How to Manage Computer Donations from the Public

Do the PC Thing is a downloadable guide that shows nonprofits how -- and when -- to gracefully decline hardware donations and directs donors to qualified refurbishers and recyclers. Also included are resources for clearing data from hard drives and tips to extend the life of a computer.

Has your organanization accepted hardware that you later wished you hadn't? Have you received equipment from a refurbisher? Tell us what you've learned from your experiences, and what you might do differently (or even the same) next time.

Great start. Now let's update it to 2009, with some changes made. How to transfer licenses, mention LINUX as free software that work on older computers etc etc?

wcook:

Do the PC Thing is a downloadable guide...

Sorry - I get a file not found error ??

to gracefully decline hardware donations and directs donors to qualified refurbishers and recyclers.

Each year my firm donates several hundred PC's and notebooks to worthwhile NPO's, although we are not a refurbisher or recycler.

We all know that some business seek to dump unwanted junk on NPO's and the advice above is probably sound... although it's also worth noting that many firms donate serviceable (and sometimes new & near-new) computing equipment directly to NPO's in preference to sending it to a refurbisher or recycler to be sold for profit. Plus... Many NPO's that do engage in a relationship with corporate donors find the donor often provides much better long-term support than a refurbisher or recycler... E.g. If one of the schools or service orgs we donate computers to, calls to tell us a computer has a problem... we will usually just replace the machine for them and/or attend their site and fix it - no questions asked. It's in our interests to be a good corporate citizen and look after the NPO's we donate to.

Here is the updated article link.

 

Best,

 

Megan