NAEIR Blog

Make It A Point of Making Your Mark - Support H.R. 2592 Now!

2012-02-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

Gary C. Smith, NAEIR’s President & CEO recently sent anemail to many of our donors as well as companies that have expressed interestin NAEIR’s free inventory reduction service but have not yet participated inour program.

Gary C. Smith, NAEIR President & CEO flanked by
Congressmen Schock [IL-18]and Schilling [IL-17], the Bill's
Sponsor & one of its Co-sponsors, on the left & right respectively

His message was a simple and straightforward one. He asked that they go to http://pvox.co/AFDMzV and support H.R.2592. This bill would extend the up to twice-cost federal tax deductionto S Corporations and other small companies that donate their excess inventoryto charities. Passage of the legislationwould increase the amount of a wide range of free inventory to strugglingnonprofits, schools and church organizations nationwide.

Help us getthe word out on the bill by going to http://pvox.co/AFDMzV! You’ll be sending a strong message to your Representatives in Congress lettingthem know that you support H.R. 2592.

If you're abusiness and would like to donate to NAEIR, or if you're a nonprofit, school orchurch and would like to learn more about the benefits of joining, please giveus a call at (800)-562-0955.

NAEIR & NEA - This Could Be the Start of Something Big

2012-02-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

From left - Cruz A. Ramos, VP of Public
Affairs, NAEIR and Al Campos, Lobbyist,
Federal Advocacy Government Relations, NEA

A couple of weeks back, while in Washington, DC, over a few days of great weather,Jim Jones, Director of Public Affairs and I met with Alfred Campos, Lobbyist,Federal Advocacy Government Relations for the National Education Association(NEA).

We spent most of our time over lunch discussing H.R. 2592and the positive tax treatment that would accrue to small businesses when theydonate inventory to charitable organizations. We also discussed the anticipated increase in the volume of freeproducts that would become available to charities, schools and churches if thebill were passed.

Al said he’d study the bill in order to determine whetherthis legislation would be something that the NEA would get behind. He seemed genuinely interested in thepotential benefits on the national level - to schools and to the NEA’sconstituents; teachers and school administrators.

Help us to get the word out on the bill! Contact your Representatives on Capitol Hill. Go to www.popvox.com. Registration is quick and easy. Type in H.R. 2592 in the box on the upper right hand corner. On the next webpage, please click "Support" and ask everyone you know to do the same.

If you're a business and would like to donate to NAEIR, or if you're a nonprofit, school or church and would like to learn more about the benefits of joining, please give us a call at (800)-562-0955.

Pushing H.R. 2592 On a Visit to Our Nation's Capital

2012-02-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

James Jones, Director of Public Affairs and I met recently withrepresentatives of the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities(HACU). These included Dr. Gumecindo Salas, VP Of Government Relations, LauraMaristany, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs and Cesar E.Oyervidees-Cisneros, HNIP Associate Director. After a discussion of H.R. 2592, a bill that provides tax relief tosmall businesses donating excess inventory to nonprofits, schools and churches,there appeared to be interest in how this legislation could benefit HACU’smembership of over 300 colleges and universities all of whom have sizableHispanic constituencies. We also discussed NAEIR membership opportunities forHACU’s member colleges and universities along with the possibility ofcollaborating with them in the areas of public relations and marketing aswell. HACU’s 26^th AnnualConference will be held in Washington, DC later this year, October 20^th–22^nd,2012.

From left - Cruz Ramos, VP of Public Affairs, NAEIR,
Dr. Salas, VP of Government Relations, HACU,
Cesar Oyervides-Cisneros, HNIP Associate Director &
Laura Maristany, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs

Additionally, with regard to our continuing fine-tuning ofour efforts in advancing the bill, we also devoted some time to how othergroups may be in a position to help us. Besides individual members of Congressand their staffs, there are numerous caucuses. Some of these represent interests that are directlyor at least closely aligned with the health and well-being of charities,educational organizations and small business related groups. There are of course also major organizationsand associations whose missions dovetail nicely with a broad range of deservinggroups that would stand to benefit if the bill were passed.

During our time in DC we also met with staffers atCongressmen Schilling, Shock and Davis’ offices. We discussed how best to takeadvantage of the opportunity we now have as a result of the joint Schock &Schilling press conference on the bill, held Thursday, January 26^th,at NAEIR’s Galesburg, IL facility.

Robert C. Frederick, Legislative Director,
Congressman Bobby Schilling (R-IL17)

At a time when other issues seem to be taking up more of thespotlight, the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act is not gettingas much attention as we’d like. Still, duringthese meetings we discussed the continuing need to build on and energize oursupport base.

This would include NAEIR’s nonprofit and school membership aswell as donor companies and many businesses that we speak with routinely butthat have never donated. Many of the companies that have not previously donatedinventory to NAEIR or any other charities for that matter, have no taxincentive to do so. The inclusion of SCorps and other pass-throughs that would be realized with the passage of H.R.2592 would extend the above-cost tax benefits to these small businesses,whereas at this time only C corporations are eligible.

A number of recommended approaches came up during our time inWashington, DC that we’ll want to put to good use in building our support baseand generally advancing the progress of the bill. These include our gettingother congressmen to sign on to the bill as co-sponsors, widening congressionalsupport across state lines, and while we’re at it, striking a bi-partisanbalance as much as possible. We alsoneed to identify congressional committees and caucuses whose interests are inline with tax relief for small businesses.

Margie Almanza, Legislative Assistant,
Congressman Aaron Shock (R-IL18)

Passage of H.R. 2592 not only helps small businesses but alsopromotes and further ensures the continuation of the very important role thatcharities, schools and churches have in addressing the needs of the poor andunderserved in our nation.

Dr. Jill Hunter-Williams, Legislative Director,
Congressman Danny K. David (D-IL7)

Help us to get the word out onthe bill! Contact your Representatives on Capitol Hill. Go towww.popvox.com. Registration is quick and easy. Type in H.R. 2592in the box on the upper right hand corner. On the next webpage, pleaseclick "Support" and ask everyone you know to do the same.

If you're a business and wouldlike to donate to NAEIR, or if you're a nonprofit, school or church and wouldlike to learn more about the benefits of joining, please give us a call at (800)-562-0955.

Congressmen Schilling & Schock Rally Around Bill That Helps Charities and Small Businesses

2012-01-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

From left, Congressman Schock, Gary C. Smith, President
& CEO of NAEIR & Congressman Schilling

Galesburg, Illinois – Thursday,January 26, 2012 – A day after having observed the 35^th anniversaryof the organization’s founding, NAEIR hosted a joint press conference heldbefore an audience of the nonprofit group’s employees. Congressmen Aaron Schock[R-IL18] and Bobby Schilling [R-IL17] each made statements regarding thesignificance of H.R. 2592: the Charitable Contribution Parity & EnhancementAct. The bill would extend a federal taxdeduction to small businesses making inventory donations to nonprofits, schoolsand churches.

As the bill’s sponsor, CongressmanSchock stressed that the bill corrects a longstanding disparity between SCorporations and other small businesses that represent a significant majorityof all companies and larger Regular C Corporations. Currently the up to twice-cost tax benefit oninventory donations is available to C Corporations but not to smallerbusinesses. H.R. 2592 would change that.Congressman Schilling, a co-sponsor, emphasized the nationwide impact that thebill would have and it’s bi-partisan support. Congressman Danny Davis [D-IL7] is another co-sponsor of the bill.

Gary C. Smith, President& CEO of the organization, underscored the benefits that would be realizedby both the small business community as well as charities across the U.S. Headded that the impact of this legislation needs to be understood on thegrassroots level; promoting greater collaboration between businesses andcharities at the local level.

Mr. Smith and the Congressmenagree that the passage of H.R. 2592 would provide tax relief to hundreds ofthousands of struggling small businesses. Equally substantial numbers ofcharities and those they serve numbering in the millions would benefit throughpreviously unavailable access to a wide variety of free products.

The Congressmen were inagreement that this legislation represents a two-pronged economic boost to thenation’s small businesses and millions of Americans nationwide, currentlystruggling under challenging economic times.

Help us to get the word out on the bill! Contact your Representatives on Capitol Hill. Go to www.popvox.com. Registration is quick and easy. Type in HR 2592 in the box on the upper right hand corner. On the next webpage, please click "Support" and ask everyone you know to do the same.

If you're a business and would like to donate to NAEIR, or if you're a nonprofit, school or church and would like to learn more about the benefits of joining, please give us a call at (800)-562-0955.

Lunch With Representative Don Moffitt on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

2012-01-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

Gary C. Smith, NAEIR’s President and I sat downwith Representative Don Moffitt yesterday over lunch at Chez Willy’s on Historic SeminaryStreet here in Galesburg, IL. Of course,yesterday marked an important national holiday - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

While municipal, state and federal government agencies and many ofour country’s businesses were closed, the Representative had spent the earlierpart of an unusually warm and welcome early January day at various importantevents. These were held in order tomemorialize the formidable contributions of this great man to the civil rightsmovement in the United States and to celebrate the resulting civil libertiesthat millions of Americans now hold dear.

As a fulltime legislator in the role of State Representativefor the 74^th District in the Illinois General Assembly that’s servedin this capacity since 1993, Don’s had years of experience in thiscapacity. He also has a number ofimportant committee assignments. Theseinclude the Committee of the Whole, Agriculture & Conservation,Appropriations – Public Safety, Elementary & Secondary Education, LocalGovernment and Veterans Affairs.

State Representative Don Moffitt,
74th District, IL General Assembly

Taken as a whole, NAEIR’s approximately 13,000 membersinclude a wide range of nonprofit organizations and schools throughout thecountry. Within the State of Illinois, NAEIR has more members than in any othersingle State of the Union; exceeding 1,400 across both of our currentmembership programs.

While Representative Moffitt of course, has a keen interestin the welfare and prosperity of our nation as a whole and the State ofIllinois specifically, his primary responsibility as an elected official is tohis constituents in Illinois’ 74^th District which includes Knox, Stark and parts of Bureau and Henry counties.

Over lunch, we talked about some of thechallenges that NAEIR as an organization is facing as a result of the difficult economic climate that's effected virtually everyone in the country, including our nonprofit and school members. Wealso brought the Representative up to speed on our efforts regarding HR 2592:the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act. Gary talked about thebenefits that many more charitable organizations would realize in the form of freeproducts and that greater numbers of small businesses could anticipate in the form of an enhancedfederal tax deduction.

We also discussed the idea of working with more schooldistricts in the state and that discussions with public sector leaders ineducation on the Illinois State level might ultimately result in a productivepartnership to that end. Considering thebudget cuts that the State has been experiencing, NAEIR could be a Godsend tomost of the State’s school districts in particular. We currently work with only a fraction of thetotal 1,068 school districts in Illinois.

We've got a few things to follow up on and agreed, before going our separate ways, that it’s probably a good idea to get together fromtime to time in order to continue to explore mutual areas of interest.

If you're a business and would like to donate to NAEIR, or if you're a nonprofit, school or church and would like to learn more about the benefits of joining, please give us a call at (800)-562-0955.

A Quick and Simple Way to Grow Support for H.R. 2592: the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act

2012-01-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

In this blog and elsewhere we’ve been discussing NAEIR's introduction of H.R. 2592 and attempts to cultivate interest and support of thebill since 2008.

Once passed, this legislation would allow thousands of SCorps and other businesses throughout the country to take advantage of IRCSection 170(e)(3). They would get the sameenhanced tax deduction when donating surplus inventory that only C Corporations now enjoy.

The bill would motivate many more companies to donateinventory and make a wide range of free products available to charitiesthroughout the country.

NAEIR's corporate offices and warehouse, Galesburg, IL

We’ve sought to grow support for the bill among legislatorsand others throughout the country for a while now. There have been meetings and telephoneconversations with legislators and their staff. In addition, we’ve also spoken with major nonprofit groups andassociation executives in education and the philanthropic and businesscommunity on the local and national level. Periodic trips to Washington, D.C.in large part to grow this support as well as to generate interest in NAEIR ingeneral have also been conducted.

