Donating goods to those in need

How does Gifts-in-kind work?

Gifts-in-kind play a vital role in World Vision’s work helping children and families in impoverished communities around the world.

Our Gifts-in-kind program uses goods donated by Australian companies and individuals. They could be a company’s first quality goods such as tools, blankets, educational books or fabrics. These could be excess inventory from shops or businesses, or even items made especially for donation.

World Vision Australia considers all donations that are in good condition, are high quality and that help fulfil needs identified in the communities we work in.

Do you have a Gift-in-kind to donate?

At World Vision Australia we have a special Program Resources team committed to ensuring the right Gifts-in-kind get to those who need them most.

Donated goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis according to strict criteria. Some of things we take into account include:

• if the item is good quality
• if the item is in good condition
• if it is socially/culturally appropriate
• if the item fulfils a critical need
• if the item is not available locally
• if it cost effective to post/ship/handle

Assessing every donation to our Gifts-in-kind program individually can sometimes be a lengthy process; but it is a vital one. It may take some time for us to get back to you, and we thank you for your patience.

What could you give?

For many reasons, while we appreciate the time and effort made to generously offer goods, we cannot accept all goods donated into the Gifts-in-kind program.

In some cases an item may be available locally and the cost of shipping and handling outweighs the benefits. In other cases, a community may not be trained or equipped to use the donated goods.

The majority of goods accepted are high quality items in good condition, if not brand-new. In the impoverished communities we work in, there is high demand and need for goods such as:

• hand-held agricultural and farming tools
• manual sewing machines
• textbooks and stationary
• medical supplies 

In order for World Vision to keep any unnecessary shipping or handling costs to a minimum, we can only accept goods which fulfil a specific need in a community and which the community is able to use.

If you are unsure about an item you would like to donate, please call our friendly service team on 13 32 40 or Email us.