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In the News

  • 06/08/2013 - CHANNEL 8 KLKN-TV LINCOLN, NE: Nonprofit reaches out to low-income families for Father's Day

    Nonprofit reaches out to low-income families for Father's Day

    By: Jenn Schanz
    jschanz@klkntv.com

    WATCH VIDEO
     
    For Lakota Granger and her three kids, finding a gift for Father's Day can be a struggle.

    That's where the Center for People in Need steps in.

    She came to the center's Mother's Day event, and is grateful that her kids have a chance to pick something special out for Dad.

    "I just love Lincoln for doing this for the kids. You know, it gives the kids something to do and especially if you're low income" says Granger.

    Hundreds of low–income Lincoln families were invited to shop for Father's Day gifts at the center.

    The best part? All 3,000 gifts were free.

    While parents waited in another room, kids from 2 to 18-years-old were helped by volunteers to shop for and wrap their Father's Day presents.

    Program Coordinator Lynette Maes says the event gives kids something to feel proud about.

    "A sense of pride, to be able to provide that and not have to worry that Father's Day rolls around and you can't give your father anything but your hugs and kisses," she says.

    The event drew quite a crowd, with more than a hundred families through the door in the first five minutes.

    Kids could choose from staple Dad favorites like electronics, camping gear, and watches.

    Sisters Addie and Zoe spent the morning finding their Dad the perfect gift, something to keep him healthy and entertained.

    "Something to loose weight, and some headphones," they say.

    The gifts were brought to the center through Good360, an organization that helps non-profits around the country.

     

  • 05/24/2013 - USAToday: Nike to donate $1 million of products to Oklahoma tornado victims

    Nike to donate $1 million of products to Oklahoma tornado victims

    OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Nike has announced plans to donate $1 million worth of shoes and clothing to aid people affected by the tornado in Oklahoma this week.

    Nike says it will make its donations through the non-profit organization Good360 to prequalified charities. The Oregon-based company will also donate proceeds from sales of Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant's KD V (five) Elite sneaker sold on nike.com through June 15 to the Moore Public School Foundation and to a non-profit group that rebuilds playgrounds.

    Durant, who pledged $1 million toward the tornado relief effort, posted on Twitter that he had asked Nike to chip in, too.

     

  • 05/21/2013 - RETAIL'S BIG BLOG: The Home Depot standard of giving

    The Home Depot standard of giving
     
    By Jennifer Overstreet
    May 21, 2013

    Retailers at NRF’s Global Supply Chain Summit are learning about how to make their supply chains more effective and serve their businesses better. And, as they learned at one session, that sometimes includes giving stuff away.

    Charles Johnston, director of the repair and liquidation center at The Home Depot, joined Good360 Vice President of donor Relations Doyle Delph to make the case for donating unused goods to nonprofits in local communities. And when you see the numbers, it’s not a tough case to make. Many retailers have merchandise they can’t sell. Props from store displays, merchandise used in photo shoots, or returned merchandise that has been damaged and can’t be resold are just a few examples. The nonprofit group Good360 does a job that most of these supply chain executives can appreciate – logistics, or getting the right goods to the right nonprofit at the right time – while retailers gain a solution for unused items that reduces their carbon footprint, saves the cost of shipping waste to landfills, and helps them give back to their communities.

    Home Depot has taken this win-win concept to impressive heights. Five years ago, when some associates at company noticed how many building materials were being thrown out, they asked if they could instead put it to use in their own communities. That request led to the creation of the Framing Hope project at the Home Depot Foundation (their philanthropic arm), an initiative that uses unsold merchandise to build houses for veterans and others in need. Since 2008, the foundation has donated more than $150 million in merchandise and impacted over 1 million homes and families through this partnership with Good360.

    Johnston said the program isn’t just the right thing to do. It also increases employee morale, builds up the community, reduces carbon emissions, and makes good financial sense. Watch the video to see how the program works.

    The key to Good360 is their network of nonprofits that distribute goods within their local communities. In Dallas, one of those partners is Refugee Connections, run by Bright Osigwe, who was also among the speakers. Osigwe’s organization supports refugees by setting them up in homes and helping them get on their feet in a new country. And while their organization used to drive from garage sale to garage sale to gather supplies, working with Good360 has connected the group with retailers from the area that have donated home items, linens and even food to help those in the most need. A true “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” story.

     

  • 05/03/2013 - SMARTCEO: Washington SmartCEO Announces the 2013 Brava! Award Winners

    Washington SmartCEO Celebrates 30 Powerhouse Women Leaders at the Brava! Awards, July 31
    400 CEOs and decision-makers will join SmartCEO in honoring female CEOs at this highly anticipated, high-energy celebration

    Washington, DC (May 3, 2013) — Washington SmartCEO recognizes this year’s Brava! winners at the 2013 Brava! Awards to take place on Wednesday, July 31 at 6:00 p.m. at the Samuel Riggs Alumni Center. The Brava! Awards celebrate the distinguished achievements of 25 of Greater Washington’s women business leaders and five nonprofit leaders. The 2013 Brava! winners will be profiled in the July 2013 issue of Washington SmartCEO magazine.

    Please see below for a complete list of winners and for program details. To share in the excitement leading up to the event, follow us @SmartCEO #BravaAwards.

    The Washington Brava! Awards, now in its seventh year of celebration, kicked off with a nomination process ending in March 2013. Across the Mid-Atlantic, over 200 nominations were collected for the program. To be considered for the Brava! Awards, nominees were required to be women executives leading companies that generated at least $1 million in revenue and who encourage local philanthropy, mentor fellow CEOs and set their companies on the path to tremendous growth. A group of Greater Washington business leaders came together to form the Brava! committee and to choose this year’s winners.

    For more information on the Brava! winners, visit www.smartceo.com to view the digital edition of the July 2013 issue.

    “The 2013 Brava! winners are an impressive group of women doing exceptional things for our community and beyond. They are the leaders of today and tomorrow – a highly talented group that has the drive to do great things. I am sure we will continue to hear of their success for many, many years to come,” says Jaime Nespor, group publisher of SmartCEO magazine. “We are honored to recognize such a group of women and their accomplishments.”

    The winners will be celebrated at the Washington Brava! Awards ceremony on July 31, 2013, at the Samuel Riggs Alumni Center. An expected sell-out event, 400 local C-level executives and guests will attend to celebrate their achievements. Past Brava! winners including members of the Washington Brava! Hall of Fame as well as potential inductees will also be in attendance. Selected past Brava! winners will also be honored with their induction into the Brava! Hall of Fame. The event will kick off with a cocktail reception followed by the awards ceremony and a final toast to the women leaders of Greater Washington. Suit donations will also be accepted the evening of the event for SmartCEO’s Washington Brava! Awards charity partner, Suited for Change, an organization which helps low-income women to increase their employment and job retention potential by providing professional attire and contributing to their economic independence.

    About SmartCEO
    SmartCEO is an exclusive community of CEOs and business executives, highly regarded mentors and well-respected thought leaders whose experiences benefit their organizations and the communities in which they serve. SmartCEO’s mission is to educate and inspire the business community through the pages of its award-winning magazine, connections at C-level events and access to valuable online resources.

    For more than a decade, SmartCEO has been a leader in helping CEOs tell their stories in print, in person and most recently in-video. SmartCEO’s Mid-Atlantic focus began in Baltimore and has grown to include Philadelphia, Washington DC and New York City.

    About the Brava! Awards
    SmartCEO’s Brava! Awards program celebrates top female CEOs who combine their irrepressible entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for giving back to the community. Brava! award winners are exemplary leaders of their companies and in the community who encourage local philanthropy, mentor fellow CEOs and set their companies on the path to tremendous growth. Each year, an independent panel of business leaders selects 30 Brava! winners based on applications submitted. SmartCEO shares their inspiring stories in SmartCEO magazine and celebrates their success at an awards celebration.

    COMPLETE PROGRAM INFORMATION
    2013 Brava! Awards
    Date: Wednesday, July 31, 2013
    Time: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
    Location: Samuel Riggs Alumni Center
    University Boulevard East, College Park, MD 20742
    Attire: Business Cocktail

    2013 Washington Brava! Winners
    Michelle A. Bell, PHR, 1st Choice, LLC
    Jennifer Seven, 7Company Weight Loss & Wellness Center
    Sadhna Agrawal, Astor & Sanders Corporation
    Anne McCabe Triana, CAM Private Wealth Services
    Cindy Troutman, CGH Technologies, Inc.
    Barberina (Babs) D. Doherty, Eagle Ray, Inc.
    Angela Y. Moody, EDJ Associates, Inc.
    Dr. Smita Siddhanti, EnDyna, Inc.
    Nancy J. Slomowitz, Executive Management Associates, Inc.
    Bev Gray, Exhibit Edge Inc.
    Sabret Flocos, IIDA, LEED AP, FOX Architects
    Kerry O’Brien, Germane Systems
    Dr. Valaida L. Wise, The Harbor School
    Dr. Brenda Boone, Human Solutions, Inc.
    Vivian Kelly, Interprose Public Relations
    Lisa M. Firestone, Managed Care Advisors, Inc. (MCA)
    Kathlene Buchanan, Metro Office
    Melaine Privitera, Mobius Consulting
    Lisa Wise, NEST DC
    Nancy E. Scott, Powertek Corporation
    Gail Gentile, RevoYOUtion.com
    Christine Pierre, Society for Clinical Research Sites
    Sonia Sivit-Valdizan, Sparkles! Child Care Centers
    Narjis B. Ali, Sure Secure Solutions
    Marta C. Wilson, Transformation Systems, Inc.

    NONPROFIT WINNERS
    Amanda Andere, FACETS
    Cindy Hallberlin, Good360
    Lisa LaFontaine, Washington Humane Society
    Eleni A. Rossides, Washington Tennis & Education Foundation
    Shelley S. Murphy, Wesley Housing Development Corporation

    To find out more about the 2014 Brava! Awards nomination process, email us at DCprograms@smartceo.com. For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, email us at WashingtonDC@smartceo.com.

    CONTACTS:
    Kelly Whalen, (301) 577-3057
    DCprograms@smartceo.com

    Samantha Belin, (301) 531-9184
    WashingtonDC@smartceo.com

     

  • 04/15/2013 - WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL: University of Phoenix and Good360 Announce New Relationship

    University of Phoenix and Good360 Announce New Relationship
    Organizations join to supply nonprofits across the country with much-needed technology


    PHOENIX and ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- University of Phoenix® and Good360 today announced a new relationship that will allow the University to donate refurbished technology to nonprofits across the country, while also ensuring that those technologies are disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way when they eventually reach their end of life.

