What Refugee Resettlement Agencies Actually Need Donated

Resettlement agencies need the items that turn an empty apartment into a livable home in the first days after a family arrives: furniture, bedding, kitchen basics, winter coats, hygiene products, and working mobile phones. Most agencies run a formal in-kind donation process rather than accepting loose drop-offs, because every item has to be new or like-new and ready to use the day a family moves in.

A network under real strain right now

The scale of this need shifted hard in the last year. The U.S. resettled 100,034 refugees in FY2024, the highest number in three decades, according to Refugee Council USA. In FY2025, that number fell to 38,102, a 62% drop, almost entirely because of a program suspension that began in January 2025. More than 98% of FY2025's arrivals happened in the first four months of the fiscal year, before the pause took effect.

That drop in new arrivals doesn't mean less need. Resettlement agencies describe the opposite problem: fewer new arrivals to serve, but existing clients who lost access to healthcare, nutrition assistance, housing support, and integration services that used to come through federal funding. Agencies are stretching the same in-kind donations further across a client base with fewer public resources behind it, which is exactly the situation where a steady flow of donated goods matters more, not less.

The welcome-kit basics

Every major resettlement agency runs some version of a welcome kit, the set of items a family needs the day they walk into their new apartment. The International Rescue Committee's own published list for its local offices covers: furniture (beds, a table, chairs), mattresses, bedding and towels, basic kitchenware, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products. Clothing is a constant need across every climate and season, especially coats and shoes in cold-weather regions where a family arriving from a warmer climate may own nothing suited to the weather.

Working mobile phones and, increasingly, computers are no longer optional extras. A phone is how a family reaches their caseworker, applies for a job, and manages the dozens of appointments resettlement involves in the first months. Agencies that didn't formally ask for phones five years ago now list them near the top.

Children's needs show up on their own list

A family arriving with school-age kids adds a second, more time-sensitive set of needs: backpacks, school supplies, and weather-appropriate clothing sized for children rather than adults, which is harder to source from a general donation drive than it sounds, since sizes and grade-specific supply lists change every year. Agencies coordinate school enrollment as part of the standard resettlement process, so a children's-clothing or supply need can appear on short notice, tied to a specific child and a specific school, rather than fitting a generic seasonal appeal.

What agencies need that isn't a physical object

Gift cards for groceries and transportation show up on nearly every published needs list, because they let a family make their own choices rather than receiving a donor's guess at what they need. Ride-share credits and pro bono professional services (legal, medical, translation) are frequently requested too, and some agencies specifically ask for warehousing space to store in-kind donations between when they arrive and when a family is matched to them.

A family's first months involve dozens of appointments, medical, legal, school enrollment, that go faster and safer with a qualified interpreter present, which is why interpretation and translation sit on the pro bono wish list of nearly every agency, not just the ones serving the least common languages.

The process is more structured than a typical donation drop-off

Because every item goes directly into a family's first home, most agencies run a real intake process rather than taking anything dropped at the door. The IRC's model is a good example of the standard shape: a donor fills out an in-kind donation survey, a staff member follows up to confirm the donation matches an actual client need, and only then are shipping and delivery details worked out. Donors are generally asked to send new, ready-to-use items (already assembled, not needing setup), to cover their own shipping and any customs costs, and to share tracking information ahead of delivery so the receiving office can plan for it.

This matters for a donor to understand upfront: a box of used coats sent without checking first often goes unused, not because the agency doesn't need coats, but because it doesn't know the box is coming, can't confirm the condition, or doesn't have the storage space to hold it until a match is found.

A better way to match the donation to the actual need

The gap between "agencies have a real list of needed items" and "donors send things that match the list" is exactly the problem a public, specific wishlist solves. Instead of a generic appeal for "household goods," an agency lists the exact items a specific family needs this week, a donor funds that exact item, and it arrives verified rather than guessed at. Givelink runs on that model for nonprofits broadly, and it's a natural fit for the kind of time-sensitive, item-specific need a resettlement agency manages every time a new family arrives.

FAQ

Can I just drop off used clothing at a local resettlement agency? Check first. Most agencies run a formal in-kind donation process and either don't accept unsolicited drop-offs or can only take them if they match a current need and pass a basic condition check. A quick call or online form saves both sides wasted effort.

Why do resettlement agencies ask for gift cards instead of specific items sometimes? Gift cards let a family choose exactly what fits their household, their size, and their taste, rather than receiving a donor's best guess. Agencies see this reduce waste meaningfully compared to loosely-targeted physical donations.

Are in-kind donations to a resettlement agency tax-deductible? Yes, as long as the agency is a registered 501(c)(3) or operates under one, and most major resettlement agencies do. Keep a receipt, and for anything over $500 in claimed value, keep a record of how the value was determined.

Has the drop in refugee arrivals reduced what agencies need donated? Not by the agencies' own account. Existing clients lost access to several federally funded support services during the FY2025 suspension, so agencies describe serving the same or greater need with fewer public resources behind it, which puts more weight on in-kind and community support.

Browse how nonprofits list their specific needs at givelink.app/charities, or see how the model works at givelink.app/en/#howItWorks.