How is the time-and-effort calculation methodology grounded?

Three components, all measured in effort rather than money: (1) the hours to load, drive, and unload; (2) the round-trip miles put on the donor's vehicle; (3) refusal-overflow risk, the percentage probability that the chosen thrift refuses some portion of the load on intake, sending the donor home for a second trip. All inputs are user-adjustable so the result reflects the donor's specific situation. Free NMLP at-the-door pickup takes all three to zero.

Why measure DIY donation in time and trips instead of dollars?

Because the real cost of dropping books off yourself is your afternoon and your vehicle, not a receipt. Loading and hauling boxes of books, driving a round trip, and — for the 15 to 30 percent a thrift refuses on intake — driving home and making a second trip is hours of effort and real wear on your car. Free NMLP pickup removes the hauling, the driving, the trips, and the refusals entirely; you make one short call and the load is collected at your door.

What is the refusal-overflow risk and why does it matter?

Every Albuquerque thrift store refuses some donation categories on intake: textbooks older than five years, encyclopedias, magazines, water-damaged copies, mold-spotted copies, broken-spine copies, and bulk hymnals or choral music. Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, and Friends of the Albuquerque Public Library all have published or operational refusal lists. The refusal rate varies by load composition but averages roughly 15-30 percent for mixed estate libraries. Refused books come back to the donor's vehicle and require a second disposition trip, doubling the time and mileage cost for that share of the load. NMLP eliminates this entirely; the published refusal categories are upfront and the pickup is unconditional within those categories.

DIY vs Free Pickup • Time, Miles & Trips • CC-BY-4.0

What does DIY book donation actually cost you in time?

Books are heavy. Driving them takes hours and miles, and the thrift store refuses 15-30 percent on intake — which means a second trip. This calculator translates the DIY route into real hours, miles, and trips so you can compare it to NMLP's free at-the-door pickup.

Tell the calculator about your donation

Number of boxes

Banker box of mixed books ~35 lb

Round-trip distance to thrift (miles)

ABQ neighborhood avg ~6-12 mi

Hours: load + drive + unload

10 boxes typically 1-2 hrs end-to-end

Refusal-overflow risk %

DIY drop-off: your time & effort

1.7 hrs

9 miles on your vehicle · the ~15% a thrift refuses on intake means a likely second trip

Loading, driving, and unloading the boxes yourself — every time.

Free NMLP pickup: your time & effort

0 hrs

Zero driving · zero trips · zero refusals on covered categories — I load it all at your door

5 minutes to call or text 702-496-4214

What free NMLP pickup saves you

1.7 hrs + 9 miles

Plus the second trip you'd make for refused books, zero vehicle wear, zero stress, and a load routed through documented literacy destinations.

The math your calculator is doing:

DIY effort = your hours and miles, scaled up by the refusal-overflow risk — because the share a thrift turns away on intake comes home with you and costs a second trip. NMLP pickup eliminates the hauling, the driving, the trips, and the refusals. No prices here; this measures your time, not your money.

Methodology & sources

Quantity	Default	Source
Box weight assumption	35 lb mixed books per box	Operational measurement, NMLP
Typical ABQ drop-off round-trip	6-12 miles	Driving distance from ABQ neighborhoods to nearest book-accepting thrift
Refusal-overflow rate (mixed library)	15-30%	Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul published refusal policies; operational observation
NMLP refusal categories	Published upfront	See YES Guide

Cite this calculator

Eldred, J. (2026). Donor Time-Cost Calculator — DIY vs Free NMLP Pickup.
New Mexico Literacy Project. CC-BY-4.0.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/donor-time-cost-calculator-albuquerque

Stop carrying boxes. Start a 5-minute phone call instead.

Free at-the-door pickup, any quantity, any condition. The calculator above is the time and hassle you skip.

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