    Through Good360's nation-spanning network of nonprofit organizations and online donation marketplace, the more than 100 University of Phoenix campuses and offices across the country can now quickly connect with local organizations to provide them with refurbished computers and other technologies. This new relationship has already helped to provide organizations in Phoenix with 145 computers to help them continue their commitments to serving their communities. The University will now work exclusively through Good360 to donate its technologies.

    "For 30 years, Good360 has helped fulfill the needs of nonprofits with corporate product donations," said Cindy Hallberlin, Good360 president and CEO. "We are proud to work with University of Phoenix as they continue to create positive educational and sustainability outcomes in our communities by helping them to see the life of their technologies extended with continued use and safe disposal."

    This new relationship also provides the opportunity to greatly reduce the environmental impact of disposing of technologies that can no longer be used. As part of their agreement with Good360, when the technologies are no longer needed, each nonprofit organization in the network must dispose of them in a way that is compliant with all regulations and that is safest for the environment.

    "At the core of our business is a mission to ensure that all Americans not only have access to a quality higher education, but also have access to safe, healthy environments where they can continue to learn, explore and grow both personally and professionally," said Pat Gottfried, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Apollo Group, parent company of University of Phoenix. "We are proud of this new relationship with Good360 for both the impact it will have on deserving organizations in need of technology, and in helping to keep our environment safe and clean."

    Apollo Group, parent company of University of Phoenix, is dedicated to being a good corporate citizen by serving communities and individuals across the country. Through its corporate social responsibility efforts, Apollo Group focuses on giving in the areas of education, workforce readiness and sustainability. To learn more about the impact of these efforts, please visit http://csrreport.s.apollo.edu/.

    For more information on Good360 and its mission to fulfill the needs of nonprofits, visit www.good360.org.

    About Good360
    Good360 was created in 1983 to help companies efficiently donate slow-moving, obsolete and seasonal inventory to charitable organizations. These products are new and include nonperishables such as apparel, books, toys, personal care products, office and school supplies, computers and much more.  Today, the nonprofit leader in product philanthropy distributes goods to a network of more than 35,000 prequalified charities, schools and libraries on behalf of America's top brands. Good360 has been recognized by both the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy and Forbes for its excellence and efficiency, respectively, in helping companies drive their bottom lines and at the same time do social good. For more information, visit Good360.org.

    About University of Phoenix
    University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help students balance education and life in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, challenging courses and interactive learning can help students pursue personal and career aspirations without putting their lives on hold. As the flagship university of  Apollo Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOL), University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. For more information, visit http://www.phoenix.edu.

    SOURCE University of Phoenix

     

  • 03/01/2013 - STORES MAGAZINE: Matchmaker

    Good360 connects corporate donors with nonprofits
    From Mar 2013 | By Susan Reda

    Armed with skeins of data and the gift of intuition, retail buyers are pretty successful at choosing the items that will move. But that’s not always the case — buyers have been known to place one too many re-orders, get stuck with a slow-moving item or face a product that’s not quite what they expected upon arrival.

    That’s where Good360 comes in. “Instead of something going into a landfill or being sent out to a jobber, Good360 connects companies who have things to people who need things,” explains Carly Fiorina, the chair of Good360. Since its inception, the nonprofit has delivered more than $7 billion in product donations to some 34,000 charities, schools and libraries across the country and has been recognized by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy.

    Fiorina, who joined Good360 just shy of a year ago, believes it’s an idea whose time has come. “All you have to do is look in landfills and you realize that there is a lot of stuff — toys, mattresses, books, clothes ... that is being dumped. At Good360 we’re about donating instead of dumping.”

    The former HP CEO led a panel discussion with retail partners The Home Depot and ANN INC. at the NRF Annual Convention & Expo in January. Her goal: to create more partnerships with retail companies, and ultimately to get more product to people in need.

    “Every single retailer has stuff that doesn’t sell,” Fiorina says. “Good360 matches donated product to those in need ... When we provide a new shirt for a veteran going on a job interview or a mattress for someone who has been sleeping on the floor, we’re providing things that are central to their well-being and to their sense of pride and purpose.

    “There are so many products that can have a big impact on somebody’s life,” she says. “Disposable diapers, for example, are not covered by food stamps or other government programs. ... It’s so simple and the opportunity to make a difference is enormous.”

    Feel good ... and then some
    Fiorina believes that associates care deeply about the social footprint of the companies they work for. “Employees — and younger workers in particular — care about what their employer is doing to sustain the environment and improve the quality of life for those less fortunate,” she says. “Not only do they care about it, but we believe that as a result they become more engaged in the company and the mission.”

    Donating product is good for brand image, too: Recent studies have found that given the choice of similar products, most consumers are more likely to purchase products with added social benefits.

    “As a business person, if it’s good for the bottom line, good for my employees and good for the brand — oh, and by the way, it’s also great for the charities and for the environment — I have a tough time understanding why a company would look away,” says Fiorina.

    What’s more, donating product is a cost-effective solution, she says, presenting a considerable financial advantage over cash donations because it can carry an enhanced tax deduction and help companies avoid fees associated with the disposal of excess inventory.

    Making it easy
    Good360, formerly Goods In Kind International, runs like a Fortune 500 business. Consistently ranked as one of the top 10 most efficient charities by Forbes, the organization operates at approximately 1 percent of the value of products donated.

    The National Retail Federation recently became a strategic partner of Good360; Matthew R. Shay, NRF’s president and CEO, was named to the board of directors.

    Powering this enormous undertaking is what Fiorina describes as “a world-class technology platform.” Good360’s warehouse and distribution facility, located in Omaha, Neb., handles the repacking and distribution of many of the largest corporate donations. The company moves 50 full truckloads per month; when the less-than-truckload donations are counted, Good360 moves the equivalent of 2,000 shipments a year.

    The vast majority of charities that Good360 partners with are in the United States, but there are instances when they distribute globally. Shortly after Fiorina joined Good360, her former company HP came to them with a request. “They had 20,000 calculators and wanted to donate them,” she says. “They requested that we not distribute them in the [U.S.] so we looked beyond the borders. We were able to place 20,000 calculators in China, South America and Africa.”

    Good360 is “able to increase our impact by working with manufacturers and non-retail companies as well,” Fiorina says. “Our program with Mattel ... has provided millions of toys to children in need across the United States.”

    Another benefit of Good360’s technology platform is a planned upgrade that will allow the company to capture, at a very granular level, where a company’s donation goes and who it helps. Good360 hopes to use the technology to tell stories that companies can share with their employees and their shareholders.

    Trash To Treasure

    Since 2008, The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation have worked with Good360 to distribute products to nonprofit organizations. The program, Framing Hope, recently surpassed $150 million in product donation; in 2012 alone, The Home Depot donated $37.7 million worth of products, with nearly one-third directly supporting veterans.

    At the BIG Show Fiorina was joined by Fred Wacker, director and COO of The Home Depot Foundation, who shared that the Framing Hope program was born from the desire of associates to make good use of store merchandise that would have otherwise been discarded. Today, the national program matches more than 1,200 stores with local nonprofits that receive home improvement products to support their charitable efforts.

    “Framing Hope aligns with many of The Home Depot’s core values, such as giving back, doing the right thing and building strong relationships,” Wacker said. “In addition, it positively addresses the social, economic and environmental needs of our communities.”

    Joining Wacker and Fiorina was Jeannette Ferran Astorga, vice president of corporate social responsibility for ANN INC., which includes the Ann Taylor and LOFT brands. The specialty retailer has had a corporate giving program, ANN Cares, in place for some time.

    Working with Good360, ANN INC. recently debuted ANNCares360, a program designed to ensure that store visual materials and fixture donations reach the key groups most aligned with the retailer’s values.

    “The benefit for nonprofits is clear — they are able to keep their expenses down by using donated materials — this means they can focus more of their energy and finances on ... advancing their missions,” Ferran Astorga commented in a recent blog. “Our stores benefit by keeping their back rooms clear of items no longer in use, and our store associates are empowered to help their local communities by donating items to help people in need.”

     

  • 02/06/2013 - CECP INSIGHTS BLOG: Valuation Webinar Q&A

    Valuation Webinar Q&A

    Gerald Borenstein
    Chief Financial Officer
    Good360

    February 6, 2013--How charities value non-cash gifts drew a good deal of attention in the press this year, and most of it was negative. Recently, Good360, the nonprofit leader in product philanthropy, joined Raffa, P.C., Crowell & Moring LLP and CECP to explore the topic of in-kind valuation in a free webinar for both nonprofits and corporations. The recorded webinar can be found here.

    Since we weren?t able to answer all the questions during the webinar, we?d like to take this time to recap some of the main takeaways and clarify some of Good360?s common practices. It?s important to highlight that Good360 always consults CECP?s Valuation Guide ? it?s a wonderful resource and tool when tough questions arise.

    Q: If donation value is not provided by the donor, how do you suggest we figure this out?
    A: Donations should be valued considering three factors:

    Usual Market

    - The price that buyers actually pay for similar property

    - Where the donor sells property in a wholesale market, it is inappropriate to value the contribution at the property's retail sales price?

    - Are discounts generally applied?

    Time and Place

    - Particularly relevant with perishable or dated items, such as food, drugs, and agricultural products

    Quantity Contributed

    - The value of a quantity of goods exceeding normal retail amounts may be less than the retail value, even where the donor's "usual market" is retail

    Donor-provided fair market value should be used as one input for valuation.? Nonprofits have a responsibility to independently determine the fair market value of a particular donation.
    ?
    Good360 Fair Market Value Process

    - Find values for each product in five different active marketplaces

    - Remove the highest and lowest values

    - Take the average of the three remaining values

    - Document everything ? website URLs, screen shots, shared location

    - Nonprofits have the burden of proof over their procedures their

    - At year-end Good360 further evaluates products for a wholesale adjustment for financial statement preparation.

