Before attempting to make an in-kind donation, potential donors are strongly encouraged to consider the following

In-Kind Donations In-Kind, or Commodity, donations are non-monetary donations of materials including equipment, books, supplies and other items. While monetary donations are preferred to in-kind donations, there may be some instances when a commodity donation would be of value to relief operations in Iraq. Before attempting to make an in-kind donation, potential donors are strongly encouraged to consider the following: Confirm there is a need for the potential donation. Do not make assumptions about the needs of the people of Iraq. Exactly what is needed can be confirmed by checking the Needs portion of this site, by checking with an established relief organization that has personnel working in Iraq, or contacting us directly. Do not attempt to send what is not needed as these commodities compete with priority relief items for transportation and storage. Donations must be usable and sustainable. The commodities donated should be adaptable to local technical and environmental conditions, such as voltage, dust, temperature, humidity, etc. When necessary, appropriate technical training must be provided and the beneficiaries must be able to obtain associated supplies. For example, paper and toner cartridges for donated printers and copiers must be available to Iraqi beneficiaries. Delivering items requires personnel and financial resources within the affected country. To efficiently distribute commodities, staff, warehouses, trucks and communications equipment are required. It is not enough to gather supplies and send them to Iraq. Creating a sound partnership with a reliable in-country agency or NGO having transport and management capacity is mandatory for potential donors. Never assume that the U.S. Military, Government or any relief agency will transport relief items free of charge. It is important to make arrangements for the transportation of material before collecting any in-kind donations. In many cases, the collecting agency may be responsible for paying commercial rates for the transportation and warehousing of items gathered. For more information concerning in-kind donations, please contact CPA Washington Private Donations .