Donations Assist The Breast Cancer Society, Inc

Dear NAEIR Team,

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

 While research and education are both vital, and also funded by The Breast Cancer Society, Inc. there are many thousands of victims of breast cancer each year who need not only information and the hope for an eventual cure, but require direct assistance today in order for 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 treasured supporters.

The Breast Cancer Society, Inc.  maintains an extensive program for procuring medicines, care items, and medical supplies. NAEIR greatly assists in these efforts and is considered one of our most respected resources. These much-needed commodities acquired through NAEIR are offered to women who are battling breast cancer today.

 It is important to recognize that emotional healing is particularly important in the recovery process for this disease. To this effect, we are most appreciative for the selection of items that NAEIR has to offer.  In particular, we have found that items such as stationary products, crafts, toys and other goods enhance the emotional health of our patients and their families.  

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

Best Regards,

Jodi Eaton

Commodities Administrator

The Breast Cancer Society, Inc.

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

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

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

Meetings were held earlier in the year between Gary C. Smith, President and CEO and James E. Jones, Director/Public Affairs for NAEIR and representatives of Independent Sector (IS). These served as opportunities to discuss topics including NAEIR’s membership in IS and our introduction and stewardship of HR 2592, a bill that would allow smaller businesses to enjoy an enhanced federal tax deduction (currently only available to C corporations) when donating excess inventory to nonprofits and schools. 

A more recent meeting in mid-August took place between Independent Sector representatives Ann-Marie Nwabudike, Senior Associate, Membership Retention, Stacy Cheetham, Senior Associate, Member Recruitment and Katica Kiss, Government Relations Specialist and NAEIR.  Cruz A. Ramos, VP/Public Affairs and James E. Jones expressed high expectations regarding the benefits of membership in IS to NAEIR and its national membership base. 

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

There was also further discussion at this time, concerning progress made regarding HR 2592 and some discussion on IS’ part regarding the Charitable Deduction and widespread concern regarding its future. There was also some discussion regarding the 2011 Independent Sector Annual Conference http://www.independentsector.org/2011_conference

in Chicago in late October.

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

Cruz Ramos speaking with Dr. Carol J. De Vita 

A meeting with Dr. Carol J. De Vita, Senior Fellow at the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute was also promising.    NAEIR was able to position itself as an organization that has an important impact on a large number of social service organizations and charitable organizations in general in addition to schools.  At the same time, NAEIR also works with companies both large and small throughout the country.  For the past forty-three years, the Urban Institute has established a strong reputation as a non-partisan organization that has done extensive economic and social policy research.  It has served as a highly respected resource in the development of public policy since the Johnson administration helped set it in motion in the 1960’s. Because of the non-partisan nature of its work and relationships with other organizations, even support for legislation that might be deemed favorable to charities and schools alike as well as small businesses is not possible.  However, the Urban Institute’s relationships with leading organizations and individuals that help shape public policy and the potential to cultivate a network of support at a later date through our relationship with the Urban Institute may well help us in the future.
The passage of HR 2592: Charitable Contribution Parity and Enhancement Act - would increase donations of inventory significantly on a national level by providing small businesses with the enhanced federal tax deduction currently available only to C corporations, thus providing them with a tax incentive to donate their excess inventory.  It would also very likely increase communication and collaboration between businesses and charitable organizations at all levels.

Congressman Aaron Schock has sponsored the bill and Congressmen Danny Davis and Robert Schilling are its co-sponsors.  We’ve been working with the firm of McGuire-Woods in shepherding this legislation through Congress and recruiting as much help as possible from legislators on both sides of the aisle as well as leading national organizations. 

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

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.

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.

NAEIR

560 McClure Street

Galesburg, IL  61401