As I’ve said previously and should come as no surprise toanyone that spends any time watching network or cable news, reading online newssources and poring over newspapers, the focus on the domestic front, at alllevels of government is job creation and the national debt. Scarce little attention is being paid toanything else.

No matter. With yourhelp and your support of H.R. 2592, we can continue to build on the growinginterest in the bill and its ultimate adoption.

Here’s an easy way to let your legislators know that you support the bill; that may inspire them to do likewise. Go to www.popvox.com. First, you’ll need to register. This will take no time at all and allowsPopvox to automatically determine who your representatives are. Type H.R.2592 in the search panel on the upper right hand corner. A webpage will appear. You can register support with a click of yourmouse. An email will be sent directly toyour representatives on Capitol Hill. Please ask your friends and colleagues todo the same.

This is important legislation. One of the great things about this bill isthat it helps both the philanthropic and business communities across thecountry.

Thanks for your help.

Questions? Give me acall or send me an email. I’ll get backto you ASAP. Here’s how to reach me:

Cruz A. Ramos

VP of Public Affairs

NAEIR

(309)-343-0704 ext. 341

(800)-562-0955 ext. 341

car@naeir.org

2012-01-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

NAEIRMeeting with Doug Whitley, President and CEO - Illinois Chamber of Commerce

GaryC. Smith, President and CEO, NAEIR and I met recently with Doug Whitley,President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Onits website, The Illinois Chamber describes itself as “…the leading voice foremployers of all sizes, from sole proprietors, to entrepreneurs reshaping theIllinois business landscape, to international corporations, we serve as yourvoice in the state capitol.”

Doug Whitley, President & CEO
Illinois Chamber of Commerce

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce has over 3500members in the State and works with individual local Chambers within the stateas well. It represents the interests ofthe Illinois business community on the federal level as well as the State leveland is active in representing its members both statewide and nationally.

We were introduced to Doug through ourassociation with Bob Maus, the President of the Galesburg Area Regional Chamberof Commerce. The occasion for the meetingwas to talk to Doug about HR 2592. Ifpassed, the bill would allow the majority of American businesses – SCorporations and other pass through entities - the same up to twice-cost taxdeduction benefit that Regular C Corporations have benefited from since 1986.

Passage of the bill would benefit Illinoisgreatly in that it would provide tax advantages to Illinois businesses, themajority of which don’t currently benefit as most are not C Corporations. Themeeting provided us with an opportunity to get to know Doug and betterunderstand his organization, while establishing a foundation that we hope willultimately result in closer collaboration and perhaps opportunities to meetIllinois business people affiliated with the Illinois Chamber.

As intriguing as the bill appeared to Doug,this is not currently something they would formally get behind given a fulllegislative agenda at this time. Dougdid share his thoughts with us on how we might be able to get some traction onthe bill that Gary and I discussed afterwards. We also discussed some other areas of mutual interest and possibleongoing discussion.

All in all, we came away from our meetinghaving learned something about the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and some of thechallenges facing the State’s business community. Gary and I believe we were able to speak toareas of mutual concern; perhaps areas where we might be able to collaboratewith Doug and the State Chamber in the future.

For information on how your company can benefitwhen donating excess, slow-moving inventory, please call us at (800)-562-0955or go to www.naeir.org. If you’re anonprofit organization, school or church that’s interested in getting freematerials, you can also call us at this number or find out more about us throughour website as well.

Long Overdue Sit-down with World Vision & Call to Action in Support of S Corp Tax Reform Bill

2011-12-28T08:14:00.001-08:00

Left to right: Gary C. Smith, President/CEO,
Cruz A. Ramos, VP of Public Affairs, NAEIR
and Robert G. Zachritz, Senior Director,
Advocacy & Government Relations for World Vision

NAEIR and World Vision

Several weeks ago, Gary C. Smith, President/CEO and Jim Jones, Director of Public Affairs, NAEIR and I spent a few days in Washington, DC mostly taking care of business related to HR 2592, the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act.

After an earlier morning meeting during our first full day there, we hailed a cab to Union Station where we then proceeded to look around for someone that would also be actively looking for us. In short order we made the acquaintance of Robert G. Zachritz, Senior Director, Advocacy & Government Relations for World Vision. We then took a short walk to a coffee concession and sat down so as to get to know each other better.

Although their corporate offices are in Washington State, their advocacy group, headed by Bob, has an office in Washington, DC. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization that works with families throughout the world. Bob’s team “creates strategy for how World Vision engages with the U.S. government on public policies that effect the world’s poor.”

Our meeting served as the first of what we hope will be a continuing series of opportunities to get to know each other’s organizations better. We’re confident that there will also be opportunities to learn from each other so that we may better serve our respective constituencies.

We Need Your Help Now! Support HR 2592; the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act

We recently sent out a blast email to NAEIR’s membership as well as many of our donors and prospective donors in order to raise awareness concerning the importance of HR 2592. In addition to asking our membership base of charitable organizations and schools for their support, Gary C. Smith has also asked for the support of many of the companies that we work with or that have, over the years, at least expressed interest in donating their excess inventory. We’ve asked specifically that this support take the form of their contacting their Representatives on Capitol Hill and asking them to get behind the bill now.

Gary C. Smith, President/CEO, NAEIR

Currently, in the absence of any enhanced tax benefit available to them, a small number of S Corporations and other small businesses continue to donate to NAEIR and other gifts-in-kind types of organizations throughout the U.S.

The modest level of donations being made by S Corporations and other small companies at the present time strongly suggests that if the enhanced deduction now available only to C Corporations were extended to S Corporations and other pass-throughs, the level of inventory donations made nationally to thousands of qualified nonprofits as well as NAEIR would increase substantially.

If passed, HR 2592 would extend the enhanced tax benefit to S Corporations and other small companies. The bill has been introduced by Representative Schock and co-sponsored by Representatives Danny Davis and Bobby Schilling. We are also speaking with other Representatives in Congress that have expressed interest in this legislation.

With the business community in general and small businesses in particular struggling to stay afloat, the availability of a tax deduction and the ability to donate slow-moving inventory to deserving charities versus scrapping perfectly useful goods makes good sense all around.

Thus far, we’ve gotten a small number of responses. We’re told by individuals that have some experience in these matters, that a handful of responses is actually representative of a larger population of like-minded folks across the country. At NAEIR, we certainly hope that this is true. We all need support for the bill now more than ever.

Please join Congressmen Aaron Schock, Danny Davis and Bobby Schilling in supporting HR 2592. Call Congressman Schock’s office now. For more information on the bill you may also contact Gary C. Smith, President/CEO or Cruz A. Ramos, VP of Public Affairs, NAEIR at 309/343-0704, at extension 201 or 341.

We’re asking that you copy Gary C. Smith at gcs@naeir.org on any emails that you send to your Representatives in support of HR 2592. Doing so will help us in our ongoing assessment of the growing support for the bill.

NAEIR and Independent Sector work together in support of HR 2592: the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act

2011-12-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Left to Right: Lois Fu, Vice President, Public Policy for IS,
Geoffrey Plague, Director, Government Relations, Gary C.
Smith, President/CEO and Cruz Ramos, Vice President of
Public Affairs

During one of the general sessions at the recent Independent Sector 2011 annual conference in Chicago, I had the good fortune of sitting next to Lois Fu, Vice President, Public Policy for Independent Sector. As I’ve mentioned in a previous posting, IS is a highly respected national nonprofit organization that actively works on behalf of nonprofit organizations throughout the country on a wide range of issues.

Although I hadn’t met Lois previously, as soon as I introduced myself she informed me that she was aware of HR 2592, the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act and that she had already met with Gary C. Smith, President/CEO and Jim Jones, Director of Public Affairs for NAEIR earlier in 2011 just prior to our joining IS. She added that IS has decided to include HR 2592 in a listing along with a number of other bills they are supporting.

HR 2592 seeks to extend the up to twice-cost federal tax deduction to S Corporations and other smaller companies when they donate excess, slow-moving inventory to charitable organizations. At this time, only C Corporations are generally eligible for this enhanced deduction.

The passage of HR 2592 would provide a significantly larger number of companies with a tax incentive that would in turn make greater amounts of inventory available to charities throughout the U.S.

I was in attendance along with Gary and Jim at a more recent meeting with Lois Fu and Geoffrey Plague, Director, Government Relations. Lois and Geoffrey both discussed some of the challenges that IS is facing as Congress contends with a number of other legislative realities that figure prominently on its agenda through the end of the year.

It becomes all the more critical then, for us to let our representatives in Congress know that they need to support HR 2592, as this bill represents a much needed lifeline to struggling S Corporations and other small businesses as well as deserving charitable organizations throughout the country.

Congressman Aaron Schock is sponsoring this bill and congressmen Danny Davis and Bobby Schilling are its co-sponsors.

Please call or email your representatives now and let them know that you support the bill. We would also appreciate your copying us on any emails you send to your representatives. Our respective email addresses are car@naeir.org and gcs@naeir.org. Please give me or Gary C. Smith a call at 309/343-0704, for any additional information.

Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act (HR 2592)

2011-11-30T11:00:00.001-08:00

By Cruz A. Ramos, Vice President/Public Affairs (car@naeir.org)

Michgan Senator Debbie Stabenow

and Cruz Ramos

During the week of 13 November 2011, Gary Smith, NAEIR’s President & CEO along with Jim Jones, Director of Public Affairs, and Cruz Ramos all traveled to Washington, DC for a series of meetings with various staff members of congressional offices on Capitol Hill. Darren Collier, Senior VP of the McGuire-Woods Consulting firm has been instrumental in scheduling meetings on NAEIR's behalf with the staff of key members of Congress.

From Left to Right: Rosalyn Kumar, Tax Counsel, Gary C. Smith, President & CEO, NAEIR, and

Jason LaGosh, Legislative Aide to Debbie Stabenow, United States Senator - Michigan

This is all part of NAEIR Executive Management's continuing effort to increase interest and support for HR 2592, the Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act. This bill would extend the enhanced deduction available only to Regular ( C ) Corporations at this time - to S Corporations and other small businesses going forward, when they donate excess inventory to charitable organizations and schools.

Rosalyn & Gary

As can be imagined, with the leading headlines trumpeting the Super Committee stalemate, the national debt and jobs among other issues, these days passage of any legislation not immediately related to any of the above won’t draw as much attention.

Nevertheless, NAEIR is not dismayed and continues to look for opportunities to move the “bill” forward and have been encouraged by some of the ideas, recommendations and expressions of support that have been offered during the aforementioned meetings. This, in spite of some of what appears to be the general lack of progress in promoting legislation of virtually any kind on Capitol Hill.

As stated previously, this bill would incentivize many more American companies to donate greater amounts of excess inventory to tens of thousands of charitable organizations coast to coast.

The Charitable Contribution Parity & Enhancement Act would throw a life-line in the direction of America’s small business community and beleaguered nonprofit organizations, both hard hit by the economy.

You may send an email to Cruz A. Ramos at car@naeir.org. He may also be reached at 309/343-0704, ext 341. All media queries are welcome as well.

INDEPENDENT SECTOR 2011 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

2011-11-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday, October 30th – Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
By Cruz A. Ramos, Vice President/Public Affairs (car@naeir.org)

For NAEIR, as is probably true for many attendees, the primary benefit of the conference in Chicago was in networking opportunities. Post show figures suggest that there were about a 1,000 attendees. Nonprofits of all sizes with missions addressing everything from literacy to hunger as well as foundations and corporate funders were well represented. The plenary sessions featured speeches on the need for more innovation and collaboration as well as the need for increased funding of the nonprofit sector.

The conference involved a full, back-to-back schedule of plenary sessions over meals, workshops and break-out groups. Many of the sessions featured enticing subjects like lobbying for nonprofits, re-branding, trends in corporate philanthropy, as well as nonprofit regulation and a host of other topics.

Throughout all of the proceedings there were many opportunities for those in attendance to make introductions around the table and share ideas.

