Site donates $1 to charity for every item recycled online

Givmo is a free online service that helps consumers get rid of unwanted possessions while donating to charity at the same time.

Consumers today may be increasingly ownership-averse, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still own countless goods. In fact, in many cases consumers want nothing more than help getting rid of some of that stuff. That’s where Givmo comes in, with a free online service that helps consumers get rid of unwanted possessions while donating to charity at the same time. Now in beta, Givmo is “like an online Goodwill or Freecycle on steroids with a charitable twist,” in the New York company’s own words. Users begin by simply taking photos of the items they’d like to unload and posting them on the site; they can also just email those photos to give@givmo.com. From there, other users across the country can search or browse the site for items they need. When they find something they’d like to have, they simply agree to pay the shipping cost for the original owner to mail it to them. The owner then packages and ships the item at any UPS drop-off location with Givmo’s prepaid shipping label, secure in the knowledge that the item’s useful life will continue. For every item donated, meanwhile, Givmo donates USD 1 to its currently featured charity partner. Though it hopes eventually to expand, Givmo currently serves only transumers in the continental United States. One to partner with or emulate in other parts of the world? Spotted by: Matthew Cua