How To Donate

Thank you seems too simple, but how else can we express our gratitude for your gift to Friendship House? As we help the lives of those in need in our community, we know it is only possible because of the investment of our supporters.

A monthly donation is the best way to help us sustain our mission year-round of uniting people facing homelessness with loving, supportive communities they call home.

*All monetary and in-kind donations are tax-deductible.* EIN 51-0306759

Online Donations: To make online donations, click here.

  • Please select the donation dollar amount and frequency of your giving. Recurring gifts matter because we do our planning based on expected income.
  • You will have the option to cover the cost of the processing fee (also tax-deductible) if donating on a desktop computer. Tablets and phones do not receive this option.
  • You can also make an online donation in honor or in memory of someone and we will send a person of your choice an email or letter acknowledging the gift from you with no dollar amount named.

Amazon wishlists: You can also make donations directly to us through our Amazon wishlist and everything can directly shipped to us. You can donate to our General Friendship House wishlist, Clothing Bank wishlist or our School Uniform wishlist.

Physical Donations: Frequently needed items are always helpful. Fill out the Get in Touch With Us form or call the main office at (302) 652-8133 to hear about our current needs.

Check Donations: If you would like to send a gift through the mail, the check can be out to Friendship House, Inc. and mailed to P.O. Box 1517 Wilmington, DE 19899.

Stock Donations: Contact your broker with instructions to transfer by DTC 0075, the number of shares to Friendship House, Inc., account number 48974677, M & T Securities managed by LPL Financial. After making the transaction, contact our office at (302) 652-8133.

United Way Giving: Although Friendship House is not a United Way agency, you can designate Friendship House as your charity of choice for a United Way donation by using code 9033. (Residents of other states besides Delaware may do the same by writing in the following address: Friendship House, Inc. P.O. Box 1517 Wilmington, DE 19899)

Matching Funds: Many businesses will match the cash donations of their employees to their favorite charity, so always check with your company. Companies that have sent Friendship House matching funds include IBM, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Verizon, and Delmarva Power.

Acknowledgment Grants: Each year Friendship House receives grants from corporations in recognition of the volunteer service that one of their employees has provided to our ministry. Community outreach funds are sometimes available upon request, so check with your company.

IRA Donations: Donations from your IRA can be made to Friendship House via a distribution. Normally, you would pay (federal and possibly state) taxes on any such IRA distribution of tax-deferred contributions – it’s counted as income – and give remaining money to charity.  You could claim the amount given as a charitable contribution if you itemize (i.e., don’t take the standard deduction).

But if you are 70 1/2, you can give directly to a charity from your traditional or rollover IRA (not 401k, 403b, etc.) and that may qualify as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).  The $ amount of QCD is not included in income (up to a maximum of $100k per person with some exceptions), and you therefore won’t pay income taxes on that money.  Of course, you can’t get another benefit by claiming that as a charitable contribution if you itemize.

Further, if you are 72 you are required to take Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) from tax-deferred retirement plans, including your IRAs.  And any QCDs made in the tax year will count against your RMD for that year.

Employee-Generated Grants:  An increasing number of companies administer grant programs that are linked to their employees’ community involvements and only accept program grant proposals from employees on behalf of the human services agencies where they volunteer. To submit a Friendship House grant proposal to your employer:

  • Contact your supervisor/community outreach person about the availability of community grant money, the grant program criteria, and the application process.
  • Meet with the Friendship House resource team, who will prepare an appropriate grant proposal.
  • Submit the proposal through the appropriate corporate channels.
  • Serve as an advocate and liaison between the company and Friendship House.

However you choose to donate, please know that we honor that donation and our management spends each dollar with our clients and our supporters at the forefront of our decisions. You can witness our fiscal responsibility by reviewing our annual 990.