Although I had done some advance work on reviewing and highlighting the list of registrants, because of the sheer number of people in attendance, it wasn’t possible to meet with most of the attendees. I was, however, able to connect with a number of individuals representing nonprofit organizations and potential donors that may be helpful to NAEIR in the future.

Many of those in attendance represented some of the major nonprofits as well as leaders of both private and corporate foundations. All in all, there were prominent representatives in the private sector with both national and in many cases, a global reach.

The conference’s “no solicitation” policy made it so that you could not pitch to a potential funder but there were numerous opportunities to simply discuss NAEIR’s programs, the availability of a wide variety of free products to nonprofits and schools and the diversity that may be found across our national membership base. Beyond the conference itself, there are certainly opportunities that we’ll take advantage of in terms of follow-up.

Participation in the Independent Sector’s Annual 2011 conference was well worth the time and effort. This was our first year in attendance. I believe we’ve already made a few friends.

As great a town as Galesburg is, we recognize that we need to venture out from time to time in order to meet with representatives of organizations that can help us. To that end we’ll continue to pursue opportunities for collaborating with other organizations; whether large or small nonprofit organizations, school associations as well as foundations and companies throughout the U.S. that have a need for our services.

During this past year we’ve more actively sought to reach out to other organizations. This continuing effort will help to strengthen us so that we can be more effective in securing more donations of inventory for the membership.

You may send an email to Cruz A. Ramos at car@naeir.org. He may also be reached at 309/343-0704, ext 341. All media queries are welcome as well.

Donations Assist The Breast Cancer Society, Inc

2011-10-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

Dear NAEIR Team,

The Breast Cancer Society, Inc is thankful for the opportunity to receivegoods through NAEIR! The items we receive are distributed to qualifyingbreast cancer patients and their families.

While research and education are bothvital, and also funded by The Breast Cancer Society, Inc. there are manythousands of victims of breast cancer each year who need not only informationand the hope for an eventual cure, but require direct assistance today in orderfor them and their families to meet the challenges brought on by this disease.This is why TBCS and its supporters are so important. The NAEIR Team is one of those treasuredsupporters.

The BreastCancer Society, Inc. maintains anextensive program for procuring medicines, care items, and medical supplies.NAEIR greatly assists in these efforts and is considered one of our mostrespected resources. These much-needed commodities acquired through NAEIR areoffered to women who are battling breast cancer today.

It is importantto recognize that emotional healing is particularly important in the recoveryprocess for this disease. To this effect, we are most appreciative for theselection of items that NAEIR has to offer. In particular, we have found that itemssuch as stationaryproducts, crafts, toys and other goods enhance the emotional health of ourpatients and their families.

Thank you NAEIR for all that you have done and continue to dowith assisting breast cancer patients. Please know that you have offeredmore than goods and supplies for the patients we serve. In immeasurable ways, you have offered them hope!

Best Regards,

Jodi Eaton

CommoditiesAdministrator

The Breast Cancer Society, Inc.

Hallmark: When you care enough to give the very best…

2011-10-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

Since November of 2000 Hallmark Cards, Inc. has been a significant and regular corporate donor to NAEIR. Gift bags, gift-wrap, party supplies, sound cards, and plush animals are among the truckloads of product Hallmark donates to NAEIR. And, when the Hallmark donations come in the smiles start with NAEIR’s own employees in our Corporate Relations Department and on our Receiving Dock. But then, they spread nationwide to school children, the ill and those in need whose smiles all speak the same language of “thank you.”

In a recent conversation with three delightful people at Hallmark: Shere Graham, Inventory Disposition Mgr., Cora Storbeck, Corporate Contributions Mgr. and Debbie Evans, Donations Analyst, we learned that Hallmark is very intentional about their philanthropy. Nothing they give is lesser quality. “We never donate anything that we wouldn’t offer in our stores,” says Shere.

What Hallmark likes about their NAEIR connection is that we make it so easy for them to send a semi-trailer load of product in a timely fashion. As soon as they have clearance to donate merchandise, they call Nancy, their “Donor Rep” at NAEIR, and 99% of the time she gives them a same day response to ship it. The fact that their product gets distributed to so many different organizations is also a plus.

Hallmark’s new corporate emphasis is, “Life is a Special Occasion.” You don’t need to wait for a holiday, anniversary or birthday to send someone special something special. There’s nothing like receiving something tangible with good wishes attached.

NAEIR thanks Hallmark Cards for the win/win partnership we have enjoyed for the past eleven years.

NAEIR Assists in Enhanced Tax Deduction (HR 2592) Movement

2011-10-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

By Cruz A. Ramos, Vice President/Public Affairs (car@naeir.org)

Meetingswere held earlier in the year between Gary C. Smith, President and CEO andJames E. Jones, Director/Public Affairs for NAEIR and representatives ofIndependent Sector (IS). These served as opportunities to discuss topicsincluding NAEIR’s membership in IS and our introduction and stewardship of HR2592, a bill that would allow smaller businesses to enjoy an enhanced federaltax deduction (currently only available to C corporations) when donating excessinventory to nonprofits and schools.

A morerecent meeting in mid-August took place between Independent Sectorrepresentatives Ann-Marie Nwabudike, Senior Associate, Membership Retention,Stacy Cheetham, Senior Associate, Member Recruitment and Katica Kiss, GovernmentRelations Specialist and NAEIR. Cruz A.Ramos, VP/Public Affairs and James E. Jones expressed high expectationsregarding the benefits of membership in IS to NAEIR and its national membershipbase.

From Left to Right: Cruz Ramos (NAEIR), Ann-Marie Nwabudike (IS),
Stacy Cheetham (IS) and Katica Kiss(IS)

There wasalso further discussion at this time, concerning progress made regarding HR2592 and some discussion on IS’ part regarding the Charitable Deduction and widespreadconcern regarding its future. There was also some discussion regarding the 2011Independent Sector Annual Conference http://www.independentsector.org/2011_conference

in Chicagoin late October.

During thatsame week, two other meetings are also well worth mentioning. James E. Jones and Cruz A. Ramos met withJefferson Burnett, VP of Government and Community Relations and Whitney Duff,Director of Legislative Affairs of the National Association of IndependentSchools (NAIS). The meeting wasproductive in that there are some promising possibilities regarding NAEIR andthe services we may be able to offer some of the association’s members.

Cruz Ramos speaking with Dr. Carol J. De Vita

A meetingwith Dr. Carol J. De Vita, Senior Fellow at the Center on Nonprofits andPhilanthropy at the Urban Institute was also promising. NAEIRwas able to position itself as an organization that has an important impact ona large number of social service organizations and charitable organizations ingeneral in addition to schools. At thesame time, NAEIR also works with companies both large and small throughout thecountry. For the past forty-three years,the Urban Institute has established a strong reputation as a non-partisanorganization that has done extensive economic and social policy research. It has served as a highly respected resourcein the development of public policy since the Johnson administration helped setit in motion in the 1960’s. Because of the non-partisan nature of its work andrelationships with other organizations, even support for legislation that mightbe deemed favorable to charities and schools alike as well as small businessesis not possible. However, the UrbanInstitute’s relationships with leading organizations and individuals that helpshape public policy and the potential to cultivate a network of support at alater date through our relationship with the Urban Institute may well help usin the future.
The passageof HR 2592: Charitable Contribution Parity and Enhancement Act - would increasedonations of inventory significantly on a national level by providing smallbusinesses with the enhanced federal tax deduction currently available only toC corporations, thus providing them with a tax incentive to donate their excessinventory. It would also very likelyincrease communication and collaboration between businesses and charitableorganizations at all levels.

CongressmanAaron Schock has sponsored the bill and Congressmen Danny Davis and RobertSchilling are its co-sponsors. We’vebeen working with the firm of McGuire-Woods in shepherding this legislationthrough Congress and recruiting as much help as possible from legislators onboth sides of the aisle as well as leading national organizations.

Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisancoalition of 600 charities, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs,collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every stateacross the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading,strengthening, and mobilizing the nonprofit and philanthropic community. Learnmore at IndependentSector.org.

NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of IndustrialResources, is a not-for-profit distributor of supplies to churches and othernonprofit organizations. NAEIR operates a 10-acre warehouse full of $100million worth of inventory from its headquarters in Galesburg, Illinois.

You maysend an email to Cruz A. Ramos at car@naeir.org. He may also be reached at 309/343-0704, ext341. All media queries are welcome aswell.

NAEIR

560 McClure Street

Galesburg, IL 61401

Donating Excess Inventory for Tax Deduction

2011-09-27T08:16:00.001-07:00

Are you aware that your corporation may be able to earn a federal income-tax deduction under Section 170(e)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code? If your corporation has unsold merchandise or other excess inventory on hand you may be able to donate it to a qualified charity — generally, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources (NAEIR) is able to accept new donated items that include cancelled orders, returns, seconds, packaging changes, discontinued items and slow sellers. NAEIR is a nonprofit organization that collects donated merchandise from corporations and redistributes it to qualified schools and nonprofits.

Some noted factors for charitable giving include:

When you purchased the donated inventory item. If you donate an item you already had on hand at the start of the year, the charitable contribution deduction will be the item’s fair market value minus the amount that would have been “ordinary income” to you (that is, your profit) if you had sold the item at that fair market value. Your total charitable contribution deductions cannot exceed 10% of your taxable income for the year. If you donate a new item you purchased during the year, you can deduct the item’s cost. In this case, the deduction is not subject to the 10% limitation.
Whether the charity will use the item for its tax-exempt purpose. If that is the case and the item will be used solely for the care of the ill, the needy or infants, and your company is not an S corporation, you may qualify for an enhanced charitable contribution deduction. You can deduct the item’s fair market value minus one-half of the amount that would have been ordinary income to you if you had sold the item at that fair market value. The deduction cannot exceed twice the item’s “basis” (normally, the basis is the item’s cost). “Fair market value” is the price at which you otherwise would have sold the item — usually, the wholesale price for a manufacturer and the retail price for a retailer.

Consult your tax adviser for specifics because the requirements for charitable contribution donations are fairly complex. You can also get general information from NAEIR’s Web site, www.naeir.org, and a free guide on the subject by calling them at 1-800-562-0955

Ebenezer Presbyterian Church Helping Build Memories

2011-09-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

From Ebenezer Presbyterian Church to NAEIR:

Again I want to thank NAEIR for having all the materials we needed for our Vacation Bible School.

Between you and the NASA Space Program we had the greatest "Out of this World" VBS. NASA sent us all the decorations and some handouts but through NAEIR's catalog and the Grab Bag I was able to get all of the kid's shirts, craft projects and specialty gifts.

Through your catalog we got the kid's Space Suits (sports shirts which they decorated in glow in the dark paint), wooden stars and moons, Astronaut cookie ornaments, "Rosie" the Jetson's maid ornaments, glow in the dark stones (moon rocks) and wooden picture frames.

Through the Grab Bag we got the kid's "flight bags" (red and black gym bags), their flight manuals (make your own story book kits), rulers, Moon calendars, a moon walk (using pit balls), glow in the dark planets (painted pit balls) and light-up moon & star necklaces.

When the kid's arrived the first night they were given their "flight bags" and when they left the last night their bags were filled, thanks to NAEIR.

Thank you again for helping make this a very memorable VBS, we like to call it "Building Memories".

God Bless to all of you who work for NAEIR.

Cecil and Sue Dunning
Ebenezer Presbyterian Church
Rockwood, Illinois

Representative Bobby Schilling Tours NAEIR

2011-09-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Representative Bobby Schilling (R-IL-17) visited NAEIR on September 1st to learn how gifts-in-kind organizations operate, and to discuss the proposal of legislation to provide an above cost income tax deduction to S Corporations for in-kind donations. Expanding the enhance tax deduction could result in a substantial benefit for nonprofit organizations that benefit from the receipt of in-kind product donations.

Left to Right: Gary C. Smith - NAEIR President/CEO and Representative Bobby Schilling

Left to Right: Bob Clark - Director of Human Resources, Gary Smith, Rep. Schilling,
and Keri Anderson - Head of Receiving

Left to Right: Cruz Ramos - VP of Public Affairs, Gary Smith,
Paula DeJaynes VP of Corporate Relations, Rep. Schilling and Bob Clark

Hero in the church office

2011-08-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

What a hoot! I was a hero in my church office.