    This is what Good360 considers when thinking of valuations and a brief summary of its methodology and process. IT IS NOT LEGAL OR TAX ADVICE NOR DOES IT STATE OR IMPLY THAT IT IS THE ONLY METHODOLOGY TO VALUE DONATIONS.
    ?
    Q: How do we evaluate food bank donations (canned goods) from the general public?
    A: While Good360 does not have experience in valuing perishable donations, it is always important to consider time and place and have a consistent and well documented process.
    ?
    Q: How do we value volunteer time? Do we need to?
    A: The CECP 2013 Valuation Guide includes a section on employee engagement and pro-bono valuation beginning on page 5. In addition, information on generating the cost of volunteer time for ?On-Company-Time? volunteering can be found on page 27.
    ?
    Q: If we get inventory from Good360, do we use the donor value provided or our own valuation system?
    A: Donor-provided fair market value should be used as one input for valuation.? Nonprofits have a responsibility to independently determine the fair market value of a particular donation.
    ?
    Q: Please clarify what you mean when you say ?be willing to walk away.?
    A: Sometimes we turn down a donation because it doesn?t fit our mission objectives or the value of the donation is inconsistent with our ability to support the donated value using our stated criteria.? We have been unable to apply our rules to value a product and match the donors stated value and if the donor is adamant about securing that value from us, we have walked away from the donation.
    ?
    Q: Is it difficult to find reliable market valuation data for foreign markets?
    A: The CECP 2013 Valuation Guide includes a section on non-cash giving valuation on page 5. For more detail on valuation in foreign markets, CECP?s report on Developing The Global Guide To What Counts offers detailed global product valuation information on page 28.
    ?
    Q: When approaching companies for cash donations and grants, never have they mentioned non-cash giving. What is the best way to explore that avenue with companies? Should we be looking at different departments within a company to find out who would be the decision maker for non-cash giving?
    A: Each company is unique in how they handle corporate donations for both cash and non-cash giving. We recommend approaching the same decision-maker you interact with for cash donations as a first point of contact to discuss non-cash giving. While these individuals may not be the final decision-maker, they will typically be able to point you in the right direction to explore different opportunities. Prior to reaching out, we recommend evaluating your non-cash needs and capacity to accept product donations or pro-bono services.


    Thanks to all who participated in the webinar.? If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to email me at Gerald@good360.org.

     

  • 01/18/2013 - THE HOME DEPOT FOUNDATION BLOG: The Home Depot Reaches Product Donation Milestone: $150M Donated to Local Nonprofits Nationwide

    The Home Depot Reaches Product Donation Milestone: $150 Million Donated To Local Nonprofits Nationwide

    What do Atlanta Union Mission, Help the Children, and Rebuilding Together have in common? They, along with thousands of other nonprofits, receive regular donations of products from The Home Depot. Since 2008, The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation have worked with Good360 to distribute millions of dollars in product to nonprofit organizations that use the materials to help those in need. As the program, Framing Hope, prepares to enter its sixth year this February, we are happy to announce a new and exciting milestone ? we have surpassed $150 million in product donation!

    Framing Hope was launched in 2008 after a call from our associates who wanted to make good use of merchandise from our stores that would otherwise be discarded. Now, the national program matches more than 1,200 stores with local nonprofits that receive much needed home improvement supplies to support their charitable efforts. In a true life example of ?one man?s trash is another man?s treasure,? the receiving nonprofits have made use of the donated materials that would otherwise be thrown away to address housing needs of low-to-moderate income homeowners, veterans, seniors and others in need.

    Since it began, Framing Hope has become not only a vital part of our organization, but a significant part of our giving strategy. In 2012 alone, The Home Depot donated $37.7 million worth of products to nonprofit organizations, $10 million of which directly supported U.S. military veterans.

    ?[Framing Hope] started as a grassroots effort on the part of our associates to divert good, useable building materials from the landfill to local nonprofits helping individuals, low income families and the needy have a decent, safe affordable place to call home,? says Fred Wacker, Director and Chief Operating Officer of The Home Depot Foundation. ?It is a great accomplishment of our associates that we have reached the $150 million milestone and impacted over one million homes and families.?

    The $37.7 million in product donated during 2012 alone benefited more than 60,000 homes and local facilities that help these deserving families and individuals in their areas. Just a few examples of what Framing Hope accomplishes include:

    • Atlanta Union Mission renovated the dormitories at The Potter?s House, a working farm outside Athens that can house about 180 men in long-term, intensive care for chemical addiction.
    • Help the Children distributes products to nonprofits including bathroom fixtures, carpets, tile and wood flooring, window blinds and more.
    • Rebuilding Together affiliates in Lynchburg, VA and Tempe, AZ have refurbished homes for disabled veterans and seniors.


    Recently at the National Retail Federation?s BIG Show, we were thrilled to join Good360 Board Chair Carly Fiorina in a panel discussion, ?Doing Well by Doing Good,? about the strategic business case for product donation. There, Fred Wacker highlighted our program and discussed how the partnership successfully allows us to repurpose Home Depot product for positive social impact. (For more information on the National Retail Federation?s BIG Show, click here)

    ?Framing Hope aligns many of The Home Depot?s core values, such as Giving Back, Doing the Right Thing and Building Strong Relationships,? adds Wacker. ?In addition, it positively addresses the social, economic and environmental needs of our communities.?

    According to a recent report on the program from Indiana University, the ?social, economic and environmental? impact he references have been substantial. Results include:

    • Social Impact:? Nearly 600,000 low income families reached
    • Economic Impact:? More than $56 million in embodied energy costs saved.
    • Environmental Impact: The Framing Hope program has helped families across the nation increase the sustainability of their homes by distributing ENERGY STAR products that help them save money on their energy bills. The program has also saved landfill space equivalent to approximately 6,000 garbage trucks.

    On the heels of a very successful 2012, Framing Hope shows no signs of slowing down in 2013!

     

  • 12/18/2012 - RETAIL'S BIG BLOG: How ANN INC. does well by doing good

    Corporate social responsibility: How ANN INC. does well by doing good
    By Jennifer Overstreet | Published: December 18, 2012

    ?Tis the season for giving, and retailers are ramping up cause-related campaigns to support their favorite charitable organizations. But for many retailers, giving back is simply ingrained in the way they do business year-round.

    Ahead of her appearance on a keynote panel at Retail?s BIG Show next month, we reached out to Jeannette Ferran Astorga, ANN INC.?s VP of Corporate Social Responsibility, to talk about how her company makes product donations an important part of their business strategy. ANN INC., which includes the Ann Taylor and LOFT brands, partners with Good360, an organization that helps companies with the logistics of efficiently getting donations to the non-profit organizations that need them.

    Read on to find out what ANN INC. gets by giving, and how they ensure their customers can feel good about what they buy.


    There are numerous business benefits to CSR, but there?s also a feel-good aspect of working to make a positive impact on the environment and the community. Tell us about one project that you?ve personally found most memorable.

    ANN INC. is a company for women. Our client base is 100% women, 93% of our associates are women and our CEO is a woman. Our company is passionate about women?s issues and this makes my job very easy?our associates are committed to CSR, responsible business practices and making a positive impact on the communities we touch and serve. I am most proud of the launch of our CSR website, ResponsiblyANN.com, since it allows us to share our CSR story and journey with our clients and business partners. ANN INC. is a fantastic organization with strong values and the website provides insight into how we uphold our values throughout our operations, supply chain and in the communities we serve.

    Global retail supply chains are a very complex thing to manage. When it comes to building a greener and ethical supply chain, what strategies, technologies or tactics have you found most effective in helping you meet your goals?

    ANN INC.?s supply chain is complex and connects companies and workers from across the globe to provide the materials and labor to make the products our clients love. Our clients genuinely care about the conditions under which Ann Taylor and LOFT products are manufactured and our impact on the environment. Therefore, we are committed to incorporating our high standards for social and environmental performance into every step of the process, from responsibly sourcing raw materials to selling the garment at our stores. Our suppliers are expected to drive high performance standards and we work only with suppliers that share our commitments and values.

    Our impact on the environment is also a focus for ANN INC. and we have made changes across the supply chain to minimize our packaging footprint. We continually work with our suppliers on new initiatives to drive environmental sustainability in our product supply chain and share updates on our CSR website, ResponsiblyANN.com.

    Since we?re in the midst of the holiday season, let?s talk about giving. Tell us a little bit about ANN INC.?s approach to product donations.

    We have a strong and passionate purpose-driven culture at ANN INC. Our corporate giving program, ANN Cares, focuses on several distinct areas, including the needs of women, children, associates and the environment. To support product donations, we have partnered with Good360 to launch ANNCares360, a program that ensures that our products are able to reach these key groups.

    Through our ANNCares360 program, Good360 is able, through its technology, to communicate to organizations within its network of more than 33,000 nonprofit organizations. The benefit for nonprofits is clear ? they are able to keep their expenses down by using donated products ? this means they can focus more of their energy and finances on programs and advancing their missions. Our stores benefit by keeping their backrooms clear of items no longer in use and our store associates are empowered to help their local communities by donating items to help people in need. The benefits do not end there ? our ANNCares360 program creates a new path for products and keeps them out of landfills, which ultimately benefits all of us.

    What?s your top piece of advice for retailers getting started with a product donation program?

    Contact Good360! Our colleagues at Good360 have been fantastic partners and act like an extension of our own corporate social responsibility (CSR) team. They helped us design and build a program which aligned with our objectives and supported our goals.

    What trends are you noticing in the field of CSR? How do you think these trends will evolve the role of CSR executives over the next several years?

    The focus on CSR is increasing and there is greater awareness from the consumer. This trend will continue, especially with the growth of industry groups such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, a key initiative driving the standardization of how sustainability is measured across the apparel industry in order to make the performance of products more visible to the consumer.

    What do you love about working in the retail industry?

    I have worked in the retail industry over 15 years and I have most enjoyed the years I have spent leading corporate social responsibility in our sector. In CSR, we have an opportunity everyday to connect with our clients and drive programs that align with her values. In retail, CSR goes beyond just sale?you make an emotional connection with your client and align your values with her values. That is true customer service!

    Want to learn more about how product giving is a win-win for retailers? Watch Jeannette Ferran Astorga at Retail?s BIG Show, Jan. 13 to 16 in New York City.

     
  • Jeannette Ferran Astorga, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility, ANN INC.
    Jeannette Ferran Astorga, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility, ANN INC.
  • 11/27/2012 - HUFF POST IMPACT: Reinventing the Season of Giving

    Reinventing the Season of Giving

    Carly Fiorina
    Board chair, Good360

    On the heels of a hard-fought election cycle, it's hard not to reflect on what divides us, but so much more unites us. I can't think of a better time to rally around an ideal that we all can agree on -- the importance of giving.

    Enter #GivingTuesday -- the social and mobile campaign to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. This year it's more than just the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping frenzy, #GivingTuesday aims to redefine the most wonderful time of year.

    Although the idea was born at 92nd Street Y, the cultural and community center in New York, the creators are making it clear that no one solely owns #GivingTuesday. It relies on countless organizations and people everywhere playing their part to make it a real success. The main goal is to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season.


