School and Non-profit Fundraising
Through our Consign for Change fundraising program we partner with PTA groups and non-profit organizations in hosting a creative and hands-off fundraising event. You ask your members to donate unneeded items from their homes and Alexandria Fine Consignments will sell them on your behalf.
Parents - please scroll down
How it works - for Schools & Non-profits
Everyone wins with this fundraising event. Your organization raises much-needed funds and your parents/members clear unneeded items from their homes while supporting their favorite school or non-profit. Best of all, all you need to do is spread the word. We handle everything else. You can hold this event as a one-time fundraiser or keep it going on a long-term basis and just send out a reminder every now and then.
Many parents have piles of Lego or Playmobil in their homes that their kids have outgrown; books, CDs and DVDs that are no longer used, jewelry, collectibles, old electronics and so much more that they would be happy to clear out and donate. Many of us have elderly parents that are clearing out their homes and they might be a good source of items to donate for this fundraising effort. Nicer household items can often be sold for a surprising amount of money. A typical 20lb bin of Lego that many of us have in our homes can easily sell for over $200!
If your PTA group, school or organization is an IRS recognized non-profit, parents will receive a tax receipt for 100% of the selling price of the donated item and your organization will receive a check for 50-80% depending on the final selling price (the higher the price, the higher percentage you earn). For items of much higher value, donors have the option of retaining a portion of the selling price and donating the rest.
For example: after you publicize the effort, a parent from your school contacts us to donate an old laptop. We pick up the laptop from their home and sell it for $300. The parent receives a tax receipt for $300 and your organization receives a check from us for $180 (item sold at the 60% commission level). It's as simple as that. We will send you either a check or PayPal transfer on a monthly basis.
Final Selling Price ($) and Amount You Receive
75–500 50%
500-1000 60%
1000–5,000 70%
Over 5,000 80%
How it works - for Parents (Donors)
Let's support your school! We are seeking donations of items that will sell for $50 or more.
Great ideas for what to donate include:
- Lego and Playmobil collections (one 30 lb bin of Lego can sell for $200 or more)
- Old laptops, cell phones, nice cameras and other small electronics
- Books - recently published as well as rare and antiquarian (books do not have to be worth $50 each - just be in excellent condition)
- DVDs & CDs - we can put large groups of DVDs and CDs together and sell them for a good amount
- Designer purses, accessories, jewelry, collectibles, small antiques, watches, etc. Basically anything worth at least $50
- Many of us are helping to clear out our elderly parents' homes, and if you don't want to end up with your parent's favorite antiques or collectibles you could steer them towards donating items to this fundraising effort! (Let's face it - not everyone wants to inherit their parent's collection of vintage French porcelain roosters)
We encourage you to make an outright donation of the item(s), meaning you will receive a tax receipt for 100% of the value and the school will receive a full share.
However, we understand that for more expensive items you might wish to retain some of the proceeds while still donating a valued amount to the school. For example, if you wish to sell an item worth $1,000, you can designate whatever percentage you like for the school. Perhaps you will choose to receive half and the school gets half, or a 75%-25% split - no worries, that is still a fantastic donation! In a 50/50 example, you would receive $500 cash and a tax receipt for the $500 donation.
We do ask that for lower value items, perhaps less than $200, you designate the school to receive the full amount. Remember, you will receive a tax receipt for the full donation.
FAQs
How do I know what my items are worth?
We are happy to research the value of items you would like to sell. There is no fee to you or your school for this service. Just contact us and we will get to work!
How do I get the items to you?
We will pick them up from you. It's that simple.
How much does the school receive?
Final Selling Price ($) and Amount Your School Will Receive
75–500 50%
500-1000 60%
1000–5,000 70%
Over 5,000 80%
If you research the consignment industry, you will find the above percentages are fair and even quite generous for higher end items. We want your school to receive as much funding as possible.
Why doesn't the school receive a full 100% of the selling price?
Picking up items, listing items for sale, and fulfilling sales (shipping sold items out to buyers) are services offered by Alexandria Fine Consignments. We pay for these and make a bit of a profit by retaining a percentage of the selling price. We are a for-profit fundraiser but, as we have said, we care about your school and want them to receive the maximum proceeds from your kindness.
How do we get started?
Contact us using the form below and let us know what types of items you are considering selling. Let's get selling!