As a NAEIR employee, Director of Human Resources, I was aware of a new program NAEIR started several months ago. It’s called “Friends of NAEIR”. I logged onto our corporate website (http://www.naeir.org/) to learn the complete details of how the program works. As an individual and also a supply Pastor for the Presbyterian Churches in the Galesburg area, I was able to take advantage of NAEIR’s free products for nonprofits, as the church is a 501(c)(3). However, I do not need to be a non-profit "organization" to participate in the Friends of NAIER program. So I searched our online catalog and found an office supply kit valued at $400, and I was able to donate it to my home church in Galesburg for only the cost of handling and shipping, which cost me a mere $55. I received credit for a charitable donation.

WOW! The church staff was thrilled! The church secretary always thought I was cool. Now she thinks I’m awesome. Bob Clark

Every Child is Ours Shares Their Spirit with NAEIR

2011-08-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

ECIO Staff and NAEIR Staff

Every Child is Ours is a non-profit organization that serves the Delta region of Arkansas as well as several international sites. We run a food pantry that feeds four communities, Tuckerman, Swifton, Grubbs, and Campbell Station. We also work closely with the Jackson County School District to provide schools supplies, clothes and even prom dresses for our students. We feel very fortunate to be able to help take care of our people.

Recently, we came to Galesburg, IL to pick up our truck and trailer load of supplies from NAEIR. We had no idea that we would absolutely fall in love with Galesburg. From the wonderful woman at the desk at our motel to the smiling server at Sullys, we know that Galesburg is back! You may have lost a lot of businesses and factories, but nothing will stop the American Spirit that is alive and well in Galesburg. Maytag may be gone, but we saw that the people of Galesburg will survive.

ECIO trailer filled with free supplies.

We loved our visit to NAEIR! From Steve, who runs the warehouse to Manny and James who helped us figure out what to do with all our stuff, nobody could have been nicer to us. As soon as we had our truck and trailer completely full, we drove around to the main office. There we found more kindred spirits. The woman behind the front desk could not have represented NAEIR better. She was warm and welcoming and assured me that our representative, Patti, would be out in a few minutes. I told her I did not know how long I could wait, because we were old and cranky after all that work loading the supplies. She laughed and said, "Bring them on in". Before it was over, we met everyone. They came out to see our truck and trailer. They laughed, they smiled, and they made us feel that there are many things right with our country. Now we don't want you to think that you take our place as their number one customer just because this was our first time. You should go to NAEIR too! They will help you help your people. I can't think of NAEIR without a smile and a feeling of gratitude.

When we were leaving Galesburg, we stopped to have lunch at the Landmark Cafe and had the most amazing time. You must do this when you visit Galesburg. We had a lunch to die for and met fascinating people including our server who was a blues singer and sang for us there in the restaurant. We couldn't have had a better time! The trip was long, but not only did we pick up school supplies, we left with the feeling that America is United and strong.

We loved the whole NAEIR staff. We hope they don't forget the party they promised us on our next visit.

Jan Pascal

President and Founder

Every Child is Ours

A Great Value for Schools, Churches, and Nonprofit Organizations

2011-08-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

NAEIR membership is providing a fantastic value to schools, religious organizations, and nonprofit organizations located across the United States. When your organization is a member of NAEIR’s unique gifts-in-kind program, you have access to millions of dollars in brand new, free merchandise for use in your organization or to give directly to those that you serve. After paying a small membership fee to participate in the program, all NAEIR members have to pay to receive products are nominal handling charges plus shipping to get the items to their organizations – and you don’t even have to pay the shipping cost if you come to our Galesburg, Illinois facility and pick up your merchandise.

NAEIR merchandise is offered through large catalogs, where member’s requests are processed through our allocation system, special offer flyers, mini catalogs, and through NAEIR e-xpress our on-line requesting site. Some members participate in virtually every offer, others pick and choose – the more committed the member, the more the member receives.

So just how much of a value is NAEIR to member organizations? We took a random sample of four member organizations – not the most active members, not the least active members – just four average members and conducted a little return on investment study.

Click image for full size view.

Member number one was a ministry located in Monroe, Ohio. During the past year, this organization received merchandise valued at $61,583 from the large catalogs, $5,599 from the special offers program, $579 from the mini catalogs, and $19,644 through NAEIR e-xpress. That’s a total of $87,405 worth of merchandise and the member only had to pay a total of $4,666 in shipping, handling, and membership fees to acquire the products – a 19 to 1 return on their investment.

The second member in our study was a housing services organization located in McLoud, Oklahoma. This member received gifts-in-kind products valued at $10,640 through the special offers program, $1,083 from the mini catalogs, and $5,243 through NAEIR e-xpress. A respectable total of $16,966 in brand new product to be used by and given to the clients served by this housing services organization. And how much did the member have to pay in shipping, handling and membership fees for all of this merchandise? Only $3,450 -- a 5 to 1 return on their investment.

Member number three was a church located in Zephyhills, Florida. This member received $35,857 in products during the past year. The merchandise included $25,447 from the large catalogs, $2,689 worth of products from the special offers program, $1,639 from the mini catalogs, and $6,082 through NAEIR e-xpress. The total investment that this church made to receive the over $35,000 worth of merchandise was only $3,808 – a 9 to 1 return.

Our final member in the study was a school from Staunton, Illinois. The school received in-kind, donated merchandise valued at over $50,000 from the large catalogs, $3,816 from the special offers program, $626 from the mini catalogs, and $5,943 through NAEIR e-xpress. This school really made out big using the large catalogs. In total, the school received $60,473 of budget saving products, classroom supplies, and items to support their teachers, and give to the students that attend their school. And how much did this haul cost the school? Total shipping, handling, and membership fees for the year of only $2,238 – that’s a 27 to 1 return on the school’s investment!

In total, the four members in our study received over $200,000 of gifts-in-kind merchandise for their organizations through their memberships in NAEIR during the past year. They paid a total of $14,163 to acquire this merchandise for their organizations – that includes shipping, handling, and the cost of the membership fees – overall a total of $14 worth of brand new, budget stretching products for every dollar that they spent.

So what are you waiting for? Call our membership enrollment department at (800) 562-0955 and find out if your school, church, or nonprofit is eligible for membership in NAEIR’s gifts-in-kind program. Who knows what kind of incredible value you can achieve for your organization and your clients that depend so much on the services that you provide.

Something New For NAEIR Members

2011-07-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

In just a few weeks NAEIR will be testing a new concept: one charge pricing with free shipping. The products offered in this test will be smaller, highly demanded items – sort of a “build your own assortment” concept. These are items that NAEIR members use everyday in their schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations.

Currently, for most items offered through our mini catalogs, the special offers program, and NAEIR e-xpress, products are made available for a handling charge plus shipping. For this test, there will be one nominal charge – no additional charge for shipping. NAEIR members will be able to acquire products for a fraction of the value that the items are actually worth.

The items in this test will include office supplies, personal care items, book sets, and a few other surprises.

You can request these items through our website or by completing and returning the request form. The minimum order for our one charge, pricing test is $25. These are items with large quantities available, so take this opportunity to stock up on some great deals.

After you have experienced one charge pricing with free shipping, let us know what you think. If this is something that NAEIR members want to see more of, we can put together more offers in the future.

No having to request products by the pallet load, or in assortments. No wondering if the product is going to be available or not. No concern about the shipping charges – this is the simplest, easiest way yet to receive products through NAEIR.

Watch for your flyer around the middle of August 2011.

Gifts In Kind Donation is a way to Eliminate Excess Inventory

2011-07-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

NAEIR offers a FREE service to eliminate excess inventory, clear warehouse space, avoid problems with liquidators, reduce storage costs, focus on more profitable products, and create a federal income tax deduction worth up to twice cost!

We can accept from one box to multiple truckloads of product. Your excess inventory donation may be the result underperforming SKUs, discontinued models, seconds, buybacks, returns, and any excess inventory you need to eliminate.

With limited resources, and a growing need for products, schools and nonprofits need your help. We’re encouraging you to turn to NAEIR to donate your excess inventory. These products are made available to 13,000 member schools and nonprofits that now, more than ever, are in dire need of product.

Inventory donations that are received by NAEIR, cannot be bartered, traded or sold and must be used for the care of the ill, needy and minors.

To learn more about how NAEIR can be of benefit to your company, please call 1-800-562-0955, visit us on the web at www.naeir.org or send us an email at donor@naeir.org.

School Year Starter Kit

2011-07-07T01:59:00.000-07:00

NAEIR members will soon have the opportunity to receive over $450 worth of school supplies for only $36!

Our product distribution team at NAEIR has put together a Kids School Year Starter Kit that will be made available to members on July 15, 2011. The products in this assortment include watercolor markers, pens, pencils, erasers, writing paper, pencil sharpeners, colored pencils, rainbow pencils with glow erasers, tin pencil cases, and more. This kit contains over 450 total pieces.

Give these products to the children that you serve to supplement their school supply needs. During these tough economic times, many parents can use some support in providing their children with expensive school supplies. The products in the School Year Starter Kit can really help stretch a tight budget.

This kit also provides a chance to supply teachers with extra products to have on hand in their classrooms. In a recent survey of teachers conducted by NAEIR, 75% of the teachers that responded stated that they spend over $150 out of their own pockets on supplies for their classrooms during the school year. Spending $150 in handling for School Year Starter Kits would result in over $1,800 worth of supplies. That’s the equivalent of providing supplies for twelve of the teachers that answered our survey!

Where else are you going to be able to get a 10 to 1 return on your investment? Don’t stop with just one kit, request as many Kids School Year Starter Kits as your organization can use. And now with NAEIR’s pick up option, you don’t even have to pay the shipping to get the assortments to your organization. You can stop by NAEIR’s warehouse and pick up your school supplies assortments.

These kits are going to go quick. Watch for your flyer in the mail, or check the NAEIR website, www.naeir.org, on July 15^th.

Time to start thinking about school supplies

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost half over already. In just a few short weeks schools will be back in session. Now is the time to starting thinking about stocking up on school supplies through NAEIR.

Maybe you represent a school that is a member of NAEIR and are looking for items to provide to your staff to help reduce out of pocket expenses. Receiving craft items, art supplies, and classroom accessories through NAEIR is a great way to show your support and provide your staff with items that they can use to decorate their classrooms or use in creating projects for their students.

Maybe your organization works with young children. NAEIR has pens, rulers, binders, Post It Notes, books, tape, tote bags, personal care items . . . and so much more that can be used to help supplement school supplies requirements during these tough economic times.

The best part about getting school supplies through NAEIR is that they’re free. All your organization has to pay are nominal handling charges for the items and the shipping to get the products to your location – or better yet, you can avoid the shipping and pick up your merchandise at our Galesburg, Illinois warehouse.

Be sure to check out the latest NAEIR catalogs, special offer flyers, and items on our online requesting site. Start you school supplies stockpile today.

Picking up merchandise can really save money!

2011-06-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

NAEIR members asked us to find ways to lower the cost of participating in the association and we listened. Now virtually everything that is made available through NAEIR can now be picked up at our Galesburg, Illinois warehouse.

Over the years, members have come from all over the United States to pick up products that can be used to serve their clients at schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations. Picking up catalog allocations from the large catalogs has always been available, but now members can also pick up Special Offers, items from NAEIR e-xpress, Member’s Choice Plus, Encore Catalogs, and Member’s Choice catalogs.

While you’re at NAEIR picking up supplies for your organization, be sure to check out Grab Bag. For a small fee your organization will be given a large warehouse cart and two hours to haul away whatever items are available that can be used to assist the clients that so depend on the important services that your organization provides. With new donations arriving daily, you never know what you’ll be able to find in Grab Bag!

