What Does Furniture Have to Do with Your Corporate Philanthropy?

Furniture — it likely doesn’t come to mind when you’re considering your corporate philanthropy policy. Traditionally, cash giving takes the primary focus of these initiatives, as companies cut large cheques to charitable foundations. 

But a quick cash injection to a local charity isn’t the only way a corporation can make a difference. In-kind donations are another valuable way you can contribute to a worthy cause.

Here’s where your used office furniture enters into your charitable policy. 

If you’re planning an upcoming relocation, revitalization, or closure, you’ll likely have a lot of furniture you can’t use on your hands. Instead of having these furnishings liquidated, consider donating your gently used office furniture to a non-profit. Here are four reasons why.

#1 It’s a Good Deed

Part of your relocation or revitalization budget will set aside money for new equipment. You’ll easily purchase brand new desks, conference tables, cabinets, chairs, and more to fill your space. 

What comes easy to you and your company’s budget may pose an insurmountable challenge to non-profits. Unless you step in to make a difference, they may have to make do with old, broken, or non-existing equipment. 

Plus, your colleagues and stakeholders will feel good knowing that the chairs they sat in for the past 5-10 years will have beneficial re-use with another deserving organization. It’s these kinds of decisions that make your company one that future employee candidates will want to be a part of. 

#2 It’s Environmentally Responsible

If you don’t donate office furniture, you’ll likely team up with an office mover or liquidation service. These professionals specialize in disposing your used office furniture by tossing them into the landfill. 

By diverting gently used furniture, you can keep these items out of the landfill, and it doesn’t have to cost more. Through the US Green Building Council (USGBC), there are LEED points available for the landfill diversion and reuse of assets in the decommission or demolition phase of a project.

#3 It’s Easy

For first-time donators, organizing an in-kind donation of this size may be overwhelming. Luckily, there are sustainable used office decommission companies here to help. The experts at Green Standards offer a turnkey service that facilitates the donation of your office assets to local charities. 

Any leftover items will be sold to offset your decommission costs, making this an affordable option for your existing budget. For more information on how they balance these two objectives, visit GreenStandardsLtd.com today.

#4 It’s Good Press

The best sustainable office decommission companies will leverage your in-kind donation as a marketing opportunity. Their service should include PR to share the positive community impact of your donations to local non-profits. 

The renovation of the Georgia Pacific headquarters is a perfect example. On their blog, they share how they managed to divert 95 percent of office assets from the landfill with the help of a sustainable decommission service. They donated $195, 821 worth of used office furniture to several local charities, including Zoo Atlanta and The Salvation Army.

#5 There May Be Tax Benefit

Depending on how your finance and accounting teams have depreciated the assets, there is potential for tax benefit from operating a decommission in this way. When tracked correctly, you could get a fair market value appraisal that would determine the worth of donated furniture.

Donate Office Furniture to Charity

According to Giving in Numbers, an annual survey produced by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, in-kind donations represented less than 20 percent of the funding breakdown of the average corporation’s philanthropic efforts. 

If your breakdown looks similar, it’s time you consider alternative ways to give back to your community. An in-kind donation does more than support your local charities. It’s a convenient way to generate impactful PR on a budget.