Do people prefer to donate items or cash?

[LetterBug]

YABU -cash
YANBU -Items

This is just an idea, not real.
I live in an only fools and horses area, built up, lots of flats, no or small gardens.

I was thinking of starting a charity which helps people on low incomes grow food and flowers. For years I wanted to grow food but compost, pots, seeds etc made it unreachable for me, forget about space in a tiny flat with a balcony (which was lovely actually, I really loved it)

Anyway so one of the best ways to save money, improve mental health, teach children, become more eco friendly etc, is to grow your own food. So when DHs wages increased so we were not longer living pay check to pay check barely making ends meet, I bought pots and seeds and compost and we got growing.

CHANGED OUR LIVES

We became such a different family and our hobby , after the initial spending, ended up saving us money and we eventually got an allotment, then managed to save enough for a house. Really this was the game changer. Growing food, spending time outdoors rather than in shops or pubs for fun, making preserves ehich saved money on the food shop and the Christmas shopping ...etc etc etc... ...

BUT the initial cost was just beyond what we could pay, even though I knew in the long run it would save us money and be good for our mental health as a family (living in a small flat, we were missing the garden, nature aspect for our children and ourselves)

So I was thinking of setting up a charity for my local area to get people growing on their balconies by giving them the hanging baskets and bigger pots, compost etc

When I finally got some plants on the balcony, it attracted small birds and suddenly we had our garden. The difference was phenomenal. I was very ill and Very depressed but just having a bluetit visit helped so much

But then I thought about food banks and how people give food but when the food banks ask for money most don't give. Also the shoebox campaign.
I myself feel funny giving money but not giving things
So I was wondering, if a charity asked for used or new pots, seeds, compost, hanging baskets and brackets, rather than just asking for money, do you think more people would donate?
I think asking for used as well as new helps in an eco friendly way

I'm rambling, I know but I just wanted opinions.

bumpety bump

It depends, although if people have spare items they no longer use and don't have a lot of extra cash, giving items will be much easier and free up a bit of space into the bargain. I have given both, and sometimes bought items to donate, e.g. from a charity's Amazon wishlist or specific items requested by a food bank.

I think this is a lovely idea I would definitely donate pots and other bits and bobs if there was this sort of thing local to me

I would donate pots etc as I'm not a big gardener and don't get much use out of them anyway. I wouldn't donate money because I'm already really struggling and there's enough requests for money making me feel bad that I can't donate to them all already.

I got the idea from sainsburies, at the check out thee was a trolley with a poster for a very local and very small charity asking for food for hedgehogs. And I thought eureka! Thats how I can get people to give gardening bits. Because I people like buying stuff and i know I am more likely to give something over money. I don't know what its like for richer people.

Both.

I happily give cash and things but cash is easier.

I would donate seeds and plant pots. Also you often get better quality/more seeds i find if they come from local gardens.

I'd say ask for both/either! I donate money to my local food bank as I find that easier than going to the shops when I wouldn't otherwise (shop online) and the same might be true of others in thus context but. For garden stuff I always have spare seeds etc. going as I don't get through a whole packet or whatever. BTW I think this an excellent and lovely idea.

(Apologies for the garbled post, but you get the idea)

I would love to find somewhere to be able to give my seed trays and empty pots to.

I hate throwing things away that are useful, so just end up with piles of them in my shed.

Plus you would get gardeners presumably donating seedlings etc, as gardeners always have more than they need, and love to give things like that away.

@LetterBug

I got the idea from sainsburies, at the check out thee was a trolley with a poster for a very local and very small charity asking for food for hedgehogs. And I thought eureka! Thats how I can get people to give gardening bits. Because I people like buying stuff and i know I am more likely to give something over money. I don't know what its like for richer people.

I think if it's cash, people will sometimes be less likely to take as much interest after their donation. Hopefully this makes sense, but my partner was asked for a donation recently, knew of the charity and its aim, so happily sent a substantial amount. It won't affect our finances, and I'm sure it'll go to good use, but that's it, he probably won't give it any further thought... Whereas if he was asked for items he'd have went to drop them off, seen what was going on and maybe gotten interested and want to help out, if possible.

@kite22 I thought that last year when I had loads spare too.
The most annoying thing is now a few years down the line, I manage to get pots and bits and bobs free from all iver the shop, especially when we first got the allotment when people leave you all ransack the empty plot! Also people give us jams and preserves they made and seedlings and seeds. Now I have more than I need and before I had nothing with no way to get any! So I thought it would be a good way to get people on the 'growing ladder'
it is expensive to start.

Small charities don't need to be registered and have less administrative burden.

Our allotment site gets donated hundreds of pots. Too many really. The last lot were anonymously dumped in a bag over the fence.
If you asked on Freecycle you would be inundated with them.

We don't allow ransacking of plots. It's just mean to get a plot with holes in and an empty shed. I don't accept things when people are bringing the key back either. Someone offered me 3 new bags of compost when they bought the key back and I still said no. I think it's nice for the new person to get the stuff that's left.

The big expensive is what you put in the pots.

Some allotment sites run community projects as it allows them to get funding for the allotment site (Otherwise a very closed activity for it's members only)

The big problem with receiving items is where will you store them? Much easier to store cash in the bank and possibly negotiate a discount with a garden centre & have items delivered than umpteen pots and seeds.

I think with the stuff you are after things makes sense as some of it is stuff people will have anyway. So you are making use of unused stuff, which is great. I'm less keen on people going out and buying things to donate because it seems inefficient. But people like to put food in the food bank etc. I've taken to giving money so they can buy what they need and claim Gift Aid.

So ask for both! Stuff does emotionally engage people in a way cash doesn't. Also time. Do you want people to help you?

I’d be happy to donate either, or both.
It’s a brilliant idea and I’m sure you could get a small grant from somewhere to buy initial equipment. Or perhaps a supplier would donate pots & compost as a sponsor.