When you decide you are done with your fur coat, just what do you do with it? Whether it was your fur coat or one that was left to you by your grandma, there are various ways you can donate your coat, rather than having it sit idle in your closet. Fur coats can be used for a variety of things after you are done wearing them, allowing you several choices when it comes to deciding just where and how you want to donate yours.

Get an Appraisal

Before you do anything with your fur coat, you should have it appraised by a reputable furrier if you feel it still has value. Having an accurate value for your donation will make it easier to prepare your taxes at the end of the year. If you do not have an appraisal to back up your claim, you could end up in trouble with the IRS.

Choose a Cause

There are a variety of causes you can choose from to donate your fur coat. One of the largest charities is the Humane Society Coats for Cubs that uses fur coats as surrogate mothers for orphaned animals. The furs are cut down to the appropriate size for each animal and put inside their home to give the animals comfort. You can also choose to donate them to PETA, which gives them to homeless people who do not winter coats.

Procedure

Once you choose the cause to donate your fur coat to, you need to find out the required procedure for donation. Most causes have a drop-off location to which you can simply bring your coat. Other causes that are not local to you sometime offer a place where you can ship the coat for donation.

Tax Deduction

If you choose to donate your fur coat, you might be eligible for a tax deduction. In order to claim your deduction you need to get a receipt, letter or another piece of official documentation that shows the organization name, the type of donation and the date.

Rather than letting your fur coats sit in the back of your closet collecting dust, you can make some use out of them by choosing an appropriate cause to donate them to. This allows you to help someone in need, while freeing up space in your closet to purchase new fur coats for yourself.