where the gift-donations will find homes with people who appreciate their value.
Some of the reject gifts that have been donated to nonprofits with which I have worked:
- Complete box set of hardcover Harry Potter books
- Crystal glassware
- Day at a spa
- Furniture
The reject-gift drive can be an easy way to raise money. One group I worked with, a small community center, made a last-minute decision to incorporate a small silent auction into their small annual open house (the next day), attended by 50 people, tops. They generated $1000 - and with almost no work*.
*Here's what they did: they put a tablecloth on a folding table, made a dozen bid sheets, and put their auction items out.
