What do charities actually need? You might be very surprised. What we've discovered after the first 1,000 charity needs.

What 1,000 charity needs mean for your business

If your business is moving office, refitting, upgrading its IT or simply clearing out, this is the best guide we have to what your unwanted items could do. We’ve looked through all 1,000 needs to find out what charities ask for most, and which of your unwanted items could find a new home instead of going to landfill.

Got something to give? It takes just 30 seconds to create an account and list your items.

Has anyone else really asked charities what they need?

There’s plenty of talk about charity funding, but far less about the physical things charities rely on every day. The chair someone sits on at a drop-in session. The laptop a refugee uses to apply for their first job. The oven in a community café that feeds dozens of people a week.

We don’t know of anyone else who has asked charities this question and gathered the answers in one place. That’s what makes these 1,000 needs so special. Every one was written by a charity, about its own work, in its own words. There are no surveys and no guesswork, just a unique, real-world picture of what charities across the UK are asking for.

It also shows that supporting a charity doesn’t have to mean giving money. Very often, the most useful thing a business can give is something it already has and no longer needs.

The top 5 things businesses can donate to charity

1. Donating office furniture to charity

Office furniture is by far the most requested category, appearing in over a third of all needs. Chairs, desks and tables are asked for most often, followed by storage and cabinets, shelving, sofas and filing cabinets. Charities use them to equip offices, community hubs, training rooms and meeting spaces. If your business is moving, downsizing or refitting, your old furniture could furnish a whole community space.

2. Donating old laptops and IT equipment

Around a quarter of all needs are for technology. Laptops are the single item charities ask for most on the whole platform, and tablets, iPads, phones, desktop computers, monitors, printers and projectors come up regularly too. If your business is upgrading its IT, your old kit could help someone get online for the first time. Just remember to wipe any data before you donate.

3. Donating stationery, craft supplies and toys

Around a fifth of needs are for art and craft supplies, notebooks and other stationery, books, toys, games, sports equipment, sensory resources or raffle and tombola prizes. These items power youth programmes, clubs for older people, holiday activities and community events. Surplus stationery, promotional merchandise and end-of-line stock are often a perfect fit.

4. Donating kitchen and catering equipment

Charities ask for crockery and cutlery, fridges, freezers, ovens, microwaves and coffee machines, with a striking cluster of needs for community cafés. Setting up or improving a café space is a big part of how charities bring people together. If your business is updating a staff kitchen or a hospitality space, your old equipment could be a perfect fit.

5. Donating garden and building materials

Gardening tools, plants, compost, timber, flooring, paint, DIY materials and outdoor furniture. Many of these needs are for community gardens and outdoor spaces. Leftover materials from a building project or half-used tins of paint can make a real difference.

Close behind: donating food, hygiene products and household essentials

Food bank donations, non-perishable food, toiletries, hygiene products, nappies, bedding and household essentials. These needs are often urgent, and frequently support refugees, people experiencing homelessness and families in crisis.

Other trends we spotted

Clothing and textiles. Clothing comes up regularly, often alongside other items. Men’s and children’s clothes are asked for most, along with school uniforms, backpacks and baby clothes. Uniforms, branded workwear and samples can all find a good home.

Spaces and vehicles. Charities are often looking for meeting rooms, office space, rehearsal space or storage, as well as vans and minibuses. Asking for space is something new we’re trialling on A Good Thing, so if your business has a spare meeting room, desk space or storage area, we’d love to hear from you.

Wishlists, not single items. Around one in four needs ask for several different kinds of items in one post. Even if your business can only help with one thing on the list, it’s still worth getting in touch.

A Christmas surge. Every year brings a rush of Christmas-related needs for gifts, Christmas trees, toys and party items. If your business is looking to donate to charity at Christmas, now is the time to see what’s needed near you.

Items to sell. A small but distinct group of needs comes from charity shops looking for donated goods to sell, raising vital funds for their work.

Digital inclusion. Many tech requests aren’t for running the charity’s office. In around a quarter of tech needs, the laptops and phones go straight to the people the charity supports, such as refugees, asylum seekers, families in poverty and people with learning disabilities, so they can get online and stay connected.

What we’ve learned about what charities need

You’d be surprised by what makes a difference. Alongside laptops and desks are requests for compost, raffle prizes, sensory toys and coffee machines. Things a business might never think twice about can be exactly what a charity has been hoping for.

Businesses have less office space, but charities still need furniture. Hybrid and remote working mean many businesses have downsized and have desks and chairs to spare. Charities, meanwhile, still need real places where people can meet, learn, eat together and feel welcome. Your surplus furniture can go straight into those spaces.

Wellbeing is at the heart of it. So many needs are for things that help people do something mindful and creative: painting, crafting, gardening, cooking and playing. These activities bring people together, ease loneliness and support good mental health.

Real things, for real people, and less waste. Every item a business donates goes straight to work in a local community and stays out of landfill. It’s a simple way to reduce waste, support your sustainability and ESG goals, and add genuine social value.

Donating to charity as a business: your questions answered

How does donating through A Good Thing work?

There are two ways to help. You can browse the needs charities in your area have posted, and offer to help with something specific. Or you can post an offer of items your business no longer needs: local charities are alerted and can ask for them, and you choose which charity they go to. 

What can my business donate?

Anything: office furniture, laptops and IT equipment, kitchen equipment, stationery, end-of-line stock, building materials, uniforms and much more. If it’s useful, there’s a good chance a charity needs it.

Can I donate to a charity near me?

Yes. A Good Thing connects businesses with charities in their local area, so your donations help your own community.

Who collects the items?

Charities usually arrange collection with you directly once a match is made.

Can I donate old company laptops?

Yes, and they’re the most requested item on the platform. Please make sure all data is securely wiped before you donate.

How much does it cost?

It’s free to create an account and respond to needs.  You can also make up to 3 offers per month for free.

Can your business help?

If your business has furniture, tech, kitchen equipment, craft supplies or anything else it no longer needs, there’s a good chance a charity near you is looking for it right now.

It takes just 30 seconds to create an account. Then you can list your items or browse the charity needs in your area and make a match.

Here’s to the next 1,000: less to landfill and more to a good cause.