Chattanooga area nonprofits looking to year's end for donors

Mike Davis writes down information on a tax write-off form Sunday after dropping off his fourth carload of donations at the Goodwill donation drop-off on Signal Mountain Road. The last week of December marks a surge in the number of year-end, tax-deductible charitable donations.
Mike Davis writes down information on a tax write-off form Sunday after dropping off his fourth carload of donations at the Goodwill donation drop-off on Signal Mountain Road. The last week of December marks a surge in the number of year-end, tax-deductible charitable donations.

Nancy Seiters popped out of her SUV and started unloading. She had four bags and two boxes full of clothes and throw rugs to drop off.

The North Chattanooga resident was among hundreds donating to local nonprofits last week. Hundreds more donors are expected by New Year's Eve on Wednesday.

Nationally, more people give to organizations like Goodwill and the Salvation Army between Christmas and New Year's Eve than any other time, according to news reports. Seiters dropped off her bags and boxes at the Goodwill donation site at the bottom of Signal Mountain Sunday.

Tax write-offs motivate some donors. Others want to unclutter. And still others -- like Seiters -- donate to help others.

"I want to repurpose things," she said.

photo J.C. Davis, left, hands Robietein Watkins a small table Sunday while dropping off his fourth carload of donations at the Goodwill donation drop-off on Signal Mountain Road. The last week of December marks a surge in the number of year-end, tax-deductible charitable donations in Chattanooga.

The sweater Seiters donated could provide warmth for someone else, she said. Donations also create jobs for people with disabilities, said Robietein Watkins, one of the attendants who helped Seiters at Goodwill's drop-off site near the corner of Signal Mountain Road and Mundy Street.

Kimberly George, director of marketing and development for the Salvation Army in Chattanooga, attributes year-end giving, in part, to the idea that when people are home for Christmas and New Year's, it tends to be a time when they receive a lot of gifts and simultaneously clean out their closets and reorganize.

"Typically, both with monetary donations and with household type donations, [the Salvation Army sees an] increase during the end of the year," she said. "We get a lot more household type donations as people are wanting to get rid of stuff."

A television set, exercise machine, Wilson golf bag, mirrors, a toy chest and keyboard were among the items donated at Goodwill's Signal Mountain Road site Sunday.

"We take everything but weapons," said Watkins, who came from North Chattanooga's Goodwill site to help with intake in the Signal Mountain area.

Goodwill also declines animals and real plants, said Reba Cootz, who was also manning the Signal Mountain Road site Sunday. There, two storage trucks await potential donors from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

While the site is always accessible, even when the trailers are locked, Cootz enourages donors to not drop off donations after hours. A couch and chair left sitting outside after hours Saturday will probably have to be thrown in the garbage because they sat outside all night exposed to rain, she said.

Kevin Beirne, director of development for Goodwill Chattanooga, agrees that it is common for people to make donations before the year ends in order to get a tax deduction. Typically, year-end monetary donations for Goodwill are not high but people bring in more items to the drop-off locations, he said.

But, for Goodwill here in Chattanooga, donations have been down this year, and Beirne hopes the last week of the year will reverse this trend.

"Our programs are growing rapidly," he said. "The donation stream is not keeping pace with all the services we offer."

He can't pinpoint why donations are down. Maybe people are holding on to things longer, he said, or maybe it's because there are now many more options of places to donate around the city.

While the Salvation Army has met its Red Kettle goal for this Christmas season, George said she, too, is hoping the trend of giving goes strong through the end of the year.

"We see an increase with online donations during the last week of the year. It's an easy way to give," said George.

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.

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