15 Things You Can Donate for Money
As many people contend with economic uncertainty in the United States right now, you might find yourself wondering how to tap into all areas of making extra money. If the thought of needles in your arm makes you squeamish or fearful, however, you can also donate — or lend — your belongings for a profit. Keep reading and you might find your next side gig to make extra cash from home.
See Also: 6 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money
Quick Take: What Can I Donate To Make Money?
The best way to make quick money is to find something you have that other people want and sell or donate it at a profit. This can range from space in your yard for pets to play, rooms in your home for vacationers, parts of your body–and even your entire body to science.
Here’s a look at what you can donate to make money:
1. Your Hair
You can make between $100 and $4,000 by donating your healthy, unbleached and untreated hair. Most places that pay for hair want locks of 10 inches or longer. Hair donations will typically be used for making wigs.
2. Plasma
Plasma donation can be a lucrative — and easy — way to earn extra cash with your body. Plasma centers pay anywhere from $20 to $100 per donation. Prices may vary based on your location, your weight and how often you donate.
You can donate plasma for money twice within any seven-day period, but not more than once in 48 hours. Of course, the more you donate, the more you can earn. Keep in mind that plasma is different than donation blood, as blood is a voluntary donation typically through drives such as with the Red Cross.
3. Bone Marrow
It used to be illegal to donate bone marrow for money. But in 2011, a California court case ruled that bone marrow donation is now legal. That’s because donors can undergo easier, non-surgical extraction. You could get as much as $700 for bone marrow extracted during a one-hour procedure, according to MedPage Today. And don’t worry–there are no side effects as your bone marrow grows back.
4. Sperm
Most people know that you can sell your sperm for money. But you need to meet some strict qualifications — only about 1% of applicants are accepted, according to MedPage Today. Those who qualify can donate up to twice a week and earn roughly $125 per donation.
5. Eggs
Women can help those struggling with infertility through egg donations. The process is more invasive than sperm donation, but it also pays better. Egg donors have all medical expenses, attorney fees and travel expenses paid, as well as a $100 per diem if you travel. The Egg Donor America website says the egg donor typically receives $5,000 to $10,000, including fees and compensation.
6. Uterus
If you have a uterus, you may not want to donate it in the conventional sense. But you can rent it out for a hefty sum. Typical lease lengths are 40 weeks, and the tenants tend to be quiet — at least until they move out!
Kidding aside, being a surrogate for someone who can’t carry their own baby can be emotionally and financially rewarding. Surrogate Alternatives says that surrogates can earn up to $75,000. There are even sign-on bonuses offered. In addition to the pay, surrogates receive health insurance and life insurance.
Surrogates must be between 21 and 38 years old, have a healthy body weight, and have delivered a healthy child of their own, which they are raising, among other requirements.
7. Breast Milk
If you’ve recently given birth and have an overabundance of breast milk, you may be able to sell it. People have many reasons for buying breast milk. Most commonly, a parent may have trouble producing milk but may want their infant to gain the benefits of drinking breast milk rather than formula.
Breast milk can sell for between $3 and $5 per ounce. While selling breast milk is legal, sales are unregulated and the FDA recommends against buying or selling it on the private market.
8. Your Skin
You can make skin donations following surgery. But, in most cases, you won’t receive pay for this donation. An easier way to “donate” your skin is to rent it out to a company that wants to advertise on your face or body.
You can sell advertising space on your body in the form of temporary or permanent tattoos. Study Finds revealed that one man received $40,000 for putting a permanent tattoo on his forehead.
9. Your Car
There are a few different ways to rent your car for profit. You can become an Uber or Lyft driver and earn an average of $37,902 per year.
You can also sell advertising space on your personal vehicle. Stickr.co is one website that makes it easy to get paid cash plus gift cards just for sporting a decal on the rear window of your vehicle. The site indicates that you can earn as much as $2,300 annually in cash and gift cards, depending on the campaign.
10. Your Bike
If you own a bicycle, chances are it sits unused in your apartment or garage for at least a portion of every day. You can earn as much as $500 per month by renting your bike to other people in your area by using a site such as Spinlister.
You can also rent your surfboard, snowboard or skis, according to the website.
11. Your Yard Space
If you have a nice backyard with plenty of space for pets to run, you can rent your yard as a dog park. You can earn up to $3,000 per month through the website SniffSpot.
12. Your Home
More than 150 million people use Airbnb to book vacation stays. That’s not counting people who use VRBO or other services to rent their houses to travelers.
The amount you can earn depends on where you live, the size of your house and your positive ratings as a host. Airbnb hosts in the U.S. earn an average of $44,235 per year, with hosts in Hawaii leading the list with average earnings of $73,247.
13. Your Talents
If you have specialized skills, such as writing, graphic design or teaching, you can make money from home by sharing your time and talents. You can look for freelance gigs at Fiverr or Upwork, or consider creating, marketing and selling an online course to share your talents with others and help them start a business of their own.
14. Photos
Do you enjoy taking photographs? You may be able to earn some extra cash by listing those pictures on sites such as Zenfolio or SmugMug.
According to Indeed, photographers earn an average salary of $43,329 per year, depending on their experience, region and the type of photography they do.
15. Your Opinion
If you want to earn extra cash in your spare time, you can do so by donating your opinions by taking surveys. Survey sites like Opinion Outpost pay as much as $25 per survey, as previously reported by GOBankingRates.
Final Take To GO
If you’re trying to pay down debt, save for retirement or simply improve your standard of living, consider one of the money-making ideas on the list above. With a little hustle and creativity, you can boost your income by hundreds per week.
FAQ
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about things you can donate for money.
What can you donate besides blood?
Some other things you can donate besides blood are your hair, bone marrow and skin.
How can I make extra money from home?
Some ways to make money from home are by taking surveys, selling your photos, and renting out your yard or home.
What can I donate to make money?
Here is a look at what you might be able to donate for some extra cash:
Your hair
Plasma
Bone marrow
Sperm
Eggs
Your uterus
Breast milk
Your skin
Your car
Your bike
Your yard space
Your home
Your talents
Photos
Your opinion through surveys
Caitlyn Moorhead contributed to the reporting for this article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 15 Things You Can Donate for Money