    Since #GivingTuesday celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations, I am proud that the nonprofit I chair has whole-heartedly embraced the movement. Dedicated to fulfilling the needs of more than 32,000 nonprofits with corporate product donations, Good360 has joined #GivingTuesday in an effort to harness the collective power of charities, families, businesses and individuals. To maximize momentum, Good360 has invited its corporate donors and member nonprofits to tweet and post about their giving experience in honor of #GivingTuesday.

    Along with the campaign, Good360 is introducing two new initiatives to promote both cash and product contributions. To encourage financial support, Good360 unveils its online Giving Market where individuals can donate symbolic gifts on behalf of their friends and loved ones. The market highlights the substantial impact even small contributions can have due to the fact that for every dollar donated, Good360 is able to deliver, on average, $70 worth of critically needed goods to nonprofits representing every cause imaginable. This means that a $10 donation can deliver $700 worth of toys to sick children or a $50 donation can deliver $3,500 worth of diapers to struggling families. All funds raised will directly help offset the cost of shipping and handling for product distribution to community-based nonprofits that are directly helping people in need.

    On the product donation side, I'm particularly excited about Good360's efforts to shout its business case from the roof tops. As the former chairman and CEO of HP, I truly believe that Good360 is a no-brainer for companies on so many levels.

    Good360 is striving to make product donation as habitual as recycling. Like many movements, recycling caught on because it became easy for people and companies to execute. Product donation does not have to be an ordeal. With its new motion graphics video, launched today, Good360 has been able to illustrate this simple, win-win proposition in an artfully crafted 60 second snit-bit: Why Product Philanthropy is the Best Idea for Your Business.

    Not just an inventory solution, Good360's philanthropy model can improve the bottom line, build employee engagement and improve sales as a socially responsible company all by donating merchandise that might otherwise be stored, destroyed, or liquidated for pennies on the dollar. The added bonus? Good360 can tailor a unique giving program that works for a company's specific needs, whether an on-going initiative that becomes part of a strategic plan, direct product pick-ups from retail locations or a one-time donation designated for disaster relief. Good360 does as little or as much as a company needs.

    As we gather to transform the giving season as we know it, I am thrilled to invite you to share my enthusiasm for not only this unique organization, but the #GivingTuesday crusade as a whole. This is truly an idea whose time has come.
    ?
    Follow Carly Fiorina on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CarlyforCA

     

  • 11/15/2012 - BUSINESSWIRE: PetSmart? Stores Across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada Donate Goods to Local Animal Welfare Agencies

    PetSmart? Stores Across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada Donate Goods to Local Animal Welfare Agencies

    PetSmart Among the Top U.S. Companies in ?Green? Rankings According to Newsweek

    PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PetSmart? (NASDAQ: PETM) announced the launch of its hard goods donation program across its more than 1,200 stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. The program, supported by non-profit Good360, will save approximately 3,000 dumpsters of usable cat and dog products annually from going into landfills and benefit over 900 animal welfare organizations in local communities. Through the program, tested in August 2011 with ten PetSmart stores and expanded to a 140-store pilot in February 2012, over 1.2 million items have been donated to-date valuing over $990,000.?

    Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation (AARF), a 100% volunteer shelter located in the only veterinary clinic on the Caribbean island of Anguilla 140 miles from Puerto Rico, is a benefactor of this program. The shelter was matched with two Puerto Rico stores, secured storage space and air transportation both free of charge and now receives donated products brought from Puerto Rico to their shelter on Anguilla monthly.

    ?Being on a small island, we are somewhat isolated so donations of the items needed to help support the cats and dogs at our shelter can be challenging,? said Gayle Enzel, Board member of AARF. ?Thanks to the PetSmart team, we will now have a more consistent inventory of beds, toys, leashes and other items needed to take care of pets at our shelter while they wait for their forever homes.?

    The hard goods donation program is part of the company?s commitment to recycling, one of six priorities of PetSmart?s Think Twice? sustainability platform. Working with Waste Management, the company also continues to roll out recycling across all possible locations. As a result, PetSmart facilities recycled 34,271 metric tons in 2011, a 25% increase since 2008 and 4% year-over-year increase.

    Green Rankings: Reality Aligns with Perception

    Up 25 spots to #279, PetSmart was among the top 300 for the first time in Newsweek?s 2012 Green Rankings of U.S. Companies. These annual rankings are based on quantitative and qualitative metrics such as raw environmental data, reduction strategies, energy and environmental management and engagement activities. And consumers agree, voting PetSmart #16 overall and #2 among retailers in the annual Green Brands Survey, comparing 251 companies on the basis of their ?green? reputation.

    Unique Challenges to Sustainability

    Unlike most retailers, PetSmart has live animals -including fish- in their distribution centers and stores 24 hours per day, seven days per week. In addition, all of the retailer?s stores offer pet grooming and bathing services. Due to these unique aspects of PetSmart?s business model, consumption of energy and water on a per square foot basis is higher than traditional retailers.

    To address their unique energy consumption, PetSmart continues to utilize energy management systems which enable opportunities for efficiency to be identified swiftly. As a result, PetSmart has consistently reduced its carbon footprint on comparable facilities over four consecutive years, despite an increase in the total number of facilities and a 1.7% increase in overall square feet.

    In addition, PetSmart has decreased its water usage, all while maintaining the safety and care of fish in their aquatics departments and pets in their grooming salons. Gallons of water used per square foot in PetSmart stores over the past four years have decreased over 3%.?

    ??Finding unique ways to help our adoption partners and our communities is not just a priority for us at PetSmart, it?s who we are,? said Jaye Perricone, Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Development for PetSmart. ?Working with partners like Good 360, Waste Management and animal welfare agencies like AARF inspires each of us to continue to look for creative ways to help PetSmart develop and support innovative solutions for our sustainability challenges.?

    To learn more about the company?s sustainability efforts, view PetSmart?s Sustainability Report at www.petsmart.com/thinktwice.

    About PetSmart

    PetSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PETM) is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. The company employs approximately 50,000 associates and operates more than 1,249 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, over 194 in-store PetSmart? PetsHotel? dog and cat boarding facilities and is a leading online provider of pet supplies and pet care information (http://www.petsmart.com). PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products; and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp SM day care services and pet adoption services. Since 1994, PetSmart Charities, Inc., an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization and the largest funder of animal welfare efforts in North America, has provided more than $165 million in grants and programs benefiting animal welfare organizations. Through its in-store pet adoption partnership with PetSmart Charities?, PetSmart has helped save the lives of more than 5 million pets.

    Follow PetSmart on Twitter @PetSmart
    Find PetSmart on Facebook www.facebook.com/PetSmart
    See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart

    Contacts
    PetSmart, Inc.
    Toni J. Eberhardt, 623-516-3912
    teberhardt@ssg.petsmart.com
    ?

     

  • 10/31/2012 - SUPERSTORM SANDY RESPONSE

    SUPERSTORM SANDY RESPONSE

    COMPANIES LOOKING TO DONATE PRODUCTS OR TRANSPORTATION

    Good360 is striving to make product philanthropy a part of relief and recovery, and we're looking for generous donors to become part of our coalition. Corporations looking to donate products for Superstorm Sandy emergency disaster relief and long-term recovery, please email Doyle Delph at doyle@good360.org.

    INDIVIDUALS OR COMPANIES LOOKING TO DONATE CASH

    Consistently ranked by Forbes as one of the top ten most efficient charities in America, Good360 can deliver, on average, $70 worth of critically needed goods for every dollar donated. Monetary contributions at this time will help us fulfill the needs of nonprofits active in Superstorm Sandy disaster relief.

    Donate Cash Now ? please specify ?disaster relief? in the drop-down menu.
    ?
    COMPANIES LOOKING TO ENGAGE EMPLOYEES IN DISASTER RELIEF

    Good360 can help organize a giving program that involves your employees and lets them see how your company is giving back. Corporations looking to set up a Superstorm Sandy employee emergency disaster relief and long-term recovery contributions program, please contact Kelly McSween at kelly@good360.org.
    ?

    NONPROFITS NEEDING ASSISTANCE

    Is your 501(c)(3) organization currently active in Superstorm Sandy disaster response and in need of donated product? First, register to be a member of our nonprofit network if you are not already. Next, communicate your needs by emailing recovery@good360.org.

    Need further assistance? Our Service Team is here to help!
    Call: 703-836-2121
    Email: serviceteam@good360.org
    Chat Live

     

  • 10/18/2012 - INDA.ORG - INDA Partners with Good360 in Product Philanthropy Initiative

    INDA Partners with Good360 in Product Philanthropy Initiative

    Leading nonwovens association partners to help the nonwovens industry donate goods to charitable organizations

    CARY, N.C. ? October 18, 2012 ? Realizing that its member companies would benefit greatly from a simple and effective way to donate excess inventory to worthwhile charities, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), has partnered with Good360, the nonprofit leader in product philanthropy, to launch the first-ever nonwovens industry giving initiative.

    This partnership creates a simple and streamlined way for companies up and down the nonwovens supply chain to donate products and make contributions to nonprofit organizations in need, helping companies improve their bottom line and, more importantly, make a difference in the lives of the families and communities that need it most.

    ?Because our industry offers an unusually diverse array of product offerings that can be useful to those in need ? things like diapers, medical supplies, wipes, building materials and filter products ? we are in a unique position to help out those in need,? says INDA President David Rousse. ?Our partnership with Good360 allows companies to give something back to the community by streamlining the process of finding organizations or individuals who can actually use their goods, which charities are worthwhile, or how to get the products to those who need them the most.?

    Consistently recognized by Forbes as one of America?s top 10 most efficient charities, Good360 connects companies with product donations to a network of more than 30,000 prequalified nonprofits. It provides companies with expert donation management and a range of logistics services, including picking up available inventory and getting it into the hands of nonprofits in need. They also provide comprehensive donation tracking and reporting essential to measure giving impact and maximize the benefits for recipients and donors alike.

    Since its inception in 1983, Good360 has distributed more than $7 billion in product donations to thousands of pre-qualified charities serving countless causes, individuals and communities. For more information on Good360, visit Good360.org.

    Donations to Good360 can be made at any time, whether in the event of an emergency or in non-emergency times. Companies can donate when they have excess inventory, to reduce waste going to landfills or simply because you want to make a difference.

    ?We have the ability to tailor a giving program to any company?s needs,? says Good360 Vice President of Donor Relations, Doyle Delph. ?Our partnership with INDA will provide the nonwovens industry with 360 degrees of good ? good for companies, good for communities and good for the environment.?

