Donate

How to Donate

While all donations are appreciated, CASH IS BEST. Illinois VOAD members are experienced and staffed by dedicated professionals who will get the most out of your generous donation. If you wish to make a financial donation to an Illinois VOAD member, please contact them directly.

Do not send or bring unsolicited donations. In the early stages of the response phase, most organizations are unable to accommodate any material goods. Unsolicited donations create a challenge of storage and sorting when focus is needed on response and recovery. Contact us for information on what is needed.

Cash is Best

Cash offers Illinois VOAD members the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources. Organizations typically prefer cash donations because they allow our members to:

  • Purchase food, water, medicine, and equipment from secure and familiar supply chains
  • Buy materials locally. This can help rebuild the local economy
  • Conserve resources. Money is always necessary and cheap to send, but the cost to ship material supplies can be expensive.
  • Remember, material supplies such as used clothing, miscellaneous household items, and mixed or perishable food require helping agencies to redirect volunteer labor away from providing direct one-on-one assistance to sort, package, transport, warehouse, and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.