when it comes to color or pattern choices, i'd say [just about] "anything goes."
what appeals to one person might not appeal to another ... and vice versa.

when it comes to quality of construction, though, nobody should ever donate a quilt they know is poorly made.
whether or not the recipient will "know the difference" is beside the point.

an inspector should not pass on a quilt/top they can see is poorly constructed.
it is not charity when the donated item is better suited to decorating a landfill.
it is not an act of kindness to dump our rejects on people who are already unfortunate in one way or another.
it is not generous to expect recipients to be grateful for whatever they get.

we should never donate anything we are not confident will survive daily use and frequent washing.
if it isn't good enough for a friend or member of our family, then it isn't good enough for a stranger.

Well said , Patrice

i got so busy pontificating, i forgot to suggest a solution to 1rottendog. :o

if you haven't already done so, prepare an information sheet for prospective donors that outlines the requirements and expectations.

when you receive quilts that are too poorly constructed to be of use, you should reject them and return them to the donor.
however, that should be done with as much kindness as possible.
it could be that the quilter is not aware of the problems; what causes them; how to fix them; or how to prevent them.

instead of saying, "we don't want this", say, "this will make a wonderful addition to our collection if you will be so kind as to fix ..." whatever needs fixing. if that person lacks the skills, the request should include an offer for personal help from an experienced member of your group.

99% of the time you can turn something negative into a long-term positive for everybody involved. :)

I agree with this 100%.

As someone who receives and processes blankets for charity, I understand the dilemma. We had a number of beautiful quilts come in with very small seams, so that after one washing the seams tore apart and were difficult/impossible to repair. I felt we should inform the quilter, but we didn't have a name.

A few months later, a quilt I made did the same thing. Yes, I was mortified, but I took the blanket back to try to figure things out. I have concluded it was poor fabric. And I am much more careful to prewash and use a good seam allowance – shooting for the perfect 1/4" but certainly not less, just to be on the safe side.

The animal shelter is always grateful for blankets, so some things do go there...

So what did you do with it?

I cringe every time I se the suggestion to donate a botch to charrity. I think most people can tell if something is decent - or not.

As to improving the overall quality - perhaps assume that no one knows anything and start with " classes" as to what is acceptable.

Maybe start with what fabrics are suitable and which are not
How to cut accurately - and perhaps how to choose a forgiving pattern
Stress the importznce of an adequate and consistent seam
How to press " for quilting"

Perhaps show examples of what you are looking for - and if you can find bad examples not made by amember of your group, show that and explain the problems with it

I have been the recipient of poor quality/poor quality fabric stuff. I currently have a pile downstairs of baby tops I'm not sure what to do with. I do know that I won't back them and give them away--they are really, really ugly. And I can work with just normal ugly. :)

So, what I'm thinking I will do, is cut them into smaller pieces and use them for a QAYG larger top and use a snazzy sashing and repurpose the tops this way. I will make several of these small ones into one larger top. I think they will be acceptable that way.

Otherwise, I've finished double knit tops given to me, and they work fine.

I've also had some "squares" given to me that weren't even close to square and the seams completely uneven (so I understand more or less where the OP is coming from). It is sometimes a challenge to use what is given and make something pretty/nice out of less-than-ideal materials. In my case, I don't have a clue as to who is doing the sewing. It would be hard to be gracious if it was a constant thing (IOW, the seamstresses think they are doing something wonderful when they are giving you garbage.).

Definitely, try to talk about quality and what makes a good charity quilt. Some people are still of the understanding that "missionaries" still want used tea bags, too (I guess.). I suppose they think that for charity, "any old thing will do." I try to make everything I give away (with the exception of the double knit tops that were donated to me and I finished) something I would be willing to have in my own home.

I have an enquiry into the two ladies that run our Linus Chapter. I hope they will tell me what to do with the "very poor quilts". I know I will not go to the effort to sew on the Linus labels and add the tags until I get an answer from the county chairperson.

I know of one coordinator for Project Linus who shared with me that some of the quilts donated weren't fit to be used.

I'd personally somehow try to let the quilter know what was wrong with her donation., being very careful to be politically correct and encouraging. Then she could either take it back or let me donate to the humane society. Of course I wouldn't let her know I was cutting up her quilt to put in the pet beds.

I've heard of ugly quilts for homeless. Due to the fact that if a quilt is a work of art, it's more likely to be stolen. I've only heard of this. I don't know this as a fact. Personally, I think if someone is looking for warmth, it doesn't matter what it looks like. We have several homeless areas in Florida and some nights get really cold. I'm sure the people would just love the warmth from a quilt.