Table of Contents
Today, my boyfriend crossed his boundaries. He came to my bedroom, opened my Closet, and commented that I am a compulsive shopper.
I got an hour-long lecture on how I have a habit of buying everything that I find pleasant to look at and how my room has become a junkyard, where, if you look around, you’ll find things of use and things that have gone out of fashion.
He asked me to at least donate prom dresses I had bought four years ago, to which I shooed him out of the room and ate the slice of pizza he was saving for supper as revenge.
When I got past my anger, I realized he had a point. I buy things without reason. It was nice once or twice when I used to have extra pocket money and felt like splurging, but now it is a behavior.
I put aside money to buy rubbish. Four years ago, when I was shopping for a prom dress (one dress), I went shopping for prom dresses (five dresses). In my defense, what if I spilled wine on one while the other was at the dry cleaners, and my best friend didn’t have a prom dress and wanted to borrow, and I dropped the dip on the one I had left. I had to have another spare.
I planned to donate prom dresses after my prom, but what if I needed the dresses soon and were not there. I will have to buy new ones. Keeping these will be saving money.
I still am waiting for an occasion to come up where I can wear them again. I doubt if I still fit in them. Maybe it will be a good idea to donate prom dresses. So, I got online and started searching for sites where I could donate the prom dresses. Maybe I will bookmark some of them for donating the formal wear and future dresses I will (most definitely) buy.
Where to Donate Prom Dresses
I found sites where you can donate depending on how old your dress or gown is. Before donating any prom dresses or formal wear, keep in mind to make sure that the dress is in good condition, minus the rips, and is clean and stainless.
The dress should be dry-cleaned for maintaining hygiene. If you donate to charitable organizations, you would be helping them by getting the dresses dry cleaned before donating; else, they’ll have to pay for it before giving it to someone else.
I found Becca’s Closet, Operation Prom, The Cinderella Project, The Princess Project, and The Priceless Gown Project, Fairy Godmothers, Inc., and Cinderella’s Closet if your dress is less than five years old if its more than five years old, Every Girl’s Dream, and Project G.L.A.M came under the most popular sites to donate prom dresses.
https://www.beccascloset.org/donate/”>B.E.C.C.A.’S CLOSET
This charity handles donated prom dresses, homecoming dresses, and bridesmaid’s dresses and then distributes them to high school girls for their proms. The donations are tax-deductible, but they require the dress to of recent fashion (within the last five years, so it has not yet gone out of fashion), clean and undamaged.
It is quite simple to donate prom dresses or other formal wear over to Becca’s Closet. They have a provision called the “Give Back Box.” Sign in on the website, grab a cardboard box, and use the Give Back Box link on the site to print your pre-paid shipping label. Drop off the box at a U.P.S. or a U.S.P.S. location.
http://operationprom.org/donate.php”>Operation Prom
For seeing the nearest Operation Prom location, you need to log into their website in some states. It is initially based in Bronxville, New York. This organization only lets you donate prom dresses (but some locations do accept tuxedos as well) once a year, just before the prom season.
If you miss out then, you will have to wait a whole year till the next season to donate prom dresses. They accept all sizes, from 0-24. Plus, sizes are limited in their availability and are especially needed. They hold dress giveaway events in the early fall for homecoming and early spring for proms.
Young girls are referred to Operation Prom by a social worker, counselor, or school representative. The donators are assured that the dresses are distributed, as the preferred girls demonstrate a financial need and pass out of their high school.
Operation Prom has helped thousands of teenagers attend their proms in style.
https://www.cinderellaprojectsc.com/where-to-donate”>The Cinderella Project
They have collection agencies throughout South Carolina. They also have deadlines for each year of donation; they do not let you donate if you cannot make the deadline.
http://www.princessprojectsd.org/donate/”>The Princess Project
They operate out of San Diego, California, and make sure that thousands of dresses are given to teens in need every year. The services of the Princess Project are always free to the girls who need them. They have prom dresses in all sizes from 0-30, all new or gently used, and appropriate. Before donating, check for signs of irrevocable wear and tear, make sure they are dry cleaned before donation and turn it in on the hanger.
They hold an annual prom dress event for the distribution, but they have programs where girls can connect to the volunteers throughout the year, unlike other organizations where it is in the pre-prom season.
Also, during the event season, if a group of 10 or more girls demonstrates a need for dresses, they do not have to wait for that one date to get their dresses. They can have a private boutique night, provided they have an adult chaperone.
You can either drop your dress at their partner drop-off locations (you can see that on the website) or mail your dress to their shipping address – 110 West A Street Ste:1100, San Diego, CA 92101.
The Priceless Gown Project
This non-profit organization collects dresses, accessories, and formals throughout the year and gives them to girls in Washington DC and Baltimore for free. It is a leading organization for helping young girls’ dreams come true and has received substantial press coverage. They also accept monetary donations and volunteers all year, especially for the prom boutique days.
They hold an annual Priceless Prom Boutique that is held at a fancy venue. It is to give girls a complete prom shopping experience. Thanks to over a thousand yearly donations, they have a vast selection of dresses the girls can choose from.
Website – https://www.pricelessgownproject.com/donations
https://everygirlsdream.org/Donation_B0W5.html”>Every Girl’s Dream
They provide dresses to girls only in Southeast Michigan. You must mail the gowns you wish to donate, and if they are soiled, you must send a least $30 with the gown to cover the cleaning costs.
http://wgirls.org/project-glam/”>Project G.L.A.M
The WGirls is an international organization with chapters across the States and the U.K. They host a dress donation group called Project G.L.A.M, which aims to help girls attend their prom by distributing dresses of all sizes to girls who want and need them. This is gathered a lot of press and praise.
This charity accepts dresses up to 10 years old (if the dress is black, it can be older), unopened makeup, jewelry, purses, and less-worn formal shoes. Just wrap it well, make sure it is clean and in good condition, and mail it to the WGirls Inc.
Fairy Godmothers, Inc.
They have 6 locations around the U.S. (mostly in the east). Their motto is to “help provide a special high school prom experience for qualified high school girls whose financial situations are such as otherwise would preclude their ability to attend.” In addition to prom dresses, you can also donate shoes and accessories at Fairy Godmothers Inc.
Website – https://www.fairygodmotherinc.com/
Cinderella’s Closet
This organization was started as a project of Immanuel Methodist Church in Lakeside Park, Kentucky. Churches now run it in select states. Cinderella’s Closet aims to provide more than just one dress. They say, “From the moment our princesses dance through our doors, and they are greeted with an environment of grace, love, and respect. It is our mission that they leave knowing they have been cherished.”
If not these organizations, you can always donate your prom dresses and other formal clothing to The Salvation Army or The Goodwill – your local donation shops.
Now, if you do not want to donate prom dresses and feel like making some money off them, you can always resell them.
Why not make some profit from your clutter? And your clutter can be someone’s butter. There are sites where you can sell your formals, vintage items, and dresses. ThredUp, The RealReal, eBay, Tradesy, A.S.O.S., Material World, and DePop are some of those sites. Selling clothes online is so easy nowadays.
You must install an app and upload your clothes’ photos and the prices you want to sell them at. You then must send your clothes to the company, where they will evaluate the value, and consider your pricing, and put it up for selling, and voila! You have a business up and running! The services are pretty streamlined, so even if you are new to this and not tech-savvy, you will soon get the hang of it and start making cash instantly.
