Donating Used IT Equipment to Charity
An organizations surplus used or retired IT assets may no longer appear to hold any monetary value, but you’d be surprised. Besides, most of this equipment is just taking up valuable space in your data center, storeroom, or warehouse. Come April 15, if your organization is looking for a tax break, donating your equipment to a charity might be a great option to explore.
At We Buy Used IT Equipment, we can safely and securely recycle your old equipment and make large monetary donations to the non-profit or charity of your choice. We can ensure you that the data on all devices will be securely erased and destroyed so you don’t have to worry about it falling into the wrong hands.
Click here to download the flowchart of our charitable donation process.
What type of equipment can be donated?
Everything. It’s that simple. All of the same items that we purchase, can also be donated. Even if there is no cash value when looking to sell your retired assets, you may still be able to donate them for a tax write off. Every organization is encouraged to consult their tax preparation professional or accountant when choosing this option to determine the maximum amount of their tax deduction.
Here a short list of the equipment you can donate:
| Storage Systems | Tape Media | Tape Libraries | Tape Drives |
| Switch | Routers | Disk Arrays | Blade Servers |
| Memory | Telecom | Phone Systems | External Hard Drives |
| Servers | Networking | VoIP | Internal Hard Drives |
What do I have to do differently to donate IT equipment instead of selling it?
If you choose to donate your retired IT assets rather than sell them, you don’t need to do anything different. Just send us a list of the items you want to donate with a brief description of each item. Including things like the products numbers, quantity, condition, and even pictures can help in giving you a more accurate valuation. We will take care of the rest including all logistics and data destruction if required.
You can send us your list of equipment to donate here.
Why should you consider donating your used IT equipment?
75% of the fossil fuels and energy used by a computer are actually consumed during manufacturing. Extending the computer’s usable life through reuse results in higher return on its initial environmental cost.
There are many people that do not have readily available access to technology. Dumping a computer into a landfill is a missed opportunity to provide technology individuals that are less fortunate.
Even if a piece of equipment has reached is end of life, it can still be recycled. Recycling IT equipment ensures that valuable raw materials are recovered and that any waste is disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.
Learn more about e-waste recycling here.
Tips for donating your used IT equipment
1. Verify Your Used Equipment Still Has Use
With the average lifespan of a computer around seven to ten years, if your computers are less than seven years, chances are they can still be of good use to someone else. Prolonging the computer’s lifespan through reuse provides the highest environmental benefit of all electronics disposal alternatives.
2. Consider Donating Newer Equipment to an ITAD Service Provider
It may be tempting to donate used IT equipment to your favorite local school or charity, but most have specific technology needs. Partnering with an ITAD provider like We Buy Used IT Equipment may be a better option for refurbishing older equipment. We can ensure that equipment works well, runs legal software copies, and any e-waste is disposed of properly. When the refurbishment process is completed, the equipment can then be passed on to those who need it.
3. Include Any Original Software, Documentation, and Accessories
If possible, include any accessories that go with the computers such as keyboards, the mouse, printers, modems, packaged software, or any other accessories that were used with the equipment. Organizations will be more likely to accept the donated items if these items are included. Also, keeping the Certificate of Authenticity sticker (usually on the computer) undamaged is the most important thing to remember. This sticker will allow an ITAD provider to inexpensively relicense and reload operating systems and software on the donated equipment.
4. Make Sure to Use Disk-Cleaning Software if Self-Cleaning Drives
A good way to protect against any unwanted access of personal information is to use a disk-cleaning software that destroys all data on the machine’s hard drive. However, some hackers can still get through these “erased” drives and find files that may have been missed by the software. The best option is to contact your ITAD partner and have them properly eradicate the data for you. In most cases, they can provide you with a Certificate of Data Destruction upon completion.
Learn more about different types of data destruction we provide.
5. Keep a List of What You Donated for Your Records
Whenever donating goods to a charity, it is smart to keep a list of the items donated and the value of those items so you can deduct them come tax time. Most ITAD partners can provide a tax receipt upon request if donating your equipment. Business donors can deduct the undepreciated value of equipment, and individuals can deduct the current market value of a computer. Your ITAD partner should be able to help you determine the fair market value of a computer. However, for more in depth information on tax laws related to donating IT equipment, consult your local tax professional.
