How to Get Cash for Old Cell Phones to Benefit your Charity or Cause

If you're working on raising money for your favorite charity or cause, you've probably tried all the normal ways of raising money – phone calls, direct mail, and so on. But everybody does that, so you have lots of competition. With so much competition for orthodox ways of raising funds, why not try something a bit different?

Collecting old cell phones is one of those "different" fundraising methods that you may want to try. Many people have old cell phones lying around or packed away somewhere. Chances are they would be more than happy to give their old cell phones to you to benefit a good cause. You just need to ask!

What kind of money can you get for a used cell phone? I'm going to be honest with you: you probably won't be raising a considerable amount with every cell phone you collect and sell. The average per phone is about $5-$10. (Some cell phones are worth $0.50, some are worth $100+) You can find out the exact value for a specific model of cell phone at http://www.I-Buy-Phones.org. The real key with collecting cell phones is getting a large quantity of phones.

That said, you have many options for collecting a decent amount of cell phones. One option is to use the normal routes of fundraising, such as through snail mail or phone. But instead of competing with other charities and causes for a person's monetary donations, you'll be asking for donations in a different form (old cell phones) that probably no one else is asking for.

Another option is asking store owners and people in charge of events if you can set up a "drop box" at their locations. This way, you make a drop box and get donations without constantly working for them. However, you will have to do the hard part up front – convincing the store owner or other person that your charity or cause is worthy of their "real estate." One tip: make sure your drop box is professional looking and that it explains what you are doing and where the money for the cell phones will go. Make sure you show the store owner or other person the drop box when you contact them.

What do you do with the phones once you've collected them? That's the easy part! You simply log on to a website that buys used cell phones. http://www.I-Buy-Phones.org is a good website to do this on. Not only do they offer free shipping, but they also tell you what they will pay you for a cell phone upfront instead of surprising you with a low price after you've sent the cell phones in.