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Donors
General
Donating
Tax Deductions
Logistics
Contacting L.A. SHARES
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Recipients
General
Registration
Wish Lists
Donations
Thank You Letters
Pickups
Contacting L.A. SHARES
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How can L.A. SHARES afford to be a
free service?
Thanks to the financial and in-kind support
of many local companies, area foundations and certain federal,
state and local partners, L.A. SHARES is able to provide its
services FREE-OF-CHARGE to both donors and recipients. For a
complete list of our supporters, please see our Financial
Supporters and In-Kind Partners.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
Back to Questions
How can we donate?
Donating is easy. Simply review the "Items
You Can Donate" and "Items We Cannot Accept"
pages to determine if your goods and materials are appropriate
for donation.
Then, go to our Become
a Donor page to begin the donation process.
Back to Questions
What can we donate?
L.A. SHARES accepts donations of office
furniture, office equipment, office supplies, computer systems,
paper products, miscellaneous personal care products and, of course,
money to help us support our efforts.
In fact, there are very few donation opportunities
that we would say "no" to; unless your potential
donation contains Items We
Cannot Accept due to federal, state and local regulations,
or space constraints.
See Items You Can Donate
for more specific information about what you can donate, or
if it's easier, you can call us directly at (213) 485-1097
(Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM), or e-mail us at donate@lashares.org
for clarification.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
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What can't we donate?
L.A. SHARES can only accept certain goods
and materials due to federal, state and local regulations, storage
constraints and the demographic we serve.
For specifics, please see Items
We Cannot Accept.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
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If you can't take our donation, who
can?
To find out who can accept a donation
that L.A. SHARES cannot, see our Links
page or e-mail us at cannot@lashares.org
for information.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
Back to Questions
Is our donation tax-deductible?
Because we are a non-profit organization,
any donation you make to L.A. SHARES is fully tax-deductible
as allowed by law. L.A. SHARES will guide you through the process
and handle ALL the paperwork for you.
For more detailed information on tax deductions,
including special added advantages for retailers, distributors
and manufacturers, please see our Tax
Deductions page now.
As with all tax matters, we encourage you
to consult your accountant or tax advisor.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
Back to Questions
Can we have proof of our tax-deductible
donation?
Based upon the written inventory and
the value of your donation that you provide to us, L.A. SHARES
will issue a letter to you acknowledging your tax-deductible
donation.
For more detailed information on tax deductions,
including special added advantages for retailers, distributors
and manufacturers, please see our Tax
Deductions page now.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
Back to Questions
Who sets the value of our donation?
You do.
For more detailed information on tax deductions,
including special added advantages for retailers, distributors
and manufacturers, please see our Tax
Deductions page now.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
Back to Questions
Why won't you pick up ALL donations?
From both a logistical and financial
perspective, it is impossible for L.A. SHARES to dispatch a
truck to pick-up every donation offered.
For donations of office furniture, office equipment, and computer systems and printers, we arrange for qualified non-profits and schools to pick up donations.
Donations of office supplies and other small materials can be delivered by the donor to our Griffith Park facility.
We're open by appointment only, Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, for deliveries. Call us at (213) 485-1097 or e-mail us at donate@lashares.org
to arrange for a drop off.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
Back to Questions
Where do you store our donations?
Your donations of office supplies, arts & crafts materials, and personal care products are stored in one of our two area warehouses. We have a 14,000-sq ft. facility in Wilmington
and a 7,000-sq ft. facility (together with 10 individual 40-ft.
storage containers) in Griffith Park.
Donations of office furniture and office equipment are picked-up directly from the donor.
With over 2,300 members, there is no shortage of organizations eager and willing to quickly pick up your donations.
L.A. SHARES is happy to arrange tours of
our warehouses for prospective donors.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
Back to Questions
Where do our donations go?
Your donation(s) will go directly to
one or more of the thousands of needy and deserving Los Angeles'
County schools or non-profits.
You will receive
"thank you" letters from the lucky recipients, so you'll learn exactly where you donations go and how they are being used.
To see a list of current L.A. SHARES' members, click here.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
Back to Questions
How do we contact L.A. SHARES?
Contacting L.A. SHARES is easy. L.A.
SHARES' staff members are available Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM to
speak with you. Call us at (213) 485-1097, or e-mail us at donate@lashares.org.
For a complete listing of contact information,
including e-mail addresses for questions regarding the website
or general feedback, go to Contact
Us now.
For more donor-related information, see
Become a Donor.
Back to Questions
Who can use L.A. SHARES?
Non-profit organizations exempt from taxation under IRS Section 501(c)3 that are headquartered in the County of Los Angeles and operate programs that directly benefit the residents of the County of Los Angeles.
