Cell Phone Donation: Donate Used Cell Phones To Charity Or A Good Cause

Having already written about charities who take donated computers, I began to think of other consumer goods which could possibly be taken by dedicated charities, one of the everyday items which does seem to be in very high demand is old cell phones. Many of us have numerous old mobile phones stuffed in draws or in the attic, and although it is always a good idea to keep one as a spare, we just don't need them. Cell phones soon become dated and effectively worthless when it comes to resale, so why not let a charity make good use of them? In this hub I will take a look at some of the best charitable causes who desperately seek your old cell phones.

Donate Old Cell Phones

There are so many charities taking mobile phones that I would recommend taking a few minutes finding one which most closely matches the causes which you believe in, I will however take a look at a few of the most popular schemes in America at the moment. Cellphonesforsoldiers is a not-for-profit organisation which has for the past couple of years been generating cash from donated mobile phones and using that cash to purchase calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas.

They have a significant network of collection points, 3000 in fact, around the country. They will sell your mobile phone to the company ReCellular who pay a minimum of the equivalent of 60 minutes call time for each phone donated, irrespective of age or quality. The organisation has already raised around $2m in cash through the sale of donated phones and has distributed over 500,000 prepaid calling cards to troops stationed globally. Their intention over the next few years is to raise a further $9m in order to provide troops with prepaid video phones to enable them to see their families at home.

Apparently there are actually over 5000 local and national charitable organisations in America who take mobile phones and turn them into valuable cash for their initiatives, and the best way to find them is to search on the website AmericanCellPhoneDrive which enables you to find the charities and collection points closest to your home. I am not actually American, as you may have noticed by my British spelling of certain words, but I used the zip code of a friends house in NY state and it presented me with a long list of charities and collection points within just a few miles of that address. This may be the most effective way of finding a convenient drop off point for your old cell phones, whilst also presenting you with a number of options from which to choose.

Alternatively, if you happen to have some time on your hands which you wish to put to good use, you could set up a mobile phone collection in your community or workplace. RecycleMyCellPhone are looking for people all over to America. They will send you a collection box, posters, pre-paid mailing labels to return the phones, and an information pack to help your collection drive become successful. If you work for a non-profit organisation yourself then the proceeds can be used to help your organisation, otherwise you may choose the sites Educational campaign or even choose another charity of your choice.