Giving donations to a charitable organization is one of the best ways to give back to society. Not only do you get the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping the less fortunate, but you can even enable them to raise more funds.
Different charities across the globe accept different kinds of donations including used postage stamps. Sure, most people prefer to donate other items such as clothes and food. But if you’re looking for a way to help them raise money for other projects, stamp collection is the way to go.
In the following post, I’ll explain how this stamp collecting works and highlight a few charities that accept postage stamps.
Why do Charities Collect Used Stamps?
Despite the convenience that comes with using modern means of communication, sending letters is still a popular way of keeping in touch with loved ones. This is where non-profit organizations and charities benefit.
Also Read: Facts about stamps
The way this works is that you send your postage stamp to a charity of your choosing. The charity organization then sells these stamps to stamp collectors at a premium price. Thus, the more stamps the charity receives and sells, the more money it can make to fund its operations.
Want to help your favorite charity raise money from stamp collection? Here are the steps to follow:
Contact your preferred charity and ask whether or not they accept stamps as a form of donation. If you’re not sure of the organizations that accept such donations, check out our list of charities below.
Appraise your postage stamps to determine their value. If you were given the stamps by someone else or have no idea of what the current postage rate is, you can enlist the help of a professional.
Simply look for a stamp collector society or club in your area and ask them to appraise your stamp collection. While this step is not necessary, it’s vital if you want to use your donation to receive a deduction on your income tax return.
Send the postage stamps to the charity organization you decided to work with. Wait for a short time while they process a receipt. This will help to document your donation. Keep this receipt if you plan to use it for tax filing purposes.
Charities that Accept Postage Stamp Donations:
1. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is one of the largest charities in the United Kingdom. The aim of establishing this charity was- and still is- to reduce the number of lives lost at sea by providing more lifeboats.
The RNLI is primarily funded by legacies and donations with the majority of its members comprising of non-paid volunteers. Thus, any donations including postage stamps are highly appreciated.
2. Oxfam Canada
This is actually part of a larger corporation working to end poverty and inequality in different countries worldwide.
One of the ways Oxfam Canada generates money to fund its operations is by conducting the “Stamp Out Poverty” campaign. As the name suggests, this involves selling used stamps as well as envelopes to stamp collectors. Their campaign has been so successful that they raise over $10,000 annually through this program.
3. Omega Care for Life
This is a charity organization that supports the bereaved, socially isolated, unpaid caregivers and former caregivers. Essentially, they specialize in helping those individuals who have devoted their lives to caring for others.
They accept an array of donations including UK and international postage stamps. Whether you have used, unused or First Day covers, you can help Omega raise money for their cause by sending them stamps.
4. St. Lukes Hospice
Located in Plymouth, Devon, St. Lukes Hospice is an independent charity that caters to people living with chronic illnesses. It serves residents of Plymouth, South West Devon and East Cornwall.
If you’d like to support its cause, you can send them your stamp collection, which they can trade for money. Other than recycled postage stamps, this non-profit company also accepts used household furniture, used clothing, shoes, CD’s, DVD’s, curtains, towels and more.
5. People Feeding People
People Feeding People is a Scottish-based charity with operations in Gambia, which is ranked one of Africa’s poorest nations. This company provides financial support to sustain St. John’s School for the Deaf in Gambia.
The charity’s main goal is to launch a feeding program and support the school in any other way that it can. For instance, they also provide school uniform and learning stationeries. They accept all sorts of donations including recycled postage stamps.
6. Bone Cancer Research Trust
The name of this charity says it all: it’s a charity that’s devoted to funding research in primary bone cancer. Not only does this non-profit company raise awareness of the disease but it also supports patients diagnosed with the illness.
The charity, which has operations in the United Kingdom and Ireland, accepts postage stamp donations. In fact, sending them just a kilogram of postage stamps helps to fund up to one hour of life-saving research.
7. Wonky Pets Rescue
Operated solely by volunteers, the Wonky Pets Rescue is another non-profit organization that accepts postage stamps as donations.
As you might have guessed from the title, this charity deals with pets. Its aim is to find the best homes for the rescue animals in their institute. But what I like most about this animal shelter is that they care for any animals deemed unfit for rehoming.
8. Kicks Count
Are you passionate about helping moms-to-be and newbie moms? If you are, Kicks Count is the charity to send your postage stamps to.
This not-for-profit firm was founded with the aim of empowering women. They achieve this goal by raising awareness of risks and enlightening women about monitoring babies movements throughout pregnancy.
9. Willow Wood Hospice
Nested in Ashton-under-Lyne, a market town in the Greater Manchester, Willow Wood Hospice is another charitable organization you can donate to.
This is an adult hospice centre that offers high-quality palliative care to any patients suffering from life-limiting diseases- cancer-related or not. The organization works closely with the respective families and carers to improve the patients’ quality of life.
10. Post Pals
Vikki George is the mastermind behind Post Pals. This charitable organization is comprised of a number of volunteers who work hard to make terminally-ill children smile.
Even if you don’t live within the UK, you can support their cause by sending them used postage stamps. This non-profit accepts all kinds of stamps- standard, international, special edition and old ones.
11. Headway Surrey
Have you ever heard of traumatic brain injury? This is a sudden damage to the brain that could be caused by a hard blow or jolt to the head. Headway Surrey charity helps individuals suffering from this condition.
More specifically, the organization provides rehabilitation services, which help to improve the patient’s memory as well as stimulate their neural pathways. Want to help Headway Surrey? Then consider saving all your used stamps and send to them. You can also donate any unwanted gifts and vouchers.
12. Band of Rescuers
Band of Rescuers North Yorkshire (BORNY) was born out of a need to help those animals in need. Even though the headquarters of this company are located in North Yorkshire, the charity’s activities extend to areas beyond Yorkshire and England.
BORNY relies exclusively on donations and they accept these in any form including used postage stamps.
13. Thatu
The creation of this UK-based charity was inspired by the rigorous efforts of volunteers in South Africa. Thatu was a young lad and a resident of a village in South Africa. Being the sole breadwinner, he used his earnings from casual gardening and other manual jobs to support his family. Sadly, he later died of AIDS.
Thatu Charity was invented to cater to the needs of similar individuals who were living with financial difficulties. As such, it supports marginalised communities and partners with like-minded non-profit charities throughout SA.
14. The Royal Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Another UK-based non-profit, the Royal Institute of Blind People was founded back in 1868. It’s a charity that helps individuals diagnosed with vision loss. It provides support, information and advice to anyone living with eye health problems.
15. Cry and Relief for the Young (CRY)
The mission of this charity is to help children and youth who’ve been affected by poverty, oppression, exclusion or abuse. The organization helps by conducting projects aimed at providing basic necessities such as food, shelter, water and education.
One of the ways that CRY generates funds is by selling any old stamps they receive. However, they do recommend that trimming the stamp from the envelope before sending it to them.
Also Read: The history of stamps
Final Word
If you’re part of a charity, there are several ways you can help your organization raise money for its cause. These include holding a fundraising event, enlisting the help of your friends, launching a contest on social media and more.
However, one of the easiest and most neglected ways is stamp collection. The way this works is that the organization gathers as many stamps as it can and then sells them to stamp collectors. If you’re looking for a way to give back to society, consider sending them any postage stamps you’ve collected over the years.