    In addition to the corporate social responsibility benefits, companies can make a positive difference for individuals and families struggling to make ends meet. Donations help to foster support and good will with employees and the local community as well as reduce landfill waste. In addition, companies that donate through the INDA/Good360 program qualify for an enhanced tax deduction.

    To donate or to get involved with the INDA/Good360 initiative: http://www.inda.org/issues-advocacy/join-inda-and-good360-and-make-a-real-difference-in-the-lives-of-others/. When filling out the cash donation form, please select ?INDA? from the ?How did you first hear about Good360?? drop down list. When completing the product donation form, please write ?INDA? where it asks for ?Donation Title.?

    To discuss a donation or program, please contact:
    Doyle Delph, Vice President, Donor Relations
    (703) 299-7532
    doyle@good360.org

     

  • 10/15/2012 - PROINSPIRE.ORG: The Power of We: Big Lessons from a Small Town

    The Power of We: Big Lessons from a Small Town
    October 15, 2012

    By 2012 Fellow, Gillian Perron

    Blog Action Day brings together bloggers from different countries, interests and languages to blog about one important global topic on the same day. This year the theme is "The Power of We" in celebration of people working together to make a positive difference in the world, either for their own communities or for people they will never meet half way around the world.

    Every morning, I step onto the metro and join the thousands of other caffeine-induced people who live and work in Washington, D.C. If you have ever taken public transportation at rush hour, you know this means lots of newspapers crinkling, people attempting not to stare, and many awkward bumps as the metro driver slams on his brakes.

    As a proud D.C. resident, I walk by institutional landmarks and historical monuments every day; the momentum of the forward-thinking and hustling crowds is enough to make anyone aspire to change the world. I am one of the ?we? who calls the District home. But I developed a sense of community and the true impact of the ?power of we? in a much less glamorous setting.

    I grew up in a remote Vermont town with less than 1,000 community members. This setting means two things: you never get away with a speeding ticket and you learn the importance of community which is amplified in times of hardship. In 1986, my parents purchased our family farm from my grandparents, which was a big investment and risk at a time when small farms are being overshadowed by larger agribusiness and urbanization. That same year, our town experienced a microburst, which is similar to a tornado; it happened to settle over our property and wreaked destruction on my parents? newly purchased farm. Besides damage to the land and equipment, the microburst ripped through the right side of the barn.

    For a small business, destruction of that magnitude can be insurmountable. In our town, as with any small community, the news spread quickly. That weekend, our neighbors arrived and helped my parents rebuild the right half of our barn. It was done in a matter of days rather than the months it likely would have taken my family to make the repairs. When my family recounts this story, we feel so proud of our community; though we never refer to this as the ?power of we,? I know this is the epitome of the true impact a group of people can create.

    Living in the District allows one to feel a certain level of anonymity, which hinders the impact and power a group of people can have. In order to complete the circle and be a part of something that is bigger than I, I have joined an amazing team of people at Good360. Each day, we work to connect a network of more than 30,000 charities to corporate donors through a sophisticated nonprofit supply chain. Good360 is a nonprofit that truly exemplifies the ?power of we.? By collaborating with the two networks, nonprofits are able to receive product donations that stretch their budgets and fulfill their missions.

    Corporations are able to increase their bottom line and social image by donating products as opposed to disposing of or destroying them. Although I may be far from my hometown and our family?s farm, I carry the lessons learned with me in my daily work; as a result, I have never felt the ?power of we? so strongly.

     

  • 10/02/2012 - KNIGHTFOUNDATION.ORG: Knight Foundation invests $1.3 million in technology that empowers communities

    Knight Foundation invests $1.3 million in technology that empowers communities

    New Knight report explores emerging Tech for Engagement field

    Oct 2, 2012 ? Four projects that use technology to help communities shape their own futures will receive $1.3 million from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

    The support is part of Knight Foundation?s Tech for Engagement Initiative, founded on the ideal that technology has the power to transform our democracy. The initiative funds projects that experiment with ways people can engage with each other and take action on issues they care about.

    Knight Foundation today also released a new report, Digital Citizenship: Exploring the Field of Tech for Engagement. The result of a June summit with 70 leading thinkers, the report takes a snapshot of the field, explores key challenges and offers recommendations for the future. It can be found at knightfoundation.org/digitalcitizenship.

    ?While billions are spent working to sustain or invent the next Google or Facebook, there are relatively few dollars flowing into how to improve the kind of active democracy that builds our communities. We need more tools with a civic purpose, and technologists with a passion for community, to help deliver on the promise technology has for our everyday lives,? said Paula Ellis, vice president for strategic initiatives at Knight Foundation.

    Ellis announced Knight Foundation?s support for the following projects:

    Change By Us (CEOS for Cities - $590,000): Already implemented in New York City and Philadelphia, Change By Us finds citizens where they are already talking (online), and breaks down barriers to civic engagement, Citizens can propose local projects, and are able to recruit volunteers and become eligible for mini-grants that will help achieve their goal. The next version of Change By Us will allow projects to crowdsource funding and will be integrated with Facebook. The goal is to make it easier and more affordable for more cities to adopt the platform.

    ?The intersection of civic engagement and technology is accelerating change from the bottom up in unprecedented ways. Change By Us is our effort to go beyond clicks and "likes" to engagement and impact,? said Lee Fisher, president and CEO of CEOS for Cities.

    OpenGovernment.org (Participatory Politics Foundation - $225,000): Funding will bring the popular OpenCongress.org platform to the local level - allowing residents to track items before their city council, voice their opinions to elected leaders and share opinions and news with neighbors. The site will be tested in Philadelphia, San Jose, Calif. and Washington D.C. OpenGovernment is a free and open-source project.

    DailyFeats.com ($236,000): The free app and website is best known for helping people take small steps to achieve big goals - whether they concern eating, exercise, personal finance, or other aspects of health and well-being. With funding, the app will expand its push to engage people in doing more for their communities and as citizens. Approaches will be measured and statistically tested to determine what triggers and methodologies work for encouraging community engagement.

    Good360 ($250,000): The nonprofit, a pioneer in the field of product giving, connects corporations with nonprofits, schools and libraries that need their donated goods. Through an online product donation marketplace, Good360 will enable communities to build capacity and engagement one individual at a time. Nonprofits will be able to communicate needs through wish lists, search for available product right in their own communities, enlist financial support from their social networks, and share impact stories with corporate and individual donors, alike. The organization hopes the interaction will empower communities to collaborate to meet the vast and exponentially increasing product needs of their massive nonprofit network.

    Knight Foundation, a national funder with local roots, is committed to promoting democracy by supporting informed and engaged communities. The Tech for Engagement Initiative, launched in 2010, has invested $10 million in 24 projects, including Code For America, which is changing the way governments work through technology and service.

    The initiative seeks innovative ideas that help deepen people?s engagement in their communities, make governments more open and transparent, and help build the greater field of people working in this area. For more, or to apply, visit technologyforengagement.org.

    About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
    Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged.

    About CEOs for Cities
    CEOs for Cities is a learning community and partnership network that connects civic CEOs and urban leaders to each other and to smart ideas and practices for making cities successful. We connect across sectors, borders, levels and generations in more than 60 North American cities.

    About DailyFeats
    DailyFeats, available free for iPhone, Android, and web, helps people make positive change by forming small daily habits. In partnership with Walgreens, Cigna, eBay, Happy Family, O, The Oprah Magazine, ONE Campaign, and a coalition of other organizations, DailyFeats offers tools and motivation for sustainable behavior change, helping its members take action to improve their health and well-being. Members earn points for their actions or "feats," share progress with friends, and redeem their points for savings from national brands, local rewards or partner donations to 501(c)3 non-profits. DailyFeats is a certified B Corporation.

    About Good360
    An international nonprofit with nearly 30 years of experience in product philanthropy, Good360 is dedicated to helping people and communities in need by distributing corporate product donations to qualified nonprofits. These include nonperishables, such as apparel, books, toys, personal care products, office and school supplies, computers and much more. On behalf of several Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies, Good360 distributes products to a network of nearly 30,000 pre-vetted organizations. Good360 has been recognized by both the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy and Forbes magazine for its excellence and efficiency, respectively, in helping companies drive their bottom lines and at the same time do social good.

    About the Participatory Politics Foundation
    The Participatory Politics Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to increase civic engagement. The foundation develops free Web tools that create new opportunities for engagement with government. We believe that the Internet opens an unprecedented opportunity to extend and amplify political voices and actions. For our political system of representative democracy to work effectively, it is essential that we have the ability to see what?s happening in government and communicate our ideas to people in power.

     

  • 08/09/2012 - ASSOCIATION TRENDS: Elevate your good citizen reputation with Good360

    Elevate your good citizen reputation

    By Cindy Hallberlin | 08/09/2012

    According to the 2011 Cone/Echo Global CR Opportunity Study, 94 percent of consumers said they would switch brands to one associated with a good cause when price and quality are about the same. As association executives, it is vital to differentiate your trade, to project a positive image for your industry as a whole, and to provide guidance and value to your members.

    Good360 has been making the donation of slow-moving, obsolete and seasonal goods simple and beneficial for the past 30 years. We work with a wide range of esteemed associations that are spreading the word about the business benefits of product giving, promoting their industries? social responsibility efforts and extending the benefits of product donation to their members. Ongoing services, as well as tailored components, are provided at no cost to business associations and members.

    Through our sophisticated logistics network, we can create a special program for your association or simply help your members distribute their product donations to thousands of qualified nonprofits in the U.S. and around the world. Our partners consist of a broad range of companies, including 125 of the Fortune 500 consumer and retail product corporations, a diverse network of 30,000 nonprofit organizations, and some of the most respected business associations, representing industries including apparel, furniture, retail, software and technology, building materials, sporting goods, toys and educational equipment and supplies.

    Today?s association executives face an increasingly crowded marketplace in which to attract members who demand more for their membership fees. Just a few examples of how we work with associations include:
    ?
    - Donation management for ongoing giving programs and one-time donation opportunities;
    - Customized association/member communications, including media outreach when appropriate;
    - Quarterly campaigns/emergency relief coordination; and
    - Targeted recognition strategies including industry awards programs.
    ?
    The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers partnered with Good360 to create an appliance donation program to help celebrate AHAM?s 40th anniversary. The program provided new appliances to more than 40 families in the New Orleans area, who were forced to rebuild following Hurricane Katrina. AHAM received widespread media coverage for the program and was honored with the ASAE?s Award of Excellence.