Elementary through High Schools (both public and private) licensed and located in the County of Los Angeles.
We make no exceptions for eligibility.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient.
Back to Questions
How can L.A. SHARES afford to be a
free service?
Thanks to the financial and in-kind support
of many local companies, area foundations and certain federal,
state and local partners, L.A. SHARES is able to provide its
services FREE-OF-CHARGE to both donors and recipients. For a
complete list of our supporters, please see our Financial
Supporters and In-Kind Partners.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient.
Back to Questions
How do we become a recipient?
If you are a non-profit organization exempt from taxation under IRS Section 501(c)3 that is headquartered in the County of Los Angeles and operates programs that directly benefit the residents of the County of Los Angeles or an elementary through high school (both public and private) licensed and located in the County of Los Angeles, you are eligible to become a recipient.
However, you must first register be registered with L.A. SHARES to participate in our program.
To register, see
Become a Recipient.
Back to Questions
How do we know when our registration
has been approved?
We will notify you, via e-mail, that
your registration has been approved and your E-mail Address and Password
have been activated.
If you don't hear from us within a week of your mailing your proof of your organization's non-profit status or school affiliation, then please e-mail us at admin@lashares.org.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient. Back to Questions
How often can we change our Wish List?
You may
change your Wish List at any time and as often as you like.
In fact, we ask you to update your organization's Wish List and "Top 20" most needed items on a regular basis to reflect your organization's most current needs.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient.
Back to Questions
How do we change our Wish List?
It's easy. Once your registration has
been approved and your account activated, you can change it
yourself at any time.
In fact, we ask you to update your organization's Wish List and "Top 20" most needed items on a regular basis to reflect your organization's most current needs.
To begin, go to the top of the L.A. SHARES
home page and "login" using your E-mail Address and Password.
From there, you'll select "Go to My
Profile" at the top of the home page and click "Continue"
until your desired Wish List screen appears.
Then, you can simply ADD or DELETE items
from your Wish List by changing the "quantity,"
and your Wish List will be automatically updated.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient.
Back to Questions
How long do we have to wait to get
something we requested?
We cannot give you an estimated time on how long you'll have
to wait to get something you've requested. L.A. SHARES relies
on donations from the local business community, therefore, both
the type and the quantity of items we have available via Internet lotteries and warehouse "shopping" appointments vary constantly.
However, when the L.A. SHARES relational
database cross matches your Wish List selections with our
available and incoming donations, you will be immediately
notified, via e-mail to come and pick up your requested item(s).
In fact, we ask you to update your organization's Wish List and "Top 20" most needed items on a regular basis to reflect your organization's most current needs so that we can better serve you.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient.
Back to Questions
How will we know if an item(s) we've
requested becomes available?
If an item(s) you've requested becomes
available, we will notify you, via e-mail, at the e-mail address
you provided in your registration.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient.
Back to Questions
Can we call you to find out what's
available?
No. Please do not contact L.A. SHARES to inquire about your organization's donation requests. When we have what you need, we'll contact you.
Please understand that we are working with thousands of non-profits and schools and have neither the staff nor time to speak with you by phone. We find e-mail is the most efficient way for us to communicate.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient.
Back to Questions
Why do we have to write "thank you"
letters to the donors?
"Thank you" letters are the lifeblood of our program and keep the businesses and individuals, our generous donors, giving to you.
Failure to write thank you letters in a timely manner will result in the immediate termination of your organization from the program.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient.
Back to Questions
How long do we have to write our thank
you letters?
Thank you letters to the businesses and individuals that donated the goods and materials that your organization has received must be written and copies must be sent to L.A. SHARES within 10 days of receiving the donation.
We will provide your organization with the necessary contact information for the thank you letters.
Failure to write thank you letters in a timely manner will result in the immediate termination of your organization from the program.
Thank you letters are the lifeblood of our program and keep the businesses and individuals, our generous donors, giving to you.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient.
Back to Questions
What happens if we fail to make a
scheduled pick-up?
Failure to make a scheduled pick-up will result in the immediate termination of your organization from the program.
You must honor all scheduled pick-ups so as not to inconvenience the donor and jeopardize your chance (and OTHER RECIPIENTS' CHANCES) of receiving future donations from this donor.
Back to Questions
How do we contact L.A. SHARES if we
have a question?
If you have reviewed this FAQs section and your question is still not answered, you may contact us via e-mail at admin@lashares.org.
Please understand that we are working with thousands of non-profits and schools and have neither the staff nor time to speak with you by phone. We find e-mail is the most efficient way for us to communicate.
For more recipient-related information,
see Become a Recipient.
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