Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles ReStores see 300% Increase in Donations

“Housing for many people is their single biggest expense, particularly in a market like Los Angeles,” says Karen Moore, ReStore Acquisition Manager for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (Habitat LA). “It can take a huge chunk of someone’s income. They find themselves paying too much for living conditions that are overcrowded, unhealthy and potentially dangerous.”

That is why Habitat for Humanity is an important organization in targeting the issue. Habitat for Humanity International is a global non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing conditions worldwide. With over 1400 affiliates in 70 countries, they believe that strength, stability and self-reliance is built through homeownership. The Greater Los Angeles affiliate has built, renovated and repaired more than 1200 homes locally and worldwide through the partnership of volunteers, donors and Habitat LA homebuyers.

The LA chapter of the housing charity saw a 300% lift in donations by using online booking software to offer donors the option of scheduling pickups online.

The ReStore is a self-sustaining funding source for Habitat LA that is able to help support the building and repairing of homes through the donations of gently used and unwanted items from individuals and corporations, such as furniture, appliances, home décor and surplus building materials. “Some people think that the items they donate go into Habitat homes;” says Moore, “but what happens is that they are taken to one of our home-improvement thrift stores, called ReStores, and sold to the general public. The profits generated help us buy building materials for homes and are reinvested to allow us to help more low-income families live in decent, affordable housing.”

We’re Proud to Help Habitat for Humanity Achieve their Goals

As supporters of Habitat’s mission, Vonigo is proud to help Habitat affiliates like Greater Los Angeles and Metro Denver with managing the pickup of donated goods from individual and corporations through our special program for non-profits.

“Vonigo has become instrumental in increasing donations, because it makes us more efficient and gives the donor the ability to schedule their pick-up online,” says Moore. “When we started with Vonigo in January of 2015 we experienced a 300% increase in donation to our ReStores almost immediately.”

With all of that extra business, it’s no surprise the LA affiliate is growing. “We are expanding our store locations and trucks in the immediate future. Currently we have two stores and eight trucks,” says Moore. “We are open daily and do pick-ups seven days a week.”

“It’s really important for us to make it easy for people to donate,” adds Moore. “Vonigo is really very simple for our donors; a step-by-step program for people to schedule a pick-up of the items they want to donate.”

What does a charitable organization and other service businesses have in common? Listening to the other features that Habitat LA finds useful, the similarities are many. “The reporting features within Vonigo help us be more nimble,” adds Moore. “We can easily adjust the scheduling in our service area to different zip codes and zones. It enables our trucks to go out on a given day and come back as full as possible. It also informs us of the quantity and types of materials that are being donated so we can adjust the duration of each pick-up.

With over 12,000 pick-ups annually, there are bound to be last minute changes, so it’s very helpful that Vonigo allows us to make real-time revisions to the schedule and communicate immediately to the truck teams out on the road. With Vonigo, we can ask our donors how they heard about us during the booking process, so we can find out what marketing initiatives are working.”

How You Can Support Habitat for Humanity in Your Community

Whether you’re in the LA area or not, with 866 stores, chances are good that there is a ReStore near you. To find the ReStore in your area visit, habitat.org/restores and schedule a donation of furniture, appliances, lighting and many other building materials to your local home-improvement thrift store. In the LA area, visit donatetohabitat.com to schedule a pick-up online or call 1-424-246-3637. Moore says there are many other ways you can get involved and support Habitat for Humanity, including shopping at ReStore locations, donating your time on build sites locally and abroad and financial donations are always needed.

To make a donation, please go to habitatla.org.