The pick up process is simple. Note on your request that you are planning to pick up your products. When your merchandise is ready you will be notified. After receiving your notice, simply call your Membership Advocate and let us know when you plan to visit – we love to have visitors. If you have time while you’re here let us know and someone will take you on a tour of the NAEIR facility. It’s a great chance to meet your Advocate or the Member Enrollment Rep that helped you get started.

Spread the Word Campaign

2011-06-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Help Spread the Word

NAEIR has been acting as the conduit between generous donor organizations and deserving schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations for over 30 years – over $2 billion in new, useful merchandise has been distributed to thousands of individuals during this time . . . yet, it’s always interesting to discover that many of companies and organizations that we talk to have never heard of NAEIR before.

Help us to spread the word. A lot of our donor companies belong to trade associations that publish journals; just as several of the schools, churches, and charities that are NAEIR members are part of larger groups that issue newsletters.

Just a short blurb in these publications can do wonders to spark interest in NAEIR.

We’re not expecting a front-page story (although we would welcome that opportunity) just a paragraph or two about how NAEIR works and how your company or school, church, or nonprofit has benefited from NAEIR’s service would be great. The more donations we receive, the more members we can serve -- the strong our organization becomes.

To show our appreciation, if you represent a donor company and you take the initiative to publish an article about NAEIR’s service in your trade association journal or newsletter, we will provide a free one-year catalog membership to the school, church, or charity of your choice – that’s a $595 value.

If you’re a member of NAEIR and include a blurb about NAEIR in a newsletter or publication that your organization is associated with, we will send you a coupon for $149 off on handling charges.

Just send us a tear sheet of the article from the magazine, journal, or newsletter, along with your contact information and we’ll see that you are justly rewarded for your efforts. To help you get started, below are some ideas for donor companies and member organizations to include in your publications.

Thank you for your continued support of NAEIR.

Suggested Article for Donor Companies:

Many companies aren’t aware of the benefits associated with gifts-in-kind donations. When you have excess inventory, donating that inventory can free up warehouse space, avoid the problems often associated with liquidation, can contribute to your company’s “green” initiatives by keeping the products out of landfills, tax deductions are available, and most importantly, your products will go towards helping schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations serving individuals that are ill, needy, or minors.

A leader in the gifts-in-kind industry that has over 30 years of experience in handling product donations is NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources. During this time, NAEIR has received and re-distributed over $2 billion worth of new, useful, excess inventory. Currently, NAEIR has over 12,000 school, church, and nonprofit members that can use a wide variety of products. NAEIR has a 450,000 square foot warehouse centrally located in Galesburg, Illinois, so they can accept donations from a few pallets to several truckloads. To learn more about the free product donation service offered by this unique organization, or to arrange a donation, call 1-800-562-0955 or visit the NAEIR website at www.naeir.org.

(if you would include a couple of sentences about your company’s donation experience with NAEIR it would be greatly appreciated)

Suggested Article for Member Organizations:

Schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations are receiving thousands of dollars in free merchandise through a gifts-in-kind organization called NAEIR.

It may sound too good to be true – but it’s not. NAEIR receives office supplies, maintenance and janitorial items, personal care products, items for children, paper products, plus a lot of the “extras” that are so important. The items themselves are free – all your organization has to pay are nominal handling charges and shipping to get the items from NAEIR’s Galesburg, Illinois warehouse to your location (or you can pick up the items at the NAEIR warehouse to avoid shipping charges).

All of the products that your organization receives have to be used for the ill, the needy, or children, and cannot be bartered, traded, or sold.

NAEIR has been around for over 30 years and during that time they have re-distributed over $2 billion worth of new, useful, excess inventory. To find out how your organization can become a part of NAEIR, call 1-800-562-0955 or visit the NAEIR website at www.naeir.org.

(if you would include a couple of sentences about how your organization has benefited from NAEIR membership it would be greatly appreciated)

45 New Items Today on NAEIR e-xpress!!

2011-06-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

LOTS OF GREAT ITEMS TODAY ON NAEIR EXPRESS and SPECIAL OFFERS - ALL SPECIAL OFFERS CAN NOW BE PICKED IN ANY QUANTITY

Please choose from the following options to access this product.

NAEIR E-XPRESS

Click here to go directly to the NAEIR e-xpress website to view these items.

Over 45 NEW items added today in the New Items Category
Reduced Handling category - as low as $5.00 for handling
Last Chance category - $4.00 or less

SPECIAL OFFERS – NOW PICKUP ANY QUANTITY OF SPECIAL OFFERS AND SAVE ON THE SHIPPING CHARGES

Click here to go directly to the Special Offers website to view these offers:

June Special Offers, Prayer Books & Jelly Beans, Weekly Planners, May Special Offers and much more. Get online now.

If you have any questions or you would like information on how to get signed up to view the available product, please call your Advocate at 800-562-0955 and select option 3 or send an email to member@naeir.org.

Great New Items and Pickup Options at NAEIR

2011-05-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

LOTS OF GREAT ITEMS TODAY ON NAEIR EXPRESS and SPECIAL OFFERS - ALL SPECIAL OFFERS CAN NOW BE PICKED IN ANY QUANTITY

Please choose from the following options to access this product.

NAEIR E-XPRESS

Click here to go directly to the NAEIR e-xpress website to view these items.

Over 45 NEW items added today - look in the NEW ITEMS category
New items added to the Reduced Handling category - as low as $5.00 for handling
Great items in the Last Chance category - $4.00 or less

SPECIAL OFFERS – NOW PICKUP ANY QUANTITY OF SPECIAL OFFERS AND SAVE ON THE SHIPPING CHARGES

Click here to go directly to the Special Offers website to view these offers:

June Special Offers added TODAY
Prayer Books & Jelly Beans – ONLINE ONLY
Weekly Planners - ONLINE ONLY
May Special Offers
Special Gift Catalog - over 50 items available - deadline May 27th

If you have any questions or you would like information on how to get signed up to view the available product, please call your Advocate at 800-562-0955 and select option 3 or send an email to member@naeir.org.

New Option to Pickup Special Offers at NAEIR

2011-05-26T09:55:00.001-07:00

GREAT NEWS!! You can now PICKUP ANY QUANTITY of Special Offers at NAEIR's warehouse in Galesburg, IL

Save on shipping costs and pick up multiple special offers at the same time. Request online, by fax or phone and we will have them ready for you to pickup. You will receive a notice when the offers are available to pick up and all you have to do is call your Membership Advocate to schedule an appointment. If possible we would like to have these special offers picked up within 2 weeks.

Watch for the New Special Offers that will be in the mail tomorrow, May 27th. Beat the crowd and request the new offers online starting tomorrow and also view all of the other offers available. Click here to go directly to the Special Offers website.

If you have any questions or you would like information on how to get signed up to view the available product, please call your Advocate at 800-562-0955 and select option 3 or send an email to member@naeir.org

TOY COMPANY PERFECT MATCH WITH NATIONAL NOT-FOR-PROFIT

2011-05-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

For toy companies, diversification has meant selling a variety of popular products--some for girls, some for boys; some for tots, some for older children; some in the lower price range, some in the higher price range.

One of the ways a company diversifies, is by completing an acquisition of another company. JAKKS Pacific, located in Malibu, California, is a company that uses this strategy.

“Following acquisitions, we work to ensure maximum profitability and often consolidate operations and liquidate excess inventory,” explained Genna Goldberg, JAKKS Pacific’s Director of Corporate Communications. “We may have excess inventory in a warehouse that we want to consolidate, which could include closeouts, discontinued product and current merchandise, all of which we need to clear out.”

JAKKS learned about NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, located in Galesburg, Illinois. NAEIR accepts donations of overstock, slow selling, and discontinued product from U.S. businesses and redistributes it to schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations nationwide. The companies that donate, earn an above cost federal income tax deduction that can be up to twice the cost of the goods.

“Often the Communications Department identifies charities and other groups in need, while Operations, Licensing, Sales and Finance work together to allocate and account for product donations,” adds Goldberg.

NAEIR has been a perfect fit for JAKKS because of the nature of the items donated. Since 2001 they have donated items like, toys, writing instruments, stationery products, and back-to-school supplies. Items like these are very appropriate for schools and nonprofits.

“NAEIR also provided a great opportunity to clear out the product, while offering our company a wonderful tax benefit in return,” Goldberg added. “JAKKS Pacific will certainly continue to work with NAEIR in the years to come.”

FEARS CALMED BY PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT RESOURCE

2011-05-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

Since 1930, the University of Chicago’s Department of Pediatrics has been responsible for the long range planning and development of all pediatric programs at the University of Chicago. Their physicians and scientists provide comprehensive, innovative medical care to over 150,000 children of all socio-economic backgrounds. However, state-of-the art healthcare is not the only things they strive for. These doctors want to provide programs to keep children’s minds off of being sick and to keep their minds and bodies active.

The University offers such programs to children of various age groups. However, since 97 percent of the children treated are on public assistance, funding can be limited. Spirit-lifting items such as toys, stuffed animals, party supplies, gift items, and clean clothes can be very hard to come by.

"Programs that provide a variety of things for children to see, hear and learn help to lift the children’s spirits,” says Arlene Timosciek, project assistant for the University of Chicago Department of Pediatrics.”The goal of our programs is to keep children’s minds off their woes.”

Resource To The Rescue

For the University of Chicago Department of Pediatrics to provide these programs and comforting items for the children, they had to look to a cost effective resource. Luckily, they found NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, a not-for-profit organization located in Galesburg, Illinois.

Since 1977, NAEIR has helped nonprofit organizations loosen their tight budgets through their membership program. NAEIR accepts donations of valuable, new, overstock inventory from U.S. businesses and redistributes those goods to its members, which include hospitals, schools, churches, municipalities, and other nonprofit organizations. Many of the over 9,500 members of NAEIR are in need of toys, games, and other activities for children, as well as office supplies, maintenance items, decorations and other necessities that will help improve the facilities as well as lives of those served.

There are over 7,000 American companies that have donated to NAEIR, earn a federal income tax deduction for their donations. This merchandise is sent to a 10-acre warehouse with over $100 million worth of inventory, located at NAEIR’s headquarters in Galesburg, Illinois. There, it is sorted, catalogued, and shipped to members.

Ins & Outs Of Membership

NAEIR members pay dues ranging from $495 to $595 per year, plus shipping and handling, and the merchandise itself is free. Once a member, organizations can request items from 200-page catalogs, special offer fliers, or an on-line site, NAEIR e-xpress, at www.naeir.org. Members are assigned a Membership Advocate who is there to assist the member in getting all they can from the membership. Each member must send in a request for items that their organization can use.

“Any materials that our members receive must be used for the care of ill, needy, or minors, and the goods cannot be bartered, traded, or sold,” explains Robert Gilstrap, vice president and chief financial officer of NAEIR. “Most of our catalogs have between 2,500 to 3,000 items available. Each catalog is different and based on what’s being donated.”

When catalog requests come in, NAEIR’s computerized system allocates products to each member. This is not a first come, first served system, so each member has the same chance at products that other members do. Allocations are normally ready three to six weeks after they are submitted. Members can either pick up the merchandise or have the allocation shipped directly to their facility for the full cost of shipping. However, the shipping and handling is all the organization would be responsible for.

Membership Rewards

The Department of Pediatrics has been using items from NAEIR for over four years now. They have brought smiles to children who are outpatients and those who may have extended stays in the hospital. The gift items are used for playtime, organized programs, and special occasions.

Toys from NAEIR are always appreciated. Sometimes, when a child has to go through a certain procedure, the nurses like to give them a toy or sticker to take their mind off the situation. Before NAEIR came along, the nurses had to spend their own money to purchase items like these.

Teddy bears and stuffed animals are special items for Emergency Room visitors. “Children are frightened when they come to the ER,” Timosciek says. “And, a soft friend to hug is always greatly appreciated.”

In one shipment, the Department of Pediatrics received “rubber ducky” earrings. A doctor took these earrings straight to the nursing staff to wear. “Everyone tries to do whatever they can to alleviate the fears of the children,” Timosciek states. “And if wearing rubber ducky earrings will help make children smile, that is what they will do!”

