Transforming our community one in-kind donation at a time!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is AlchemList located?

AlchemList is headquartered in Seattle, WA and lists non-profits from across the United States. Right now, our technology does not work for international non-profits but in the future, we hope to make this happen too.

Where else can you find us?

AlchemList is busy building community both online and off. You can find us on tweeting on twitter, blogging on WordPress, and we will soon be gathering together like-minded community AlchemListers on Ning.

How did AlchemList start?

I had moved. A lot. Each time I moved, I ended up leaving stuff on the sidewalk and making last minute trips to GoodWill, convincing myself that someone would make good use of that dish drainer that wouldn't quite fit in my small, vacuum-packed 1991 Ford Escort. I moved leaving ski pants, too tight and of little use in my move to sunny San Diego and rejected by a thrift store on the top of a dumpster, hoping somehow they would find good use. Even when I wasn't moving, I always had a "give away" pile in the spare room but usually no designated "away". Flash ahead a couple years and I find myself surrounded by donated ski pants in the closet of the Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC) winter cabin, where I am facilitating ski trips for people with disabilities and disadvantaged youth. I knew that we had a huge need for hats, mittens, and other winter gear such as...you guessed it: ski pants. I wondered how easy it would be for someone to find us if they wanted to find a good home for their gently used winter gear? Sandwiched in between leaving Portland and facilitating the ETC ski trips, I had served as an AmeriCorps *VISTA at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) San Diego where refugees, victims of war and oppression, started new lives in the United States and often needed a household full of goods in addition to clothes and food. Yet even someone living blocks away had no way to know that they were there, the phenomenal impact they had on lives, and what they needed. Here were two top-notch organizations doing top-notch work but how could somebody with hats, mittens, or household goods to donate find them? I got to thinking that I would love a website that allowed me to quickly and easily find local non-profits for stuff in my give-away pile. Just as I could go to CraigsList.org, Indeed.com or Idealist.org (search engines I was all too familiar with) and quickly find job postings, I wanted a website in which I could enter in the item I was looking to re-home and my zip, hit enter, and within seconds be presented with a list that included the name, contact information, and brief description of organizations near me that could use it. I wanted to be able to choose. More than that, I wanted to raise awareness, strengthen community and promote reuse through donation. On a long, caffeinated drive, sometime after night ends and before day begins, somewhere between San Francisco and the Sierra Nevada mountains, the idea of AlchemList was born. And with that vision, a taste of Photoshop, a nibble of Dreamweaver, a lot of help from a friend, and a little free time, AlchemList started. Long nights and sketching on anything remotely resembling paper and then slowly finding out how much more time it takes to then transfer that vision to reality, brings AlchemList to where it is today, hopefully just the beginning of the history.

How is AlchemList Funded?

Right now AlchemList is self-funded. Call it a hobby; some people golf, serious about their golf and spending every spare moment on the golf course, we alchemlist. Call it our volunteer work. Call it a social enterprise that hasn't yet sought funding.

How do you decide who is listed?

Any verifiable non-profit organization with a wish list can register. Registration is fast, easy, and free. AlchemList makes every effort to confirm that each organization listed on the site is reputable. However, at this time, ultimately the donor is responsible for checking to ensure that the organization is a certifiable 501c3. If would like to look into the record of a specific non-profit organization, GuideStar provides charity reports to increase non-profit transparency. If at any time you discover that a non-profit we list is questionable, please let us know so we can look into it and if necessary, remove it for the benefit of the AlchemList community.

Examples of non-profits in the AlchemList.org database:

Currently indexing over 57 local non-profits and public schools with more being added every day, AlchemList's friendly design allows users to find exactly what they're looking for! This service is free of charge! Free to the non-profits listed and free to you!