    In addition, the American Cleaning Institute, formerly the Soap and Detergent Association, worked with Good360 to create a program in which industry members donated cleaning products to benefit those affected by disaster or other circumstances that have left them homeless. They were distributed to qualified nonprofits through Good360 and promoted the good citizenship of ACI and its members.

    As more companies realize the importance of corporate social responsibility in both the corporate and association worlds, they will require new ways to demonstrate that they are involved in their communities and are helping to improve the world. Our programs provide a wide range of opportunities to build such a platform for your industry.

    Details: Hallberlin is CEO of Good360, Alexandria, Va., www.good360.org.

     

  • 08/01/2012 - NRF STORES: Where Charity Begins - Nonprofit partnerships prove valuable to retailers

    Where Charity Begins - Nonprofit partnerships prove valuable to retailers

    By Fiona Soltes

    Strategic business partners once meant the right vendors and suppliers, and they remain vitally important. But retailers are discovering the value of aligning with the right nonprofit partners as well.

    ?Giving back is increasingly important,? says Jessica Graham, vice president of communications and community relations for Belk, which announced earlier this year that the company and its associates, customers and vendors had given more than $18.3 million in charitable contributions in the fiscal year ended in January.

    ?People want to know what companies are doing,? she says. ?They want to feel good about the companies they?re doing business with. And associates ... expect to have the opportunity to be involved and give back. It?s becoming an increasingly normal part of business.?

    Turnkey donation solutions

    This year, research from Indiana University and nonprofit Good360 showed that product donation ? as an alternative to liquidation or destruction ? not only reduces landfill waste and provides relief for those in need, it?s also better for the corporate bottom line.

    Good360, ranked as one of the top 10 most efficient charities by Forbes magazine, provides items to more than 30,000 qualified nonprofits, schools and libraries. Over the past 29 years, Good360 has delivered more than $7 billion in donated products.

    Numerous NRF member companies are on Good360?s roster, but chief strategy officer and executive vice president for business development Ellie Hollander is always happy to include more. Her vision of an ideal future is one in which product donation is as routine as recycling.

    The Home Depot first aligned with Good360 in 2008 for a program called Framing Hope. Kelly Caffarelli, president of The Home Depot Foundation, says the idea stemmed from store associate comment cards.

    ?Time and again, they saw us throwing away good merchandise, and they thought that people could use those products,? Caffarelli says. ?The products are often big, bulky and difficult to ship, so we put together a program that addressed those shipping issues by pairing a local nonprofit with each store.?

    Framing Hope began with 25 stores and 25 nonprofits; since then, it has surpassed $100 million in donated merchandise, and about half of The Home Depot?s U.S. stores have been matched ? with Good360?s help, Caffarelli says.

    Changing the giving paradigm

    Steve Croth and his social innovation/technology peers had all experienced fundraising sales of chocolates and gift wrap that took ?tons of effort,? and thought there had to be a easier way to raise cash. Their solution, FlipGive, is set to officially launch this fall.

    FlipGive allows consumers to use social media to sell non-discounted offers from popular retailers. A mother trying to raise cash for her son?s soccer team, for example, could sell e-gift cards to a participating retailer, with a portion of each sale going to her cause.

    It?s a ?no-risk? venture for the retailer, he explains, as taking part means increased customer traffic, cash, online promotion and credit for charitable involvement.

    ?It flips marketing on its head,? Croth says. ?It uses the power of the people, and lets them be brand ambassadors. It?s a new way to approach an old problem.? Better the World, the company behind FlipGive (and of which Croth is a founding partner), works with each retailer to create a unique branded experience online, so customers see the fundraisers as an effort of the store.

    Better the World teamed up with Toronto-based Indigo Books & Music in 2011 during the retailer?s annual Adopt a School campaign. As a result of that collaboration, online donations grew 140 percent and registrations for Adopt a School sites grew 1,200 percent.

    ?This is about how you create deeper relationships with your customers,? Croth says. ?What we believe is a fundamental truth ? that if you help people within their lives, then they in turn will be more loyal to you.?

    Learning to tell the story

    Belk?s February charitable giving announcement was outside the norm ? not just because of the amount, but because an announcement was made at all.

    Traditionally, charitable giving came largely through the Belk Foundation, a separate entity with its own leadership and areas of focus. The company?s 2010 rebranding came with new mission and value statements, though; being involved in the community was not new, but now receives higher priority.

    ?You can?t fix every need,? Graham says. ?The more you can focus your giving in areas that are particularly important to your community, your customers and your associates, the greater impact you?ll be able to have.?

    As part of Belk?s efforts, more than $800,000 went to disaster relief for Tuscaloosa, Ala., and other communities affected by the April 2011 tornados. A Tuscaloosa store associate was killed as a result of the storms (though not in the store at the time) and the store also suffered extensive damage.

    To witness associates from across the company ?give their money and reach out to help was amazing,? Graham says. ?We filled an 18-wheeler with supplies and drove it down so they would have basic supplies and clothes.?

    Graham says Belk is ?getting better? about sharing its charitable efforts, but there?s still work to be done.

    ?What?s been so special is to see the associates so excited,? she says. ?This is the right thing to do, it?s important to do and we have the resources to do it. We want to share the resources we have and make a difference. But a key part of that is sharing it in a way that helps galvanize folks who want to make a difference as well.?

     

  • 07/25/2012 - INHABITAT.COM: JPMorgan Chase Teams Up With Good360 To Recycle, Refurbish & Distribute Technology For Good

    JPMorgan Chase Teams Up With Good360 To Recycle, Refurbish & Distribute Technology For Good
    by Mark Boyer, 07/13/12

    JPMorgan Chase has teamed up with Good360 to launch Tech Warehouse, a new program that will distribute refurbished computers to nonprofit organizations and schools. The program not only puts valuable technology in the hands of those who need it most, but it will also promote the reuse of old machines, instead of sending them to the landfill. Under the partnership, JPMorgan Chase will replace the hard drives in more than 3,000 of its computers and distribute the old ones with Good360?s network of charities.


    Good360 (previously known as Gifts In Kind International) is one of the largest charities in the country, and it runs an online donation marketplace. Companies of all sizes donate consumer products, and Good360 helps to channel those products to more than 22,000 community charities around the world. Since it was first formed, Good360 has distributed more than $7 billion in product donations.


    As JPMorgan Chase replaces older computers at its offices, it will donate those old computers for Good360 to share with its network of nonprofits and schools. ?As part of the zero-waste initiative that they?re trying to implement within their corporation they decided to refurbish these computers,? explains Kelly McSween, Good360?s senior director of corporate initiatives. ?They shred all of the hard drives, and so we put brand-new hard drives into the computers, and they prevent them from going to the landfill by donating them to charities and nonprofits and schools across the country.


    According to McSween there are four reasons why a corporation like JPMorgan Chase would want to participate in a program like the Tech Warehouse. First, updating the company?s technology periodically helps it to maintain a high level of security. By donating the old computers, JPMorgan Chase can have a positive impact both on the community, because they go to schools and nonprofits, and on the environment, because they?re being reused.


    ?Since 2009, we?ve been able to redeploy almost 30 percent of the more than 250,000 desktops, laptops, monitors and printers collected ? avoiding costs and reducing our environmental impact,? said JP Morgan Chase Chief Information Officer Guy Chiarello in a statement. ?We are proud to develop Tech Warehouse with Good360 as a way to continue our work toward preserving the environment while providing useful technology for those in need.?

     

  • 07/24/2012 - CITYIST.COM: H&M Hosts Clothing Drive and Smart Shopping

    H&M Hosts Clothing Drive and Smart Shopping

    By Liz Smith

    Beginning on Thursday, July 26th through Sunday, August 12th, customers who donate gently worn kids clothing at one of H&M?s children?s locations will receive 15% off their purchase from the Swedish retailer?s fall back-to-school uniform collection! All garments received through the drive will be donated to Good360. Customers can keep their kids looking sharp and polished with H&M?s full line of preppy basics starting at $7.95. The collection includes forty pieces that can be paired as separates or styled together to create a school uniform look?polos, cardigans, and blazers in classic navy, grey, and white, paired with khaki?s for boys or pleated skirts and jumpers for girls. The uniform line is available for purchase in 176 H&M stores where our children?s concept is sold.


    Since 2002, H&M U.S., in partnership with Good360, has donated H&M garments, shoes, and accessories valued at $6.5 million to hundreds of charities in the United States and across the globe. So donate and shop at H&M, leaving the kids fabulous for back to school while helping those less fortunate. Talk about good (fashionable) karma.

     

  • 07/10/2012 - VIRTUAL STRATEGY MAGAZINE: Guidance Selected to Redesign and Upgrade Commerce Solution for Good360

    Technical Design, Development and Integration Services Will Enhance the Nonprofit?s Online Donation Website Serving Almost 30,000 Charities

    Guidance, a web, mobile and social commerce design and development agency trusted by Internet Retailer Top 500 companies, announced today that it has partnered with Good360 to provide technical design, development and integration services for the nonprofit leader in product philanthropy.

    Guidance will upgrade Good360?s online product donation catalog onto the Magento Enterprise platform and will integrate it with Navision.

    ?Good360?s online catalog is the cornerstone of our philanthropy model,? said Shabab Gruberg, Good360?s Chief Technology Officer. ?We chose Guidance because we knew their efforts would improve our nonprofit network?s online commerce experience and because of their expertise with Magento Enterprise.?

    Guidance?s Magento expertise was recently recognized with the Magento Partner Excellence Award. Out of hundreds of Magento partners, Guidance was honored for its excellence in quality of Magento Enterprise implementations and exceptional customer satisfaction.

    ?Good360 supports a network of nearly 30,000 pre-vetted nonprofits,? said Jason Meugniot, Owner & CEO of Guidance. ?It is an honor to support their efforts to help communities in need worldwide.

    About Good360
    Consistently ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the top ten most efficient charities in America, Good360 (formerly Gifts In Kind International) is dedicated to helping people and communities in need by distributing corporate product donations to qualified nonprofits. These include nonperishables, such as apparel, books, toys, personal care products, office and school supplies, computers and much more. On behalf of several Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies, Good360 distributes products to a network of nearly 30,000 pre-vetted organizations. The nonprofit organization was recognized earlier this month with the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy?s Directors? Award as part of its 2012 Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy Awards.

