How to organize a collection center
By Antony Delgado · Updated Jul 24, 2026
A collection center receives in-kind donations (medicine, food, water, hygiene, tools) to channel them toward areas hit by an emergency. This guide covers the essentials to organize it well from day one, whether it's your first center or you've already been operating in an improvised way for weeks.
1. Define roles before receiving the first donation
With 2-3 volunteers and a coordinator it's enough to get started. Split the responsibilities: someone receives and registers each donation, someone packs and seals boxes, and the coordinator consolidates pallets and manages shipments. Without this division, it's easy to lose traceability from day one.
2. Register every item, not just “bundles”
The most common mistake of an improvised center is counting donations in generic boxes or bags (“3 boxes of medicine”) instead of item by item. Register every donation with its category, batch, and expiry date. That's what later lets you know exactly what's available, not just how much volume.
3. Pack into homogeneous boxes
A homogeneous box contains a single product type, a single batch, and a single expiry date, with no mixing. Each sealed box gets a QR code and a label. This isn't bureaucracy: it's exactly what the humanitarian shipping regime requires so the cargo doesn't get stuck at customs.
4. Consolidate into pallets and generate the manifest
Sealed boxes are grouped into pallets (mixed, they can carry different products). When the shipment is ready, an exportable manifest is generated (a packing list with every box and pallet), ready for the customs process.
5. Know the rejection rules before donations arrive
Not everything donated can be accepted. Medicines with less than 365 days of remaining shelf life are rejected (WHO guidelines for medicine donations), as are controlled substances. Food requires at least 180 days of remaining shelf life. Knowing these rules in advance avoids awkward conflicts at the moment a donation is received.
Frequently asked questions
How many people are needed to run a collection center?
With 2-3 volunteers and a coordinator it's enough to get started: someone receives and registers, someone packs and seals boxes, and the coordinator consolidates pallets and manages shipments.
What happens if a mixed donation arrives (several products in the same bag)?
It's separated by product, batch, and expiry at registration: each distinct combination becomes its own homogeneous box. More than one product is never mixed in a single box.
Can it be operated without an internet connection?
Donation registration works offline and syncs when the connection returns. Operations that require real-time validation (such as creating a new product type) do require a connection.
What do I do if a medicine doesn't meet the minimum shelf life?
It's rejected at registration: Araguaney automatically blocks medicines with less than 365 days of remaining shelf life, following the WHO guidelines for medicine donations.
Apply this standard in your collection center with Araguaney