FAQ

FAQs

How do I donate furniture?

What is the mission of the National Furniture Bank Association?

We open new furniture banks by providing free guidance and expertise to individuals, community groups, and other interested parties to start their own local service.

What is a furniture bank?

How do I receive furniture?

How many furniture banks are there?

Is the NFBA a non-profit organization?

From where does the NFBA get their operating budget?

I’ve heard that many national charities use huge amounts of money for overhead and salaries. I want to know that if I give you money that it will be put to good use. What’s the NFBA’s disbursement to overhead ratio?

I’m a retailer, but am located in a town that’s too small to support a full-time furniture bank. How can I get involved?

What benefits are there in becoming a sponsor?

Who is on the NFBA Board of Directors? Are they paid?

Where are the NFBA headquarters? Your corporate mailing address is in Georgia, but your bank is in California. I just talked to a NFBA staff member in Boston, and received a call back from a gentleman in Ohio. What’s going on?

I’m a trucking company. How do I get involved?

We’re a hotel chain. I’ve read that the NFBA will accept furniture from hotels that are replacing bedding and other furniture in our rooms. It will cost us a fortune to have the furniture trucked away by a disposal company.

How do I donate furniture?

Go to our Find A Furniture Bank page to find the furniture bank closest to you.

The mission of the NFBA is to open new furniture banks, and to increase the service capacity of existing furniture banks.

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We open new furniture banks by providing free guidance and expertise to individuals, community groups, and other interested parties to start their own local service.

The NFBA increases the service capacity of existing furniture banks by acting as a central point for bulk donations of furniture from hotels, furniture companies, and colleges and universities.

A furniture bank is a non-profit organization that collects gently used home furnishings from the general public, then donates them to families in need, such as mothers and children escaping domestic violence, victims of natural disasters like hurricanes and fires, and working families living below the poverty line.

While every furniture bank has their own policy, most furniture banks require clients to be referred by a recognized social service agency (such as your state’s department of social services), a charity (like a local church, a civic organization such as the local United Way, or a national charity like the American Red Cross), or a federal agency (such as FEMA).

There are nearly seventy furniture banks in America. The NFBA is working with many other individuals and organizations to open furniture banks across the country. Contact us if you or an organization to which you belong would like to learn how to open a furniture bank in your town.

Yes. The NFBA has permanent non-profit 501(c)(3) status from the United States Internal Revenue Service. Donations of furniture or money to the NFBA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Talk to your tax professional for more information.

The NFBA depends on donations from the American public and sponsorships from businesses. To make a tax-deductible donation, click here. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, click here.

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I’ve heard that many national charities use huge amounts of money for overhead and salaries. I want to know that if I give you money that it will be put to good use. What’s the NFBA’s disbursement to overhead ratio?

In 2005, the NFBA disbursements outweighed overhead by more than 96%. We operate on an extremely tight budget.

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I’m a retailer, but am located in a town that’s too small to support a full-time furniture bank. How can I get involved?

The NFBA has developed a “virtual furniture bank” model that allows you to serve your local community, make your customers happy, and not require you to launch a stand-alone furniture bank. Contact the NFBA for more information.

Aside from having your retail locations or furniture products listed on Help1Up.org, there are many other benefits. Get more information on [becoming a sponsor] here. Most importantly, the NFBA depends on sponsorships to allow us to open furniture banks across the country. Furniture banks create demand for new home furnishing purchases by collecting used furniture from the public.

The [NFBA Board of Directors] are the top leaders of the home furnishings industry, business executives, and founders of some of the most successful furniture banks in the country. The members of the NFBA Board of Directors are volunteers, and receive no compensation for their efforts.

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Where are the NFBA headquarters? Your corporate mailing address is in Georgia, but your bank is in California. I just talked to a NFBA staff member in Boston, and received a call back from a gentleman in Ohio. What’s going on?

The NFBA believes that paying for an office building, lights, computer equipment, cleaning services, and other costs in running a business are a waste of our supporters’ money. Everybody involved with the NFBA works from either their home office or from another facility that supports the NFBA. You can reach us all from the same toll-free number, (800) 576-0774.

Become a sponsor! We also have a great demand for empty backhaul shipping from manufacturers and other businesses. Why absorb 100% of the driver and fuel costs for an empty truck when you could get a big tax break and at the same time going a good thing for people in need? Contact us.

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We’re a hotel chain. I’ve read that the NFBA will accept furniture from hotels that are replacing bedding and other furniture in our rooms. It will cost us a fortune to have the furniture trucked away by a disposal company.

Endorsed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, we are happy to talk with you about removing furniture in good condition. Please contact us.