    About Guidance
    Guidance designs, builds, maintains and hosts highly customized commerce solutions for today?s leading retailers, boosting brand loyalty, traffic and conversion. Since 1993, national retailers and consumer product manufacturers alike have relied on Guidance?s expertise to facilitate more than $3 billion in web, mobile and social commerce. Brands such as Bank of America, Behr, Burlington Coat Factory, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Foot Locker, Harbor Freight, Honda, Hyundai, Intel, Mars, Nike, Oakley, Relax the Back, TOMS Shoes, Walt Disney and others, have engaged Guidance to build more than 300 world-class, multi-channel websites and apps that captivate, engage and incite loyalty.

     

  • 06/28/2012 - WALMART GREEN ROOM: The Intersection of Philanthropy and Sustainability

    The Intersection of Philanthropy and Sustainability

    By Melissa Trumpower

    Have you ever wondered what happens to the products that sit in a warehouse or the back room of a retail store because they aren?t selling? Or the excess inventory manufacturers find sitting in their warehouses when supply overtakes demand? These perfectly usable goods are often added to our already overflowing landfills or liquidated for pennies on the dollar.

    What if those products were donated to the nation?s already overburdened safety-net programs? One in six Americans lives in poverty today and, according to the Nonprofit Finance Fund, 88 percent of nonprofit organizations expect an increase in service demand in 2012.

    Good 360 Child With Bearable BagGood360 is an example of how philanthropic efforts can contribute to sustainability goals, and vice versa. As the nonprofit leader in product philanthropy, we find creative and innovative ways to connect companies that have goods with charities who need them. The Good360 model creates 360 degrees of good ? good for companies, good for charities, good for people and good for the environment. That circle of good includes nearly 30,000 pre-qualified recipient nonprofit organizations around the world.

    Just one example of how we help companies is our program with Walmart, which began in January 2011. Good360 began distributing products from the company?s return centers to qualified nonprofits in both local communities and across the country. Since that time, we have helped to ensure that excess inventory from Walmart and its vendors?slow-moving goods, returns, obsolete models or otherwise?is donated to help the neighborhoods where it does business. In 2011 alone we helped Walmart:

    - Deliver 327 truckloads of products from one return center to nonprofit organizations around the country;
    - Divert more than 2.4 million pounds of returned products from the landfill to community-based nonprofits; and
    - Distribute needed products valued at almost $25 million to help communities across the country.

    These donated products are being used to help victims of disaster get set up in a new home, support programs to empower Native Americans living below the poverty line, provide the basics for low-income seniors, people with disabilities and people in need, and much, much more.

    Good360?s? vision is a world where product donation is practiced by all companies, ensuring that excess and slow-moving merchandise is used to improve our communities and to help people in need get a new start on life. In fact, research just released by Indiana University proved the business case for product donation over both liquidation and disposal.

    Donating product helps companies achieve their zero waste initiatives and, at the same time, make an important impact in the communities where they do business.

     

  • 06/06/2012 - HUFF POST IMPACT: Framing CSR Through Product Philanthropy

    Framing CSR Through Product Philanthropy

    Carly Fiorina

    Board chair, Good360

    Corporate. Social. Responsibility. -- Three commonly used words that when standing alone don't have much impact, but when woven together, have the ability to sustain, influence and engage. Good360, the nonprofit I recently joined as board chair, has been making corporate social responsibility (CSR) both accessible and advantageous through product donation since 1983. As a former CEO of a Fortune 20 company, I know that CSR isn't just a trending catchphrase. Good360's philanthropy model can improve your bottom line, build employee engagement and improve sales as a socially responsible company all by donating merchandise you might otherwise be paying to store, destroy, or liquidate for pennies on the dollar.

    On June 5th, the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) announced Good360 as the recipient of its Directors' Award -- part of the 2012 Excellence Awards in Corporate Philanthropy. Since 2003, CECP's Board of Directors has presented the award and corresponding grant to a nonprofit demonstrating an exemplary partnership with a corporation. We received this high honor due to our work with The Home Depot and the innovative program we created together -- Framing Hope.

    The Framing Hope Product Donation Program was born out of the desire of The Home Depot's (THD) associates to donate products -- set to be returned to a distribution center or thrown in a landfill -- to help the communities where they work and live. Executives at The Home Depot recognized the importance of responding to the grassroots plea of their employees to give back. They saw the benefits of donating over liquidating or destroying, and invested time and money to effectively engage employees in stores across the country to partner with local nonprofits.

    More than 1,000 Home Depot locations across the country currently participate in Framing Hope and distribute product donations locally, allowing recipient nonprofits of all shapes and sizes to stretch their budgets further and enhance mission-focused programs. Good360 ensures marked-down inventory, buy-backs, returned merchandise and end-of-season items are placed with qualified organizations that are working to make their communities better.

    Looking to analyze the true impact of this program, in 2010 Good360 and The Home Depot Foundation worked with Indiana University to measure the program's environmental and community impact. The research concluded that almost 500,000 low-income families were reached within one year of the program and within its first two years, Framing Hope diverted 2,500 garbage trucks of compressed waste from landfill. In addition, the energy-efficient usage of products from Framing Hope products saved enough electricity to power 294 homes annually and the energy already saved is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 90,138 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.

    The Framing Hope program is a terrific example of how two organizations can collaborate to positively impact the triple bottom line -- people, planet, profit -- and deliver measurable results to communities in need. Thanks to the partnership with Good360, The Home Depot was able to achieve their strategic goals to meet zero waste initiatives, cut costs and drive supply chain efficiencies, engage employees and give back to the community. Good360 was able to continue supporting nonprofits serving communities, small and large, that make up the nation's safety-net programs. We envision a world where like recycling, product donation becomes a habit and we are thankful for responsible companies like The Home Depot who have already adopted our win-win philosophy.

     
  • Good360 Board Chair Carly Fiorina accepts CECP's 12 Annual Excellence Award on June 5
    Good360 Board Chair Carly Fiorina accepts CECP's 12 Annual Excellence Award on June 5
  • 06/01/2012 - THE NONPROFIT TIMES: Future Of Technology Donations ?Cloudy?

    Future Of Technology Donations ?Cloudy? - 06/01/2012

    By Patrick Sullivan

    The nation?s major software vendors have been generous with product donations. Either directly or working through a pass-through entity, a nonprofit could get software either free or at a discounted rate. The box would show up and the organization was in business.

    It often wasn?t a completely free lunch. There were other fees, such as for customization or for data processing or for membership in an organization that served as a clearinghouse for the vendors.

    As technology moves to the cloud -- a techy way of saying the software resides elsewhere, you just use it -- there is no box. It is now just a site license and that changes the nature of the donation for nonprofits, vendors and the pass-through entities.

    ?There is a trend of technology companies looking to donate licensing to nonprofits,? said Kelly McSween, senior director of corporate initiatives at Good360 in Alexandria, Va. Good360 is a nonprofit that receives software donations from corporations and distributes them to the more than 27,000 nonprofits in its network. It also distributes goods in other categories.

    By licensing, McSween means a direct download from the Internet, as opposed to software that comes on a CD or DVD with a manual in a cardboard box. It should be noted that of Good360?s five software donation partners, four offer only in-the-box donations.

    With a cloud-based product, the program is hosted on an off-site server, usually administered by the donor company.

    For a program in the cloud, you need an Internet connection and a Web browser. For distributors of donated licenses and cloud products, Internet delivery cuts shipping and warehousing costs, as well as packaging waste.

    ?There?s a real benefit to the sector as a whole in moving to the cloud,? said Marnie Webb, co-CEO of TechSoup Global, a San Francisco, Calif., nonprofit that distributes technology products and expertise to other nonprofits for an administration fee. ?We are seeing a movement to products over the Web. That?s been a trend our donors have been moving toward, as Internet connections around the world have been more stable. It didn?t happen overnight. It?s been an ongoing movement.?

    Of TechSoup?s 483 donated software products, approximately 55 percent are distributed online, with ?many? of the 47 donor companies providing cloud services, according to Glenn Hirsch, TechSoup?s manager of communications and creative services.

    Donor companies discount their licenses in a variety of ways. Some give them all away for free, and some have a flat nonprofit discount. Others donate or discount a number of licenses, or provide free or inexpensive access for a set amount of time. Some, like DonorPerfect which produces donor management software, go with a ?freemium? and paid model.

    DonorPerfect?s donations through TechSoup are all cloud-based, and free to qualifying nonprofits with fewer than 1,000 names in their constituent files and who raise less than $100,000/year. Once they go above either threshold, they have to pay.

    Jon Biedermann, DonorPerfect?s vice president of fundraising solutions, said the expectation is that a nonprofit will grow and use more of the product. ?They?ll use it more and more and be willing to pay for it,? he said. DonorPerfect also charges for value-added extras, such as online special event management modules, add-ons that ?for the most part small nonprofits don?t need at first, but when they grow, they can take advantage of,? said Biedermann.

    The challenge that software donation has always sought to solve was the cost to buy into technology. Free software solves part of that problem, but ?the most expensive part has always been installation, customization and all the implementation required to make the software work for a nonprofit,? said Webb. ?Cloud solutions can often have a smaller up-front cost, but they may have a larger long-term cost because you don?t stop paying for it.?

    Webb said she believes that could actually be fine for most nonprofits, especially smaller organizations that cannot raise a large amount of capital to cover a high initial investment. ?If you?re just starting a nonprofit, you?d be dense not to go to the cloud,? she said. ?You don?t have a legacy system, so it makes perfect sense.? And even for well-established but still small organizations, the cloud is a good solution because ?it will probably be a huge organization change issue but not a huge expense, because (small nonprofits) probably don?t have great systems.?

    A move to the cloud might be hardest for mid-sized nonprofits that have already invested in on-premise systems, said Webb. Migration costs -- installation, implementation, and customization -- might be too high if a lot of money has been spent on the current system. Large nonprofits, too, might have problems moving to the cloud, due to the large number of user licenses they could need. ?Organizations invested in technology really have to think about migration,? she said. ?Moving into new systems and preserving the good in old systems is a challenge.?

    Donors and distributors insist there is no fiscal motive for donating software. Some companies might make money through ?licensing and maintenance,? said McSween, but ?people are really trying to create these programs for the benefit of nonprofits.?

    For example, Microsoft makes nothing for its work with nonprofits, said Tom Murphy, director of communications for corporate citizenship at Microsoft, the software giant based in Redmond, Wash. ?We do not see nonprofits as a revenue stream,? he said.

    For example, the cost of Microsoft?s Small Business Server Premium Add-on for a regular consumer is $1,600. It is free to nonprofits through various channels. Last year, Microsoft donated $844 million of product to more than 46,000 nonprofits in 113 countries. The bulk of the distribution, roughly $500 million, was through its partnership with TechSoup Global.

