How to Prepare and Donate Your Prom Dress

Finding a way to reuse your prom dress or someone to get further use out of it not only helps the environment by conserving resources and keeping textiles out of landfills, but it can also give you emotional satisfaction and happiness. Before you relegate the dress to your niece’s dress-up box, consider learning how to prepare and donate your prom dress.

Why Donate a Prom Dress?

Every student should have the opportunity to attend their prom in style. Donating a dress provides that chance to a student who might otherwise choose to miss the event simply for lack of a gown. Donations benefit others, and that should be reward enough. However, giving back and doing good benefits the giver as well—doing something nice for others increases feelings of happiness and well-being.

Before You Donate a Dress

Pull your dress out and perform an objective inspection. If you wore the dress and there were any mishaps at your prom resulting in a rip or a noticeable stain, the dress may be a better candidate for dress-ups than donation. If your dress is in good shape but needs a refresh, take it to a professional dry cleaner that specializes in gowns for cleaning and proper packing.

Choose an Organization to Receive Your Donation

Over the past decade or so, organizations that accept prom gown donations have proliferated both in the US and internationally. Some serve their local region while others have branches all over the country. Some have expanded their activities beyond prom and prom season to provide other services to students in need. Mac Duggal prom dresses and other quality gowns are always in high demand, as are plus-sized prom dresses. If you have a plus-size gown to donate, choose an organization that accepts gowns in your size.

Here is a list of just a few places that accept prom gown donations (some distribute dresses through annual events, which were canceled this year, and some may be closed to donations now, but you can keep an eye on their websites for updates about when they will be open to receive dresses again):

Project G.L.A.M.: a venture of New York–based WGirls, Project G.L.A.M. provides dresses to thousands of young women in need.

Operation Prom: another New York–based organization that provides information on donation drop-off sites around the country.

Becca’s Closet: based in Florida but accepts donations from all over the country.

These are just a few of many local or national organizations that provide prom dresses to students so they can attend and enjoy their prom. Donating your prom gown has emotional, environmental, and social benefits for you and whoever finds your gown through the organization you choose.