Hardware Donations

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Updated by Amber on 21 June 2013.

When someone wants to donate a computer or related item to Free Geek, they do so in Receiving, or Hardware Donations. This area is a staff only area due to data sensitivity. There is a Receiving calendar now available for pre-notification of large hardware donations for staff and volunteers.

Assisting The Donor

1. Ask if they're here to make a donation. Direct them to the store, tech support, or front desk accordingly if they are not.
2. Help them unload.
3. As they unload, fill out a tally sheet, indicating quantity of each type of item they are donating.
4. There are no longer fees for monitors or TVs, unless the donation meets certain criteria (See: Ewaste Training)
5. Give them the tally sheet and direct them to the donation desk.
6. Finally, thank them for donating! They are the first step to keeping e-waste out of landfills.

Talking To Donors About The Fate Of Their Stuff

1. General policy: don't tell donors that their stuff is going to be recycled unless they specifically ask. When donors learn that their stuff is going to be recycled, it can cause problems as donors are attached to their stuff.
2. If the donor asks, stay factual. "We try to use everything we can use, but if we can't we recycle it in an environmentally responsible way. 25% of computers donated get reused and this is a very high reuse rate for operations such as ours."
3. Direct them to Goodwill for things that are not part of of our mission and which the donor really wants to be reused: e.g TVs, vacuums, boxes of books not related to electronics.

Items we will and will not accept

There are certain items that people might try to donate that we do not accept. You can suggest that people contact Metro Recycling Information Center at (503) 234-3000 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday for instructions on how to properly dispose of these items.

We are always able to provide people with a list of "Other Recyclers" where they may take items we do not accept. They can pick one up at the Donor Desk.

To see a full list of items that we do and do not accept see the Basic Intake Documentation

What to do when times are slow

When there are no donors and things slow down there can be a lack of things to do. When this happens, you can work on Slow Time Tasks like these:

• Clean up. Often there are abandoned cardboard boxes to break down and put away, sweeping up to be done, etc.
• Test Speakers and Subwoofer sets.
• Empty Network Devices box and any other boxes that may be getting full.
• Check for Batteries to test or bag.

For a complete list refer to the When Things are Slow page, http://wiki.freegeek.org/index.php/Slow_Time_Tasks

What about the big donations?

See Handling Corporate Donations at Receiving

Where do the boxes go when they're full?

The work in Receiving is mostly dedicated to sorting donations, once those things have been sorted, they can be taken to different areas in the building to be tested, sold, refurbished or recycled. For a breakdown of where items go after receiving, see Where Full Boxes Go.