The children’s playroom at the hospital is filled with craft and toy items from NAEIR. If some children can’t make it to the playroom, items are brought right to the patient’s bed to help keep them in good spirits. “Children who are hospitalized appreciate the opportunity to play and just be a child,” Timosciek says. “We are always trying to get more toys from NAEIR to add to the assortment.”

Some of the goods received from NAEIR are also used for the department’s teen pregnancy program. This program helps many underprivileged, pregnant teens by partnering them with an older woman who counsels them through their pregnancy and helps them develop good parenting skills. At Christmastime, the girls are given a bag and they can “shop” for items for themselves or members of their family. The items they are shopping for all came from NAEIR.

“Most of these teens are very poor, so products provided by NAEIR, such as clothing, toiletries, cosmetics and gifts for family members are extremely appreciated,” says Timosciek. “We also received several jewelry sets from NAEIR that we are able to give to the teens after having their babies.”

The “Next Step” program provides help to those girls after they become mothers. This program helps with their self-esteem and counsels them to wait to have more children. “Next Step” uses NAEIR products like new clothes, toiletries, and makeup to help with their confidence.

The hospital also strives to teach children the importance of eating healthy, so there are programs available for them as well as their parents. The nutritionists like to give the child and parent something to celebrate the completion of the program. The gifts, gift bags, and wrapping paper all come from NAEIR.

The special occasions and holidays at the University of Chicago Department of Pediatrics are even more special with items from NAEIR. If they are able, children in the hospital during Halloween are taken trick-or-treating at the hospital offices and nurses’ stations. Costumes are provided by NAEIR as well as small gifts to ensure a happy Halloween.

According to Timosciek, they have a variety of costumes. “This year, we’ll have two Mr. Potato Heads, a variety of monsters from Star Wars, and several people from Lost in Space,” she says.

The Department of Pediatrics also needs party supplies and decorations for their holiday celebrations. The University of Chicago’s Early Development Disabilities program relies on NAEIR for those items. Any small victory for these developmentally delayed children deserves a party.

Many of the patients at the University of Chicago Children’s Hospital are at or below-poverty level so basic items are needed. Some of the children that come into the ER are dirty or have old, worn clothing. Nurses clean them up with clean clothes provided by NAEIR before they are released.

Programs such as an HIV educational program include young children all the way up to teen-agers. These children have very little of even everyday items. “They are grateful for a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo or anything that we can offer them,” Timosciek says. “We use NAEIR products to give these children as much as we can.”

Member Results

To get products for all of the programs, Timosciek passes the catalogs along to the heads of the many different children’s programs. Each department requests what they need, but Timosciek usually adds items to those long lists of requests. “We have such wide-ranging programs, that we can find a use for anything,” Timosciek states.

NAEIR has done so well for us. It is a wonderful thing!” exclaims Timosciek. “I truly appreciate how helpful my NAEIR Membership Advocate has been to us. She is always truly accommodating in every way.”

Because of their experiences with NAEIR, staff of the Department of Pediatrics often recommend NAEIR to other nonprofit organizations. Timosciek and other staff members recommend NAEIR to other programs they are a part of such as schools and churches. “We know that they could use the same items that we benefit from!”

According to Gary Smith, president and chief executive officer of NAEIR, “We have collected and redistributed over $2 billion worth of donated goods over the past 26 years, and many nonprofit organizations such as the University of Chicago Department of Pediatrics rely on NAEIR for supplementing reduced budgets. Our members receive an average of $18,000 worth of new supplies each year. which is roughly a 30-1 return on their dues investment.”

Smaller items may be overflowing, but NAEIR has had many items in great demand and short supply. Items such as fax machines, refrigerators, freezers, furnaces, matching office furniture sets, and vinyl flooring do make their way to NAEIR’s warehouse every now and again.

Norbert C. Smith, an airplane parts manufacturer and consultant, started NAEIR in 1977 after noticing how much excess inventory companies have. The tax laws had also just changed, letting corporations deduct twice the cost of unsold goods by donating them to a school or other nonprofit organization.

For more information on how your organization can become a member of the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, call 1-800-562-0955 or go to www.naeir.org.

14 Tips on Membership Success & Requesting Free Products

2011-05-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

What our data tells us about members who have a successful experience with NAEIR where the member recoups the cost of membership by obtaining $3,600 on average per catalog. For yearly members there are five catalogs and for ten month members there are four catalogs. That is $18,000 and $14,400 per year of free products per member, respectively. Members who get this kind of value from the membership are far more likely to renew and these type of members have followed the below tips.

Factors of a Successful Membership with NAEIR:

Route the NAEIR catalog to all the departments in your organization as soon as you receive it.
Get everyone involved right away. MS Word File: Routing Request Form for Personnel
You get one request per catalog so make it count.
For first year members don’t feel like you’re being greedy. Each member has the same right to the products whether or not you’ve been a member for 20 years (yes we have many of these) or it’s your first year. It’s just that the 20 year member has honed their requesting practices.
The value in the catalog is NOT the price but the actual savings you will garner per the quantity. For example if an item cost $20 and you request one and receive it you’ll save $20, if you request 5 and get four out of the allocation your saved value will have been $80. So open that catalog back up and begin requesting it.
Request as many items as possible and make sure to take advantage of your 60 Preferred Items.
Stock up and think ahead, are there any items you will need in the future.
Think Outside of the box, be creative. There are so many uses for these free products.
Get your request back to NAEIR as soon as possible for a faster turnaround time.
All items are free you just pay the handling charges plus shipping if not picked up at the Galesburg, Il warehouse.

Pay $49 for handling when total product value ranges from $0 - $1000
Pay $99 for handling when total product value ranges from $1001 - $5000
Pay $149 for handling when total product value is greater than $5000

Think of the items that will be able to help you cut cost on routine items as well to help you expand and do more. By saving on routine items you can refine your budget for more unique purposes.
Ensure you are marking your preferred items. You get up to 60 options.
Take advantage of each catalog and don’t wait until the last minute. Most email systems in today’s world have the ability to schedule reminders. Use those reminders to reinforce the deadline of the catalog. Try creating a reminder at the intervals of two weeks, 1 week, 2 days, 1 day and same day. This way when you get to busy you are constantly aware of the catalog expiration and you can make time to follow up with the rest of the personnel to submit the final request. That said return it as soon as possible.
Encourage organizations in your non-profit network to become a member and receive $99 off handling for each referral known as our “Member Get a Member” program. This has unlimited potential when considering your savings as a member.

The "VALUE" you see in the catalog would be the saved value were this item to be purchased from a store

Ideas that may help in assessing your needs and that of your community.

Gift bags – use for baby showers, to give gifts for new members/visitors or volunteers
Clothing – to support needy in the community, women’s shelter
Paper plates, cups, napkins/party supplies – events, meals, kids snacks
Hardware – upkeep on building, community service projects (helping low income or elderly make repairs to their homes)
Personal Care items/make up – donations to support women’s shelter, spa day for women’s group, self esteem/hygiene training for girls.
Labels – General office supply use
Painting supplies, upkeep of building, community service projects
Picture Paper, projects for kids
Pencils/novelty pens – office, supplies for kids, giveaways, school supply giveaway
Plumbing supplies – upkeep for building, community service projects
Tools – upkeep of building, giveaway items for men’s groups
Christmas Cards – Sent to sick and shut in’s, troops, kids activity
Inspirational Books – Stock library, giveaway items
Kids Costumes – play items for kids
Craft paint and stamps – activity for kids
Journals – giveaway items
Scrapbook items – activity for kids, women’s group
Christian CD’s – giveaway item, stock library
Flash drives – office use, giveaway item for teens who get good grades
Stickers – activity for kids
Markers/Notepads – office use, giveaway items, door prizes
Pens/ring binders - office use, school supply giveaway
Push pins – supplies for bulletin board
Rulers – school supply giveaway
Tape – office use
Flashlights – door prizes for men’s group, giveaway items, emergency kits
Artificial flowers – women’s group activity, kids craft project
Backpacks/Tote bags – school supply giveaways, rewards for kids who get good grades, support women’s shelter
Barbie Cameras, doll sets, footballs, Frisbees, children’s games party favors, kaleidospopes – prizes for kids
Mailing envelopes – general office use

SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCY HELPS STIMULATE CHILD DEVELOPMENT WITH A HAND FROM NAEIR

2011-05-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

Children begin developing their social and cognitive skills at a very early age. It is necessary for them to interact with other children as well as adults to develop coordination, motor skills and social behaviors. Programs like Head Start offer great opportunities for less fortunate families with children from birth to five years old to help children to process these skills.

Head Start, founded in 1965, creates a stable environment for children, pregnant women, and families to participate in activities for increasing school readiness, and an environment that stimulates social and cognitive development. However, Head Start is not immune from the effects of tight budgets, which means that there are few resources for such items as crafts, toys, or party items.

Hocking-Athens-Perry Community Action Agency, a social service agency in Ohio, oversees 10 Head Start sites in 3 counties. Federal and state funding helps to provide most of their services, but other resources are always necessary for all items needed for day to day operations.

701 children, between the ages of 3 and 5 years old, are currently served by the HAPCAA Head Start programs. “Providing items that stimulate and excite children, as well as their parents, is crucial to the developmental success of a child,” says Chris DeLamatre, Child Development Director of the Hocking-Athens-Perry Community Action Agency.

Resource Round-up

Since some of the items needed were too much for the budget, HAPCAA had to look for an outside source that would allow them to acquire those items cost effectively. HAPCAA happened upon NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, located in Galesburg, Illinois.

NAEIR’s membership program helps loosen tight budgets for nonprofit organizations. NAEIR accepts donations of new, excess inventory from U.S. businesses and redistributes those products to nonprofit organizations needing office supplies, maintenance items, decorations, and other items for children and parents.

To become a recipient, nonprofit organizations pay annual membership dues ranging from $495 to $595, plus shipping and handling, and the merchandise itself is free. Members choose what they need from 200-page catalogs, special offer fliers, and an on-lin site, NAEIR e-xpress, at www.naeir.org.

Hocking-Athens-Perry has been a member of NAEIR for the last 8 years and DeLamatre believes that NAEIR provides her with excellent product variety. Variety in what she requests and variety in how they use the products.

Rewards of Membership

HAPCAA’s allocations have covered a wide range of products over the past 8 years. They have received craft items such as stencils, paint, rubber bands and stickers; toys for Head Start student birthdays and Christmas presents; and also items to use as door prizes for special events or incentives for volunteers.

“We are looking mainly for ‘get and go’ items from NAEIR, things that we can get, that will go out of our facilities fast,” says DeLamatre. ‘Get and go’ items include stickers, small toys or incentive items, sports collectibles, stuffed animals, and NFL travel mugs.

Part of the variety HAPCAA looks for includes ‘get and hold’ items like seasonal paper plates, cups, napkins, tablecovers, decorations, latex gloves, and school supplies.

“We know those parties are coming up, so we make space in our central storage area and hold them until they’re needed,” DeLamatre explains. “We had enough Valentines this year that every one of our children took Valentine cards home.”

DeLamatre also states that children’s items are the most popular, but Christmas wrapping paper and bows are huge with parents who may not be able to afford those items during the holiday season.

“We used to buy things for door prizes, for crafting, and for parents,” DeLamatre explains. “We would purchase incentives and disposable dinnerware, but getting those items through NAEIR saves us a lot of money."

According to Gary Smith, president and chief executive officer of NAEIR, “We have collected and redistributed over $2 billion worth of donated goods over the past 26 years, and many nonprofit organizations such as Head Start rely on NAEIR for supplementing reduced budgets. Our members receive an average of $18,000 worth of new supplies each year, which is roughly a 30-1 return on their dues investment.”

Since 1977, the American businesses that made donations of their excess inventory to NAEIR, have done so to clear out warehouse space, avoid liquidators, and to realize an above cost income tax deduction.

NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, is a not-for-profit distributor of supplies to churches and other nonprofit organizations. NAEIR operates a 10-acre warehouse full of $100 million worth of inventory from its headquarters in Galesburg, Illinois.

