Do you have a piano at home that you no longer play? If yes, you may want to consider donating it to the nearest church in your neighborhood. However, before you donate the piano, it is best to first assess its general condition, so that you know it is worth the moving cost. Pianos are not easy to transport, and thus, intense care needs to be practiced during the moving process.
Here follows the best process for donating your piano to a church:
Find out the value of your piano
Decide if your musical instrument has any value to any church in your area. If your piano only needs to be tuned, then it would be ideal to donate it. Nonetheless, if it requires a substantial amount of repair work, the church may not have the means to rebuild or repair it. Ensure that all the keys are working perfectly, this means they should look and sound flawless. If you find that your piano needs a lot of repair work and care, it would be best to donate it to a thrift store.
Contact churches in your area
Whether you live in a big town or city, I would advise that you call every church and ask if a piano donation would be welcomed, or if they need one. Give them as much detail as possible with reference to the piano, such as its size, age, brand, the last tuning session, and the degree of work it may need.
Invite church representatives to inspect the piano
You should consider inviting church representatives to look at your piano, or you can email them some photos. These days, cameras can be found in every smartphone, so you should make a recording of the piano being played, and post it on YouTube. Thereafter, send the link to all the church representatives. This is important, as the sound and the quality of your piano are the main features that they may look for.
Find a piano mover
Once a church confirms that they want your piano, work with them to look for a professional piano mover to transport the instrument. I highly recommend that you hire professional movers, because they have the knowledge and tools to move the piano securely and safely. Make sure that you conduct some thorough research in relation to the movers before you hire them.
Obtain the tax deductible receipt
Follow the transporters to the church, and meet with the representative. Obtain the tax deductible receipt from them and keep it safely in your house. It is sensible to take a photo of the piano in the church, in case the IRS wants proof or if they question the value of your claim. It would be even better if you have your piano appraisal on hand.
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photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/string_bass_dave/7424111598/">string_bass_dave</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
I live in Port Richey Florida, I have a Spinet Piano I would like to donate to a church, it’s about 45 years old, in good working condition, it would be perfect for a Sunday School class or a children’s church, only thing really is that it needs to be tuned and I do not have transportation for it, I would really like for a church to give this piano continued life of music. My name is Paula, phone is 918-851-8271.
Give a call to your local piano dealer/mover and they can hep point you in the right direction! Donating a piano is a great act of kindess!
Hi Paula, Your piano can be a blessing for my church in Playa del Carmen Mexico. If it is not donated yet i will contact you to see.
Louidor