Grayslake Area Non Profits Can Score Donated Merchandise

Imagine what your nonprofit could do with, say, $18,000 in brand new donated merchandise this year. Furthermore, imagine you could select just what you need from thousands of first quality items—year after year—to help your organization achieve its goals.

It’s very doable, if you know the right resource. Perhaps you’ve heard of so-called donation companies that provide free stuff for nonprofits, but assumed they were a myth.

They are not a myth. Gifts in kind organizations are one of the great secrets of the nonprofit world. If you haven’t heard of them, you owe it to yourself to learn more about them—specifically, America’s largest, oldest, non profit gifts in kind organization, NAEIR.

NAEIR, the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, collects inventory write off from companies that donate to nonprofit organizations, then redistributes that inventory to its nonprofit members upon request.

Every year, NAEIR gives away more than $100 million in spanking new merchandise. NAEIR’s free stuff for nonprofits include office supplies, arts and craft supplies, educational products, books, media, toys, party goods, cleaning supplies, sporting goods, software, and much more.

That $18,000 we mentioned earlier? That’s the average value of free items received by NAEIR’s top-level members every year. Some members have actually received up to $40,000 in free resources for nonprofits. The more you request, the more you benefit.

NAEIR has partnered with more than 8,000 donor companies to date, including leading brands like Microsoft, Stanley Tools, 3M, Rubbermaid, Rand McNally, Reebok, Gillette, Xerox, SC Johnson, and more. In return for their IRS charitable contributions of gifts in kind, these corporations receive significant tax deductions. In addition, it’s an easy way for them to clear overstocked merchandise out of their warehouses, while meeting their community-giving goals.

To qualify for a NAEIR membership, you must be affiliated with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, school or church. Members include charities, community organizations, government institutions, health facilities and more.

Members can view available supplies any time on NAEIR’s website and request what they need online. Premier Members also receive printed catalogs of merchandise throughout the year.

The rules of how you may use donated stock are very straightforward. According to Internal Revenue Code section 170(e)(3), donated merchandise must be used for the care of the ill, needy or minors. It can’t be bartered, traded or sold, and must be given directly to qualifying individuals served by an organization or used in the organization’s administration.

At the end of the day, belonging to a gifts-in-kind organization costs members a fraction of what it would cost to purchase the same supplies in stores or online.

Maybe you need office supplies for your administrative office or clothing and housewares for your clientele. Or something else entirely. Whatever that is, you’ll undoubtedly find goods you can use at NAEIR. And it’s yours for the asking.

www.naeir.org or call 1-800-562-0955.