========================================= Nonprofit Recycling Network Www.Recycles.Org Recycling and Reusing Computers Frequently Asked Questions This FAQ has two parts. I. Questions from Donors II. Questions from Nonprofit Users ========================================= Part One - Questions from Donors ========================================= Q: How do I donate or dispose of my equipment? You may list your equipment offering here: http://www.recycles.org/donate.php it will be posted here: http://www.recycles.org/list.php and a nonprofit participant will contact you if you have something they need or want. Q: What sort of items do you accept? You may offer to donate anything you feel would be useful, only please describe your offering accurately and truthfully. List anything reusable you would like liquidate or remove from storage, including obsolete computers, educational and office supplies, equipment and furnishings. Some organizations will collect used cellphones, printer cartridges, and other redeemable items. We serve a variety of growing nonprofit groups who often have a multitude of needs. Q: Where are you located and do you pickup? Recycles.Org is a network of individual, independent, and unaffiliated nonprofit organizations linked together through this website. When you offer to donate equipment, if what you have to offer is useful to one of our participants, you will be contacted by them through our system. Upon receiving a request, you will be supplied with complete location and contact information for the participating organization. We are an exchange network, comprised of hundreds of participating nonprofit organizations with locations throughout the world. Your offer is presented to our participants in a structured and confidential manner, making the process of giving easy, convenient, and secure. Q: How are donated computers used? Each nonprofit organization contacting you will list their organizational goals and objectives. You are provided with complete contact information each time a request is made. If you decide to give to a particular group, strike up an email dialogue with them, and ask them directly about your concerns. Within each request, a telephone number will be included if you would prefer to make voice contact. Q: Is my contact information protected from spam or abuse? Yes. Requests will be forwarded to you from participating organizations through this website. You may ignore or respond to any request at your own discretion. Your contact information will never be revealed by us to anyone and will remain confidential. To stop receiving requests, simply cancel your offer at anytime. Q: How do I change or cancel my offer once submitted? Immediately upon submitting your offer the information is distributed to our participants, therefore you must cancel your original offer and submit your offer again. There is a direct link to cancel your offer on every email we send to you. Upon cancelling any offer, all related requests immediately cease. Q: Do you assess a value for tax purposes? With certain exceptions, nonprofits are instructed not to place a value on donated goods. The donor is responsible for setting the value of gifts, which may be based on fair market value. Businesses may have already expensed items and will therefore have no deduction beside shipping costs. Q: Do you scrub, wipe, or clean hard drives? You must make arrangements with the nonprofit group with whom you choose to donate, or do the job yourself. Sensitive data should never leave your hands without legal assurance of destruction. To do the job yourself, you will find several free software downloads listed in this Google Directory which will guide you through the process: http://www.recycles.org/support/wipedrive.htm ================================================= Part Two - Questions from Nonprofit Users (NPO's) ================================================= Q: How does our NPO acquire a User ID number? Please browse our website at Www.Recycles.Org Click on "Apply" in the menu and complete the application. Q: Our User ID does not work or we lost it. Please contact us immediately with your full name, organization name, email, city, state, and zip code. Q: How long must we wait for our application to be approved? Immediately upon submitting your application, you are sent an email confirmation informing you that your application had been received. If you did not receive this email, then the email address you provided had failed, so you must therefore apply again. Carefully read the instructions within this email and act accordingly if necessary. If you do not hear from us within one week, please contact us. If your matter is urgent, write immediately. Q: Can our NPO participate if we do not have a webpage? A webpage is required. Moderators who screen applications must verify that your organization exists, and although viewing your webpage is a simple verification process, it does give a snapshot of public information available. For those without a dedicated website, even a public access blog is adequate, but your mission must not be vague or for-profit, and your page must reveal specific contact and location information, as well as mention your name. Certain exceptions apply for those with administrative or parent organizations. Q: We're not affiliated with an NPO and would like to participate. Does your network provide free computers or can you refer us to assistance? Nonprofit groups who particpate in this service may or may not distribute equipment. Our network is not involved with issues outside of bringing donors and nonprofit groups together. If you are an individual needing assistance and wish to use this service, contact a nonprofit computer recycling advocate in your community and tell them about us. Nonprofit computer recycling advocates can be found in many places, such as schools, churches, government agencies, social service groups, environmental groups, and through student or retired charitably minded technicians. We will be happy to give instructions on how they may be involved. Simply write for more information. Q: Can we offer to pay for packaging and shipping? Each person who has offered to donate equipment has selected yes or no to the following question and statement: > "Are you WILLING to package and ship your gift? > If you check YES, you will consider shipping this > gift with expenses to be negotiated between you > and your intended recipient." You may not request an item that requires shipping unless a willingness to ship is initially expressed. If you violate this rule twice you will be warned. On your third violation, you will be banned from using the service permanently without notice. Q: Is there a limit to how many requests we can make? You may not request the same offer twice, and you may not make more than three requests within each 24 hour period. Q: How can we increase donation offers in our locality? Mention us in your local newspaper, newsletter, bulletin board, internet discussion group, chat community, blog, podcast, or on your website. In due time you will notice an increase of donation offers from your area and beyond. If you are searching for used computers and related equipment in your local area, this will benefit you greatly in your search. If you are an individual seeking a computer for yourself or your child and you spread the word in your community as suggested above, let us know and we may be able to refer you to a local participating nonprofit recycling group. Q: How can we support this project financially? Please visit: http://www.recycles.org/support Q: This FAQ does not answer my question, or I noticed an abuse, misuse, error, or inconsistency. Please contact us directly here: http://www.recycles.org/contact.php Thank you, Charles DiBella, Project Manager Www.Recycles.Org