PARKS AND RECREATION KEEP PROGRAMS GOING WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM NAEIR

2011-05-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

Lee County Parks & Recreation Department provides a wide range of programs and activities for the community, their guests, and visitors. Fort Myers and Cape Coral are the two largest cities making up Lee County, Florida. They record a year round population of 440,000 residents, adding another 200,000 tourists September through April.

As one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, Lee County Parks & Recreation provides a variety of programs and activities such as summer camps, holiday parties, community centers for children, and they support other wonderful programs such as the Special Olympics.

With many events on their plate throughout the year, the Parks & Recreation Department can’t rely on government and outside funding for the service they want to offer. To supplement their budget for such items as sporting equipment, craft supplies, party decorations and gift items, the department had to seek out a more cost effective way to secure the items they needed.

Who Was That Resource?

Being a not-for-profit department, Lee County Parks & Recreation is eligible to receive free products and supplies from NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, located in Galesburg, Illinois. Since 1992, the Parks & Recreation Department has been a member of NAEIR.

NAEIR’s program helps organizations with tight budgets get items they need. NAEIR accepts donations of new, excess inventory from U.S. businesses and redistributes those goods to nonprofit organizations in need of toys, games and other children’s items, office supplies, maintenance materials, decorations, and other amenities for children and adults.

The merchandise that NAEIR members receive is FREE. The only membership costs include dues ranging from $495 to $595 per year, plus shipping and handling. Members choose what they need from 200-page catalogs, special offer fliers, and an on-line site, NAEIR e-xpress, at www.naeir.org.

Bonnie Peters, Office Support/Customer Service for Lee County, has her own system for getting the most out of the membership and the NAEIR catalogs. Her method is to send in long, diverse requests which often exceed the average allocation. She also makes requests for certain items months in advance of when they will be needed.

“I give the catalog to the different department heads to select what they need and in what quantities,” she explained. “When I get the catalog back, I simply list the items on the request form and fax it in to NAEIR.”

Rewarding Experience

10 years of smiles on the faces of families and children is the reward for the Lee county Parks & Recreation Department. Thanks to the allocations they received from NAEIR. Since joining NAEIR, the department has received sporting equipment such as softball bats and gloves, baseball caps and basketball backboards. They have received party and craft supplies such as paper plates, cups, napkins, gift bags, wrapping paper, decorations, Halloween costumes, pencils, markers, stencils and stickers. They have also obtained a variety of dolls, puppets, stuffed animals, costume jewelry, cosmetics and books.

“With all the special events we have all year long, we are really grateful for the resources we receive from NAEIR.”

Craft items and kitchen ware are on the Parks & Recreation Department wish list. They host more than 4,000 children at summer camps and they hold year-round classes at community centers. Activities with the Parks & Recreation Department are made more special with little things like face painting and small prizes.

Lee County also uses items as gifts for children in need, as the holidays can put more of a strain on the budget. “At Christmastime, we give out gifts, provide lunches, and also help with Special Olympics,” Peters said.

According to Peters, Lee County Parks & Recreation Department could not provide the programs they do without NAEIR’s help. “We save thousands of dollars a year through NAEIR,” Peters added.

According to Gary Smith, president and chief executive officer of NAEIR, “We have collected and redistributed over $2 billion worth of donated goods over the past 26 years, and many nonprofit organizations such as Lee County Parks & Recreation Department rely on NAEIR for supplementing reduced budgets. Our members receive an average of $18,000 worth of new supplies each year, which is roughly a 30-1 return on their dues investment.”

Since 1977, American businesses have donated over $2 billion worth of products to the program. Corporations that donate to NAEIR earn a federal income tax deduction for donating their overstock and discontinued inventory.

NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, is a not-for-profit distributor of supplies to nonprofit organizations, including county government departments, social service agencies, schools and churches. NAEIR operates a 10-acre warehouse with $100 million worth of inventory from its headquarters in Galesburg, Illinois.

FAMILIES OF NEW YORK AND CHILDREN’S CENTER PRAISE NOT-FOR-PROFIT SOURCE

2011-05-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Troubled children in central or western New York State have a place to go called Hillside Children’s Center. With more than 60 sites, the Hillside Family of Agencies serves over 12,000 dependent, neglected, and behaviorally or emotionally disturbed children and teens, along with their families. With a caring environment, Hillside’s goal is to turn frowns into smiles with counseling, support and by offering gifts and games to children.

Whenever possible, Hillside tries to provide services in the home and community because they believe that nothing can replace the value of a strong family. That has always been their philosophy so the Hillside Family of Agencies form a partnership with parents. All of Hillside’s services, such as youth and parent support, crisis counseling, and general “help desk” information, are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Jim Germano, purchasing agent for Hillside Children’s Center in Rochester, New York, says, “Hillside’s mission is to serve children and families. We try to bring smiles to their faces by giving items directly to children, their parents and other clients.”

Hillside is the largest nonprofit provider of child welfare in the northeast, so most of their funding comes from state resources. They do have thousands of donors which include individuals, corporations, foundations, and community organizations, but it is hard to find items such as toys, stuffed animals, games, sporting goods, dolls, baseball cards, and party items. Those things just are not in the budget.

Resource Saves Money

Hillside Children’s Center had to look elsewhere to get the items they needed, and that resource had to be cost effective. Twenty years ago, HCC discovered NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, located in Galesburg, Illinois.

NAEIR’s membership program helps nonprofit organizations stretch tight budgets. NAEIR accepts donations of new, overstock inventory from U.S. businesses and redistributes those goods to nonprofit organizations in need of toys, games and other activities for children, as well as office supplies, maintenance items, decorations and other necessities for children and parents.

Organizations that become recipients or members of NAEIR, pay dues ranging from $495 to $595 per year, plus shipping and handling, and the merchandise itself is free. Members choose what they need from 200-page catalogs, special offer fliers, and an on-line site, NAEIR e-xpress, at www.naeir.org.

Membership Rewards

Since 1983, HCC’s membership has helped children that have been neglected, abused, or suffering emotionally. Gifts from NAEIR have helped lift their spirits. Party supplies help brighten the holiday season for children. “The Halloween assortment goes over well, along with Valentine’s Day and the Thanksgiving dinnerware,” says Germano. “And, the huge teddy bears and Booxies (stuffed animals with storybooks) are a major hit.”

Germano uses the NAEIR catalog to select items to use as prizes for bingo and other games the children play. With 60 sites, he requests everything he possibly can from those 200 pages. Hillside has received lawn care products, maintenance carts, tool boxes and work gloves from NAEIR to meet the agencies’ maintenance needs. Other helpful items include tape, appointment books, pens, flashlights, office and school supplies.

Germano believes that the gifts have a positive effect on the children at HCC. A former client agrees, “I am very grateful to Hillside for their wonderful help. I wouldn’t have been able to make it without them.”

According to Gary Smith, president and chief executive officer of NAEIR, “We have collected and redistributed over $2 billion worth of donated goods over the past 26 years, and many nonprofit organizations such as Hillside Children’s Center rely on NAEIR. for supplementing reduced budgets. Our members receive an average of $18,000 worth of new supplies each year, which is roughly a 30-1 return on their dues investment.”

American businesses have been donating to NAEIR since 1977. Corporations that make a contribution, earn a federal income tax deduction for donating their overstock and discontinued inventory.

NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, is a not-for-profit distributor of supplies to nonprofit organizations including schools, churches and other federal and state agencies. NAEIR operates a 10-acre warehouse with $100 million worth of inventory from its headquarters in Galesburg, Illinois.

Refer a new member to NAEIR and get $99 OFF HANDLING

2011-05-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

We're betting that many organizations that come to your website are just like you and want to get FREE merchandise and supplies. If they find you on the web and you happen to be showing your support with one of the badges below they will likely be curious about your support and investigate NAEIR further thus seeing all the member benefits you currently receive. When they become a new member of NAEIR and they refer to your organization's website we will give you $99 off handling from a processed allocation request.

For EVERY referral you give us that become a full catalog member, we will give you a coupon for each referral. Each referral coupon will be good for $99 OFF HANDLING of a processed catalog allocation request. Only one coupon can be applied to one processed allocation request at a time.

The only thing the new full catalog member would need to do is refer to your company and we will take care of the rest and send you the $99 handling coupon.

Below we've provide you the HTML code for the various sized badges that you can post on your site to increase the awareness about NAEIR and to get $99 OFF handling of your allocation order.

Badge sizes:

Small

HTML to copy to your website:

Medium

HTML to copy to your website:

Large

HTML to copy to your website:

CHURCH BELIEVES IN GENEROSITY OF NATIONAL NOT-FOR-PROFIT RESOURCE

2011-04-30T06:43:00.000-07:00

Members of Zion Baptist Church, in Henderson, Kentucky, take helping others in need very seriously. Families can receive spiritual guidance as well as generous donations of useful items for their every day lives. Reaching out to others is what the church members call “servant evangelism,” and the church takes great pride in it.

Located on the border of Kentucky and Indiana, Zion Baptist Church is one of several churches in Henderson, a city of 27,000 people. “Zion is a warm, friendly Southern Baptist church where the Bible is believed, taught, and preached,” explains Reverend Gary Cobb, minister of evangelism at Zion Baptist Church. “Jesus Christ is lifted up in everything we do.”

Although they try to meet the needs of all who come through their doors, Rev. Cobb and his helpers can’t always provide the large quantities of items needed. They distribute as much as they can without putting a strain on the church budget. Their outreach program provides items like shampoo, flower seeds, small gift items, and materials for the church preschool, Sunday school, youth ministry, and other programs.

Generosity Abounds

1991 was the year that Zion Baptist Church discovered an organization that could provide them with the items they needed in the most cost effective way. NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, located in Galesburg, Illinois, accepts donations of new, overstock inventory from U.S. businesses and redistributes those goods to churches and other nonprofit organizations. Everyday household items, office supplies, school supplies, gifts and other amenities are available to members of NAEIR. Zion Baptist Church found a place where they could better serve the children and families in need.

NAEIR’s membership program can help limit expenses when there is little to work with. Churches that choose to participate in NAEIR’s program pay dues ranging from $495 to $595 per year, plus shipping and handling, and the merchandise itself is free. Members can request what they need from 200-page catalogs, special offer fliers, and from an online web site, NAEIR e-xpress, at www.naeir.org.

Rewarding Endeavor

The items that Zion Baptist Church has been able to receive have been a God-send. Some of those items include office and school supplies, furniture, Bible study guides, songbooks, posters, sheeted paper, Christmas cards, toys, clothing, stickers, personal care products, disposable tableware, and food service supplies.

Items for children and teenagers are top priority for Zion Baptist Church. They provide what they call “survival kits” as part of their outreach program. Those go to children at local hospitals, pregnant teenagers at a local ministry called “Martha’s Place,” and women and children at a local shelter. “ We couldn’t do this if it were not for NAEIR,” says Rev. Cobb.

The church and its grounds take a lot of maintenance, so Earl Jones, who is in charge of maintenance at Zion Baptist, reviews the NAEIR catalogs for items such as light fixtures, paint brushes, hand tools, fasteners, wallcoverings, vanity tops, vacuum cleaners, and even a heat pump and furnace.

Zion Baptist Church believes its mission to carry out the evangelism efforts of The Great Commission has been helped by the resources they receive from NAEIR. Rev. Cobb explains, “We spread the Good News to people on the street, telling them that God loves them. You should see the look on some of their faces when they get a nice word like that!”

NAEIR has accepted and redistributed over $2 billion worth of donated goods over the past 26 years, and many churches and other nonprofit organizations rely on NAEIR for supplementing tight budgets. According to Gary C. Smith, president and chief executive officer of NAEIR, “Our members receive an average of $18,000 worth of new supplies each year, which is roughly a 30-1 return on their dues investment.”

NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, is a not-for-profit distributor of supplies to churches and other nonprofit organizations. NAEIR operates a 10-acre warehouse full of $100 million worth of inventory from its headquarters in Galesburg, Illinois.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS PROVIDE MORE SUPPLIES AND INCENTIVES WITH ASSISTANCE FROM NAEIR

2011-04-28T06:42:00.001-07:00

Part of what motivates students is to make learning fun. Rewarding performance and behavior is certainly one way to do that. Providing incentives for students and supplies for teachers can promote a more enjoyable classroom atmosphere that will encourage learning. But even the largest school system can lack the necessary funding for these types of incentives.

There is a school district outside of Annapolis, Maryland, that is the 43rd largest district in the U.S. Anne Arundel School District has more than 127 campuses and nearly 74,000 students. Sherry Yaniga, Coordinator of Business Partnerships at Anne Arundel County Public Schools, knows the hardships of operating on a tight budget. Her district has been under a tax cap for several years. However, Yaniga makes it a priority to provide the necessary items for teachers and students to be motivated.

Supplies And Incentives Galore

Anne Arundel School District had to find an outside source to that would allow them to obtain incentives for students and supplies for teachers cost effectively. The 21st Century Education Foundation, which serves about 100 businesses in Anne Arundel County, steered Anne Arundel Schools in NAEIR’s direction. NAEIR is the not-for-profit National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources in Galesburg, Illinois.

Supplementing budgets for schools and other nonprofit organizations is a goal for NAEIR. Their program allows them to collect new, overstock inventory from U.S. businesses and redistribute those goods to schools in need of classroom materials, incentive items, decorations and other amenities for students and teachers.

To become a recipient through NAEIR’s program, schools pay dues ranging from $495 to $595 per year, plus shipping and handling, and the merchandise itself is free. Members choose what they need from 200-page catalogs, special offer fliers and an on-line site, NAEIR e-xpress, at www.naeir.org.

“The 21st Century Education Foundation pays our dues, shipping and handling,” Yaniga explains. “They are very positive about our NAEIR membership.”

With 127 campuses making up Anne Arundel School District, it is very difficult to see that every teacher gets a look at NAEIR product catalogs. Teachers provide an ongoing list to keep Yaniga on top of the items they use the most. From her office in Annapolis, she reviews the catalogs and requests what is needed. Part of the success of this method is requesting as many items as possible. She routinely sends a 10-14 page request.

"The more I ask for, the more I get. Our principals call me the ‘Box Lady’,” Yaniga says. “They get so excited when I send them boxes of things from NAEIR.” They say, ‘Anything you send us, we can use.’”

Membership Rewards

Since Anne Arundel School District joined NAEIR, they have received items such as children’s books, computer software, audiocassettes, Post-It Notes, tape, office supplies, toys, roller skates, collectible figurines, stencils, cosmetics, vacuum cleaners, tool organizers, and even fishing lures.

Some schools have a “store” where they can get incentive items. Students earn points or ‘school (play) money’ for performance, attendance or good behavior. Those points are then used at the school "store."

“We’ve found some wonderful incentive items in the NAEIR catalogs,” Yaniga recalls. “Stickers and seeds are extremely popular.”

Yaniga also looks for instruction materials, school supplies for lower income students, and maintenance items. Free and Reduced Meals (FARM) gets priority, but all schools in the district get their turn in the rotation.

“The responses from the teachers have been wonderful,”Yaniga states. “They send little notes saying that the items received from NAEIR reinforce the children’s desire to learn and that they really appreciate these incentives.”

NAEIR has accepted and redistributed over $2 billion worth of donated goods over the past 26 years, and many schools and other nonprofit organizations rely on NAEIR for supplementing reduced budgets. According to Gary C. Smith, president and chief executive officer of NAEIR, “Our members receive an average of $18,000 worth of new supplies each year, which is roughly a 30-1 return on their dues investment.”

The American businesses that have donated these goods since 1977, earn a federal income tax deduction that can be up to twice the cost of the overstock or discontinued inventory.

NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, is a not-for-profit distributor of supplies to schools and other nonprofit organizations. NAEIR operates a 10-acre warehouse with $100 million worth of inventory from its headquarters in Galesburg, Illinois.

3M CHOOSES NOT-FOR-PROFIT FOR NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF ITS DONATIONS

2010-01-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

3M Corporation calls itself a multiproduct, multitechnology, multimarket, and multinational company. There are over 40 divisions within this organization and each division is responsible for its own bottom line. Some of the products that 3M is responsible for producing are, tape, sandpaper, abrasives, overhead projection systems, electrical/electronic connectors, telecommunications equipment, adhesives, Post-It Notes, and many other products for the do-it-yourselfer. 3M, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, also has a broad line of surgical tapes, dressings, bandages, and innovative drug delivery systems.

With all of the products that they manufacture, 3M has times when they have issues with excess inventory. 3M turned to a tried and true method of distributing its donated inventory--NAEIR. NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, accepts donations of overstock, slow selling and discontinued products from U.S. businesses and redistributes them to schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations nationwide. The companies that donate, earn an above cost federal income tax deduction that can be up to twice the cost of the goods.

“We have a program in which we donate our products to schools and nonprofits in Minnesota,” said Kelli Novak, 3M’s Volunteer Program Coordinator. “But when it comes to distributing our products across the entire country, we rely on established networks like NAEIR.”

With a donation history that goes back to 1985 and over 100 individual donations, 3M ranks as one of NAEIR’s oldest and most generous contributors.

Novak, who coordinates the donations for 3M’s Corporate Contributions at the company’s headquarters, says the process takes the hassle out of placing their products in the hands of deserving, qualified schools and nonprofits all over the United States.

“Our divisions contact me when they have product to donate. I call NAEIR’s Corporate Relations Department and send samples or a list. The items get proposed to the Donation Review Committee, I get called back with approval and I take care of the paperwork on our end,” Novak said.

Since 1985, 3M has donated products such as tape, abrasives, computer accessories, cleaning supplies, insulation, and office supplies. All of these items have saved NAEIR’s member organizations money.

“We’re glad that NAEIR can help us find deserving homes for these products,” Novak added.

“Helping people is the main focus of 3M’s Corporate Contributions area. NAEIR, through its very diverse membership, helps us do that in an effective way.”

INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTOR DONATES TO ASSIST SCHOOLS AND NONPROFITS

2010-01-01T07:11:00.000-08:00

With over 600 locations throughout North America and 1,900 customer service associates, Grainger is the leading industrial distributor of products to keep facilities and equipment running.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, Grainger has experienced steady growth, thanks to its unwavering focus on the needs of its customers.

However, there are times when customer's needs change and the parts or supplies they order from Grainger don’t meet their needs.

In order to help with their excess inventory problem, Grainger enlisted the help of NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, located in Galesburg, Illinois. NAEIR accepts donations of overstock, slow selling, and discontinued products from U.S. businesses and redistributes them to schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations nationwide. The companies that donate, earn an above cost federal income tax deduction that can be up to twice the cost of the goods.

“Our participation in NAEIR’s program was a logical choice for us because it gives us an opportunity to reach a large group of schools and nonprofits throughout the country,” said Susan Kessler, Grainger’s Community Relations Manager.

Grainger has approximately 400 branches throughout all 50 states. Kessler said NAEIR’s national network of members lets the company make a positive difference in the communities it serves.

Over the years, Grainger has donated such things as power and hand tools, heaters, fans, safety equipment, ladders, safety supplies, air compressors, flashlights, drill bits, gloves, aprons, cutting tools, and motors.

“The products Grainger donates to NAEIR are primarily discontinued items and certain products unique to customers who no longer require them,” Kessler explained.

“These products are donated in their original condition.”

“A number of departments within our company are involved in the donation process, including Field Inventory, Finance, Product Management, and Operations,” Kessler stated.

She also noted NAEIR’s donation process/distribution system and Grainger’s logistics network have worked well together to quickly put industrial supplies in the hands of schools and nonprofits that need them.

Kessler said that the program meshes well with Grainger’s philosophy of giving back.

“We feel a sense of responsibility to help make the communities we serve better places to live, work and go to school. Knowing our products will be well received gives us a great sense of satisfaction, which only helps reinforce our commitment to our local communities.”

70 CONTRIBUTIONS AND COUNTING FROM VETERAN DONOR

2010-01-01T07:08:00.000-08:00

From the dental chair to the recall card to the filling for your cavity, Colwell Systems products may play a large but silent part in your next trip to the dentist.

Colwell’s product line includes recall cards, patient education materials, billing and insurance forms, patient record forms, filing cabinets, labels, and hygiene items.

Colwell Systems, based in Champaign, Illinois, is no exception when it comes to excess inventory problems. Marketing at Colwell comes up with a deactivation list of products that it wants to clear in six months. The questions is, what happens to that product?

Those items that Colwell designates have been donated to NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, located in Galesburg, Illinois. NAEIR accepts donations of overstock, slow selling, and discontinued products and redistributes them to schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations nationwide. The companies, like Colwell Systems, that make a donation, earn an above cost federal income tax deduction that can be up to twice the cost of the goods.

The products that Colwell donates to NAEIR are typically discontinued items that have been updated or weeded out of the catalogs. Over the past 16 years, Colwell has donated such things as medical and dental forms, clinical supplies, office products, paper, envelopes, gift and houseware items, shelving, toys, and stickers.

Convenience and a nationwide distribution network are what keep Colwell coming back to NAEIR, according to Linda Heiser, Colwell’s Inventory Statistics Analyst, who coordinates product donations.

“Donating inventory through NAEIR makes it easier for us,” Heiser said. “Everyone here who is involved with it likes the way this relationship works.”

“Our Accounting Department likes it, too. We get the deduction, and after all these years, the process has become old hat for them,” Heiser added.

Heiser also says that it is gratifying to everyone at Colwell to see their products going to these worthwhile causes. Their items can help these organizations operate more smoothly and save them money as well.

To find out more about NAEIR and about becoming a donor, call NAEIR’s Corporate Relations Department at 1-800-562-0955 or go towww.naeir.org.

1989 MARKS THE FIRST DONATION BY POPULAR TOY COMPANY

2010-01-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

When Russ Berrie started his company in 1963, he had $500 in capital and a rented New Jersey garage. The first plush creatures he introduced to the country were Fuzzie Wuzzies, followed by the rubbery Bupkis Family, and the Sillisculpts. The company expanded rapidly and in 1992, kids all over the world discovered the same unexplainable attraction their parents had for Troll dolls in the 60’s. Those goofy dolls became the hottest retail product of the year with Russ having record annual sales.

However, there are times when Russ Berrie, and other companies like them, have inventory problems. Most of the products Russ makes are hits and almost jump off the store shelves, but some do not meet sales expectations. Those items are identified by many departments within the company. What happens to those items?

Some of the excess is cleared through liquidators and some is donated to charitable organizations. One of the organizations that Russ Berried discovered is NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, located in Galesburg, Illinois. NAEIR accepts donations of overstock, slow selling, and discontinued products and redistributes them to schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations nationwide.

The companies making the donations earn an above cost federal income tax deduction than can be up to twice their cost of the goods.

“The products we donate to NAEIR represent our overstocks,” said Bill Hammer, Director of Inventory Control at Russ Berrie, headquartered in Oakland, NJ.

The Russ policy is not to keep slower moving products in inventory, but rather to move on to products with greater potential in the market place. The preference is to donate the best of these slower selling items to charity.

Some of the items Russ Berrie has donated include, kitchen magnets, posters, bumper stickers, stuffed animals, pencil sharpeners, picture frames, dolls, key rings, and novelty items.

NAEIR member organizations are probably most familiar with the popular Troll Dolls that have been frequently donated over the years. Trolls have been a big donation in the past year.

Hammer said his experience in working with NAEIR has been a positive one.

“I have nothing but good things to say about the professionalism of the people I’ve worked with at NAEIR. They are very accommodating and respond promptly to our requests. I have not heard of any problems from our Distribution or Accounting people in their dealings with NAEIR,” Hammer said.

He added that he enjoys reading about the schools and nonprofit organizations that receive products through NAEIR. It makes it very meaningful to see Russ Berrie products going to children and adults who appreciate them.

If you would like more information about donating to NAEIR, call the Corporate Relations Department at 1-800-562-0955 or log on towww.naeir.org.