Teachers Look to NAEIR When "Feeling The Pinch"

Considering the “cost” of NAEIR as compared to what schools and more specifically - teachers and school administrators are getting out of a NAEIR membership, it’s easy to see that NAEIR is a pretty sweet deal. In fact, it’s even more of a bargain now than it’s ever been. 

Based on surveys conducted by the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA, out of pocket spending by individual teachers gradually decreased from $552 in 2005/06 to $395 in 2007/08 and then to $356 in 2009/10. 

According to an online article entitled  “Teachers Spend $1.3 Billion Out of Pocket On Classroom Materials”  published in July of 2010 by The Journal, quoting Adrienne Watts Dayton,  Vice President of Marketing and Communications for NSSEA-  http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/07/08/teachers-spend-1.3-billion-out-of-pocket-on-classroom-materials.aspx, “Teachers are feeling the pinch just like others affected by the downturn in the economy,” . 

The statement was by way of explaining the decline during that period in out-of-pocket teacher spending for classroom supplies.  This, in spite of the availability of albeit limited funds from school budgets as well as contributions from parents and PTAs who are also being asked to ante up more toward the purchase of classroom supplies. Like most everyone these days, teachers are simply not in a position to purchase school supplies at the greater levels they have in years past.

Meanwhile, the need for classroom supplies continues to grow. 

Enter NAEIR. 

An administrative assistant at Ambrose Recreation and Park District - a NAEIR member located in Bay Point, CA, said, “I'm sure you know that with the budget crisis and school district cuts as well as our special district cuts in California, we need all the help we can get.   Office, schoolroom and craft products (from NAEIR) help a lot to cut costs on the programs. We also make use of the tools and maintenance items for the upkeep of our community center and our three parks that we oversee.”

At the Trinidad State Junior College in Alamosa, CO, Margaret Sanderson, assistant to the Dean explained, “With the college's and the state's tight budgetary constraints, it becomes more important than ever to save money where we can.”

Graduation Ceremonies at
Trinidad State Junior College,
Alamosa, CO

NAEIR helps its members do more than simply shore up their budgets, with schools averaging more than $18,000 worth of free products per year.  NAEIR is often seen as a life-saver; a real blessing to its members when it comes to saving money.

Besides the “Big Book”, Best Values, Overstock and Clearance catalog allocations, NAEIR also offers participation in a “Grab Bag,” where members can visit NAEIR’s centrally located warehouse and take advantage of additional materials on site.

What other products are members getting?

At Pine Hill Schools in Pine Hill, New Mexico, teachers receive pens, mechanical pencils, notebooks that they can give away to students, office & various educational materials for Head Start, K-12 programs, FACE (Family And Child Education) & Early Intervention, and incentives for parent involvement programs.  

Mayo School, Chicago, IL

At the Mayo school in Chicago, Illinois, NAEIR products are used “…for gifts, awards, prizes, tools and to supply the different needs of the children. The younger children especially love the variety of stickers ... Over the years, we have received from NAEIR, pens, paper, office supplies, (used by the older children) scrapbook supplies, (used in art classes and early grade levels) hats, push brooms, flashlights, lunchboxes, tools, and clothes.”

Uses for NAEIR products are truly versatile and wide-ranging.   All in all, when you consider the low membership fee, the variety of available products and often – FREE shipping, NAEIR members get a great deal of merchandise in relation to an extremely low administrative cost. 

Whether you’re a school - or if you’re a nonprofit or church organization that happens to be reading this, all of the above applies to you as well.  Give us a call at (800)-562-0955 or visit our website www.naeir.org.

If you’re with a company that’s sitting on excess, slow-moving inventory, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d love to hear from you. There are some attractive tax and other benefits when donating inventory and the donation process is straightforward.  We’ll explain.

NAEIR, Next Generation: A look at NAEIR’s new webpage

A little background

The new NAEIR logo

As some of you may know, NAEIR recently launched its new website (view it here).  After 12 years of the same webpage, it was finally decided to bring about a new era in NAEIR’s online presence. The new website includes significant updates and enhancements from the old one. For example, when it was first created, and for some time after, a “truck” icon was used for storing items on the webpage instead of the now ubiquitous shopping cart.

Now, along with the new website comes a new NAEIR logo and tagline.  The tagline which reads: “Empowering Generosity” was the result of serious reflection on NAEIR’s partnering relationships with its members and donors.  According to President Gary Smith, “we wanted to express in a concise manner, NAEIR’s role as a medium that helps both America’s companies and charitable organizations by serving as an efficient conduit for donations of excess, slow-moving inventory that will benefit millions of lives.” 

A screenshot of NAEIR's new website

So…what’s different?

At first glance, the new website offers up an attractive array of colors that make the page very aesthetically pleasing. There are lots of graphics that help illustrate what exactly NAEIR is, and this in tandem with the rich display of colors makes the website kind of fun! I can click on the Member tab and choose from a variety of options:  Should I take the membership quiz or read about member success stories? The same is true for the Donor tab. This ease of navigation and overall user-friendliness makes it a pleasure to use.  

