Before the Cville Tool Library opened our doors in March 2022, we held tool donation drives. We heard from many of our neighbors and friends that they had tools of all kinds, languishing in basements and garages. These donations became the foundation of our new tool lending inventory.
No more one-off tool purchases!
When was the last time you did a project that required the purchase of a tool for one-time use? If you were lucky, it was an inexpensive purchase. If not, well…. there it sits. Unused and unloved. Tragic, huh?
Tool donation to the rescue!
If you have tools you’d like to donate to the Cville Tool Library, first of all — thank you! Tool donations continue to be accepted, but during our start-up phase these donated tools made up a large portion of our tool inventory.
If you have tools you’d like to donate, you may bring them directly to the tool library (during open hours only, please). Refer to our tool donations page for general guidelines about what we can accept. If you need items picked up, please complete this form, and one of our coordinators will be in touch.
We are very grateful to all who consider donating tools to the Cville Tool Library. We can assure you that the tools will go to great use in furthering our mission.
What kind of tools do we accept?
We aspire to have a collection of tools that meets various community needs. That means having a broad range of tools, and multiples of high-demand items. Our coordinators will assess donations as they come in, and identify gaps that we will fill via purchase or sponsorship requests. Soon, you’ll find a “Wish List” posted on our website. Our basic acceptance criteria for donated tools are:
- Items are in working order and include all necessary parts/accessories.
- Battery-operated tools are of recent age, with batteries that hold a good charge and include chargers. No Nicad batteries, please.
- Tools are of a modern vintage (for safety and maintenance reasons) and are (reasonably) clean. Naturally, there are some exceptions to these criteria as some high-quality tools needing a simple repair or of an older vintage may still be valuable to our membership. When in doubt, or if you plan on donating a number of items, please email our programming committee.
- It helps us immensely to have an idea of age, brand, and quality of tools before they’re on our doorstep. Usually, the simplest thing for donors to do is to take photos of bigger/higher value items or the entire tool collection. Please include brands, manufacturers identification labels, model #’s and any condition notes when possible.
- All donated items become the property of Cville Tool Library. While we make every attempt to maintain and keep tools, occasionally our inventory is overloaded with a certain type of tool; therefore, please be aware that while we really appreciate (and survive on) donations, your specific tool may not be kept in inventory indefinitely. Tools removed from inventory might be sold to help cover operating costs, bartered for high-demand items, properly recycled or upcycled (if in disrepair), or donated to another nonprofit organization.