How Donations Work at Outfitting Every Body
Clothing donations and financial contributions support our clothing swaps, store, gallery, and community programs. This page explains where your support goes, how we handle donated clothing, and what happens when personal items or cash are left in donations.
Outfitting Every Body is an LGBTQ+ and woman-led space in Troy, NY built around a simple idea: clothing is for every body. We work to make room for people to explore their style, find clothing that feels right, and participate in community.
How Clothing Donations Work
Every donated garment is evaluated to help determine where it can be put to use. Sorting takes time, and not every donation can be processed immediately.
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When you bring clothing to a swap, we do our best to sort it during the event and make it available to participants at that same swap.
If clothing arrives late in the event, or we receive more than we can sort on-site, unsorted items remain in our swap donation pool for processing and future swap use.
Donating clothing at a swap does not guarantee that it will be available to participants during that particular event.
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A portion of items donated through our clothing swaps is selected for Outfitting Every Body’s store inventory and offered for sale rather than circulated through swaps.
Those sales help cover operating costs and make future swaps possible. When you donate clothing at a swap, please understand that some items may be sold to support this work.
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You don’t need to attend a swap to donate clothing. We also accept clothing donations outside of swap events to support the store.
If you’re donating specifically to support the store, please let us know when you drop off your items.
Where Cash Donations Go
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Clothing Swap Operations
Help cover the time, space, sorting, and behind-the-scenes work that makes our clothing swaps possible.
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Clothing Is for Every Body Fund
Pay it forward. This scholarship fund helps cover swap participation for people who need financial support.
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Art Gallery Support
Support the gallery and its programming, including advertising, food and wine for gallery openings, and the everyday costs of maintaining the space.
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General Support
Support the organization as a whole. General contributions help cover needs across the store, clothing swaps, gallery, and day-to-day operations.
The “Clothing is for Every Body” Scholarship Fund
A little support can make the right fit possible. This fund helps people access a session or take home a special garment that would otherwise be outside their budget. Funds are offered based on individual needs and available contributions, at the shop’s discretion. Your donation helps someone go home with a piece they love and feel more like themselves.
Lost, Left-Behind, or Accidentally Donated Items
Please check your bags, pockets, and clothing before donating. We cannot guarantee the return of items that are lost, left behind, or unintentionally included in a donation.
If you realize something was included by mistake, contact us as soon as possible. We’ll do our best to look for it as time and staffing allow, but we cannot guarantee that we’ll find or recover it.
An item may already have been taken home by a swap participant, added to store inventory, or sold. Items that have already left our possession may not be recoverable.
Cash Found in Clothing Donations
Please check pockets, bags, and wallets for cash before donating.
If We Find More Than $100
If we find more than $100 in a donation and can identify and contact the donor, we’ll attempt to return it. If we’re unable to identify or reach the donor, the money will be added to our Clothing Is for Every Body Fund, which helps cover swap participation for people who need financial support.
If We Find $100 or Less
Cash found totaling $100 or less will go directly to the Clothing Is for Every Body Fund.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. Some clothing remains in the swap donation pool for current or future events. A portion is selected for store inventory and sold to help support Outfitting Every Body’s operations, including future swaps.
Does all donated clothing go into the clothing swaps?
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We do our best to sort donations during the event. Clothing that arrives late or cannot be sorted on-site remains in our swap donation pool for future use.
Will the clothing I bring be available at the same swap?
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Yes. You can donate clothing to support the store outside of swap events. Let us know at drop-off if your donation is intended specifically for the store.
Can I donate clothing without attending a swap?
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Can I choose what my financial contribution supports?
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Yes. You can select Swap Operations, the Clothing Is for Every Body Fund, Gallery Support, or General Support when making your contribution.
Can I get something back if I donated it by mistake?
Contact us as soon as possible. We’ll try to locate it as time and staffing allow, but we cannot guarantee its return. It may already have been taken home, added to inventory, or sold.
What happens to money found in donated clothing?
Cash totaling $100 or less goes to the Clothing Is for Every Body Fund. For amounts over $100, we’ll attempt to return the money if we can identify and contact the donor. Otherwise, it goes to the same fund.
Not at this time. Outfitting Every Body does not currently have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, so we cannot provide tax-deductible donation receipts.
Are donations tax-deductible?
Thank You for Supporting Outfitting Every Body
Your support helps people access clothing, explore their style, and participate in community. It also supports the everyday work that keeps the store, swaps, and gallery going.
Whether you’re passing along clothing or making a financial contribution, thank you for being part of it.