New benefits and better features!

The new website also offers a variety of new functions.  For example, there is now a “shop NAEIR” section that allows anyone to view products that are currently available.  Previously, only Active Members had the ability to do this.  It is now also easier for Active Members to navigate on the new website so as to see what products are available to them in either the Big Book catalogue or the Best Values catalogue.  A product search on the new website can be conducted easily and efficiently.  Previously, if you typed in pen, for example, you might not get quite the results you’d want.  Now, when you type in pen  you get a targeted list of results in the Big Book, Best Values, Overstock, and Clearance sections of NAEIR. 

Just the beginning

A look at the homepage of NAEIR's
new website

This is really just the beginning of the new NAEIR website.  The website can and will be updated regularly and on an on-going basis. According to Bob Gilstrap, Vice President and CFO of NAEIR, “In the future, we plan to offer the capability for members to pay using a credit card.  Also, we are planning on developing a Member maintenance area where Members can independently manage their accounts.  They’ll be able to view requests that are in process as well as outstanding invoices, etc.”  

Be on the lookout for more and exciting updates to the NAEIR webpage.


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.

NAEIR in the News

Paul Swanson, Calvary Christian
administration, poses at NAEIR's
Grab Bag

Check out a story that prominently 

mentions NAEIR in The Pantagraph, 

a paper based out of Bloomington, IL. 

The story came about from a blog 

piece that I wrote on Calvary Christian 

Academy and Grab Bag. I showed the 

blog piece to Phyllis Coulter, 

Pantagraph reporter, and she 

decided to write her own piece 

about NAEIR and Calvary. 

Read it here. 

Mystery Tour, Part II: "Too Good to be True"

Tim Randall, VP of Distribution
showing members of the tour NAEIR's
warehouse. 

On the tour of NAEIR the group from R&J "mystery" tours seemed eager and engaged as Tim Randall (VP of Distribution at NAEIR) walked and talked his way through the warehouse. They asked a multitude of questions about the different kinds of products NAEIR solicits from companies throughout the country.  They also asked who some of the organization’s donor companies are and also had questions about the size (13,000) of NAEIR’s membership as well as the types of member organizations NAEIR serves.

I had the opportunity to speak with a few of the individuals on the tour about their experience with the tour company and their thoughts about NAEIR.  

Janice Kammermeier, from central Minnesota, was on the tour with her husband and commented afterward that organizations like NAEIR made her “feel good about the world.” Janice had been on a few mystery tours before this one, but none had been to a place like NAEIR.

Tim Randall shows tour members
one of the items NAEIR has in
its warehouse: scissors. 

Harold Mattke, a retired insurance underwriter from St. Louis Park, MN, toted his digital camera on the tour, snapping photos of a variety of products, the group itself, and the warehouse.  He confided to me that he was awestruck at how big the NAEIR warehouse was.  He was surprised that he had never heard of an organization like NAEIR before.

As we finished the tour I talked with Cheryl Lommel and Marlys Hopke, - both from St. Cloud, MN, about their overall impressions of NAEIR. Cheryl’s comment -  “It’s seems too good to be true” really encapsulates the group mentality.

The collective gasp when Tim announced that there was about $178 million dollars worth of product in the warehouse, the genuine interest in how organizations can become a part of NAEIR, and the unabashed curiosity on the part of the group - emphasize the impact that NAEIR has – not only with respect to its members, but on just about anyone that’s given the opportunity to take a walk through NAEIR’s warehouse.

NAEIR is First Stop on Mystery Tour

Bob Clark talks to the tour
group in NAEIR's break room

Operating out of Willmar, MN, R&J Tours, organizes and hosts “mystery” tours for senior citizens. Last week’s mystery tour landed the group in Galesburg, IL where they were able to spend some time at the NAEIR facility as well as the Galesburg Railroad Museum. I met up with the group and interacted with them as they toured NAEIR’s warehouse.

I’m told that this particular group made up the largest tour that has ever gone through NAEIR. There were about 40 individuals from all over Minnesota and Wisconsin. They drove to Rock Island, IL the day before, arriving in Galesburg the next day. Except the tour guide, no one else in the group knew where they were headed until they actually got to NAEIR that morning.

The NAEIR building

The group made their way into the lobby, through the reception area down the corridor past NAEIR’s IT and Member Advocate offices and into the office area Break Room where Bob Clark NAEIR’s Director of Human Resources related the history and mission of the organization. Cruz Ramos, VP of Public Affairs, briefly talked about legislation on the federal level that NAEIR is working with legislators to try and get passed. Tim Randall, VP of Distribution, led us on a tour of the warehouse. 

I did my best to bring up the rear while the group proceeded through NAEIR’s 450,000 square foot warehouse.  While following the tour group, I spoke briefly with Linda Weitsberg, the tour guide, about R&J Tours. Linda told me that they had chosen to come to NAEIR on the recommendation of the Galesburg Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Stay tuned for part two of story in which I talk to some of the people on the tour.