    ?This is a long-term investment in partnership with the sector, and our donations have grown in scale with the sector,? said Jane Meseck, director of global citizenship and public affairs at Microsoft. ?We really do approach this holistically, trying to help nonprofits get the software they need.?

    Meseck said that in Microsoft?s case there is no gain for moving to the cloud. ?It inherently has costs around maintenance and provision of the technology. You don?t have to have an internal (distribution) infrastructure, but the downside is the cost of running the (cloud) servers.?

    Cloud technology carries other difficulties for the vendors. Holly Ross, executive director, the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) in Portland, Ore., said cloud donations might make things more complicated come tax time. ?It?s not a physical product, so tax rules might change,? she said. ?It?s easy to take a box with a price tag and donate it. It?s less easy to donate something without a physical asset and that has an ongoing fee structure. Once (a donor company) produces the box, all their costs are sunk. If you make a donation around a cloud (model), it?s an ongoing cost. It could last in perpetuity.?

    Ross also emphasized the monetary benefits, or lack thereof, of software donation. ?A possible outcome is that the company might get additional license fees from a nonprofit. However, most of the folks who are working with (nonprofits) are really dedicated to approaching the work as a philanthropic activity,? as opposed to a business transaction, she said.

    Conceivably, nonprofits can get software and support, end-to-end, for free. ?We try to encourage partnering with nonprofit networks of tech service providers,? said Webb. Organizations such as The Community Corps, a project of NPower in New York City, match nonprofits in need of tech support with technical experts who wish to volunteer their time and expertise.

    Many nonprofits are already using cloud technology and don?t know it. Gmail, the popular email service from Google, for example, is cloud technology. It?s hosted remotely and accessed through an Internet connection. A March 2012 survey by NTEN found that 91 percent of the 780 respondents used some sort of cloud-based software, and of the 9 percent who said they didn?t, follow-up conversations revealed most used services such as Gmail or the email marketing service Constant Contact, which are cloud technologies.

    ?I think adoption (of cloud-based services) is really pervasive, but really shallow at this point,? said Ross. ?We?re going to be looking to deepen the adoption.?

    There have always been barriers to nonprofits adopting the latest software and technology. In the past, it has been the price of those technologies, but ?the software donation model is a good way to lower that (cost),? said Webb. ?The new question is, what is the barrier with the cloud? What can we build and do to overcome these new barriers??

    A stable Internet connection is taken for granted in the United States. That is not true in many parts of the world. Some nonprofits with operations in remote areas simply don?t have a robust enough connection for a long, data-intensive license download, not to mention the persistent reliability required to access a cloud-based product whenever necessary. For these nonprofits, a boxed product still makes sense. And, ?sometimes people just prefer to have the disk,? said Microsoft?s Murphy, especially for processor-heavy programs like Adobe?s image editing software Photoshop or statistical analysis programs.

    Though Microsoft has seen a rise in the number of downloads, its ?donations in-box are still growing,? according to Meseck. ?(Cloud technology is) an important and transformational technology, but we?re still seeing the greatest demand in in-the-box products,? she said. Last summer, Microsoft switched from sending CDs as the default method of distribution to an opt-in checkbox for CDs.

    Meseck said the number of downloads jumped sharply, especially in the United States. ?The cloud in general is still maturing,? she said. ?Nonprofits tend to lag a bit. As you see it mature more in the for-profit sector, nonprofits will follow.?

    Also at issue is the perception of security threats. The NTEN survey showed that 55 percent of respondents said that fear of losing control of their data figured into their decision on whether to adopt cloud technology, and, 61 percent said concern regarding unauthorized access to data was a driving factor.

    ?In general, security isn?t as big a deal (as it is perceived), but it?s still an issue,? said Ross. ?Health care providers, women?s organizations, refugee organizations, in those kinds of cases really knowing what data you?re putting in and the potential for it to get out is important. We?ll be really slow to see adoption with financial data and maybe program data, but for the most part we?re headed in that direction.? NPT

     

  • 04/23/2012 - SUSTAINABLE BRANDS: Ann Taylor and Loft Link Up With Good360's Donation Platform

    Ann Taylor and Loft Link Up With Good360's Donation Platform
    by Bart King

    April 23, 2012?Ann Inc. the parent company of Ann Taylor and Loft, announced a partnership with nonprofit Good360, that will facilitate the donation of reusable products to local charities that support women and children.

    With the launch of an internal system, called ANNCares360, the company?s stores will be able to enter leftover items from displays and other marketing efforts into a database system linked to Good360?s online product donation marketplace and its network of more than 26,000 charities.

    The partnership with Good360 offers a uniform company-wide system, better tracking mechanisms, and a wider reach for Ann Inc.'s donations.

    Good360, previously known as Gifts In Kind International, is a pioneer in the product giving space with recognition by Forbes Magazine as one of America?s top ten most efficient charities. In three decades of service, Good360 has distributed nearly $7 billion in product donations to thousands of organizations serving a wide spectrum of people in need. Good360 is developing the world?s largest online product donation marketplace, where product donations from America?s top brands and retailers become goods for the greater good.

    ?The ANNCares360 program aligns perfectly with our environmental commitment to minimize waste in our operations since most of these items can be reused. We are pleased to know that we will be able to provide resources for communities in need,? said Jeannette Ferran Astorga, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility.

    Hilton Worldwide set up a partnership with Good360 last year to automate the donation of items such as towels, blankets or office supplies that are recovered through renovation, or, simply reached the end of their commercial service life, but are still reusable.

    Bart King is a PR consultant and principal at Cleantech Communications.

     

  • 04/18/2012 - HUFF POST IMPACT: GOOD360 - An Idea Whose Time Has Come

    GOOD360 - An Idea Whose Time Has Come

    Carly Fiorina
    Board chair, Good360

    Since my tenure as HP's Chairman & CEO and my run for California's senate seat, I've felt compelled to involve myself in many worthy causes of all shapes and sizes. I serve on the advisory board of the Foundation for Health Coverage Education. I co-chair the US Leadership in Development initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies as well as serve on the leadership council of the Initiative for Global Development. I'm a founding supporter of the African Leadership Academy and a founder of the One Woman Initiative. I'm a cancer survivor acting as a Global Envoy for Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG organization.

    When I was approached by Good360's search committee about chairing its board of directors, it quickly became clear to me: this nonprofit's mission, inventive model and the sizable impact it was making globally was undoubtedly worth my time and consideration.

    Many people are unaware that Good360 is consistently ranked by Forbes as one of the top 10 most efficient charities in America. A lot of people might not know what being the nonprofit leader in product philanthropy even means.

    I quickly learned that it's all about facilitating new product donations, leveraged giving and a complete win-win for corporations and Good360's network of more than 26,000 pre-qualified nonprofits. A nonprofit helping other nonprofits to stretch their budgets and fulfill their missions by enabling corporations to increase their bottom line and social image by providing an alternative to disposing of or destroying excess inventory. Yes, Good360, formerly Gifts in Kind International, has been connecting those who have with those who need since 1983.

    As corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a must in today's business world, it shocked me that more companies haven't jumped on board to include product giving in their business strategies to reduce logistics and supply chain costs, work towards zero waste initiatives, reap an enhanced tax benefit and even engage employees. Good360 has been working with large corporations such as 3M, The Home Depot, Mattel, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Hallmark and IBM for years to manage their product giving programs, but why are some companies still sending perfectly usable excess inventory to a landfill or selling it for pennies on the dollar? In January of this year, Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) teamed up with Good360 to release research proving the business case for product giving.

    As the former leader of a Fortune 20 company, there's no question I see the benefits of product philanthropy. As an average American looking to support a worthy cause and making sure my dollar does the most good, Good360 is also a no-brainer. The organization's unique model of delivering donated products means that every dollar donated toward shipping costs can provide, on average, $70 worth of delivered product -- meaning every donation, no matter how big or small, makes an enormous difference in communities around the world. Through leveraged giving and Good360's extensive network of vetted nonprofits, you don't need to choose just one charity to support. Your dollars can help defray the cost of product delivery, serving every type of cause imaginable.

    Being highly involved in technology innovation for years, I'm excited to be joining Good360 as the organization prepares to introduce a cutting-edge upgrade to its online donation marketplace that will better serve the vast and exponentially increasing needs of its growing charitable network. As part of the platform, the new online donation marketplace will connect nonprofits, corporations and socially minded people to share stories and join together to improve their communities through product giving. In addition, the new technology will significantly streamline identification, delivery and distribution of valuable, needed product donations for nonprofits around the world.

    This is an idea whose time has come, and I am thrilled to announce my new position as chair of Good360's board of directors. I said yes to its mission, and I hope to influence many more to say yes to what Good360 is doing -- to continue to work with partners around the world to improve the lives of children, families, and communities and to restore and protect the planet -- and do it all through product giving.
    ?
    Follow Carly Fiorina on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CarlyforCA

    Full article?

     
  • 04/18/2012 - CNBC SQUAWK BOX: Carly Fiorina on 'Good360'

    Carly Fiorina, former HP CEO, discusses her new position as chair of "Good 360", an online donation marketplace that connects corporate product donations with nonprofit organizations.

    http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000084889?

     

  • 03/23/2012 - New Effort Aims To Create Omaha Jobs

    Good 360 Helps Companies Donate Products To Nonprofits

    www.ketv.com

    8:42 am CDT March 23, 2012

    OMAHA, Neb. -- A new effort in Omaha will bring jobs to the city and hope to millions of people in need across the United States.

    The effort is titled Good 360. It's a company that helps other companies donate products to nonprofits.

    Boxes of paintbrushes at a distribution center in northern Omaha will become part of a large brushstroke for good.

    "A 360-degree circle of good, good for businesses, good for the community, good for the environment, and most of all, good for the people in need," Good 360 President and Chief Executive Officer Cindy Hallberlin said.

    It was why Good 360 just settled in on North 16th Street just north of the Storz Expressway, Hallberlin said.

    The company contributes to more than 26,000 charities.

    "They're helping people in need and keeping companies that have overflow product from throwing it away. They're actually donating us their extra goods," Good 360 Operations Manager Kathleen Coartney said.

    The excess gets packaged up and sent out to organizations in need of the supplies, with charities only paying for the cost of shipping.

    "EBay connects those who have with people who want. We connect people who have with people in need," Hallberlin said.

    For Omaha, another need is fulfilled.

    "This part of the city is still at 18 to 22 percent unemployment. This is where we need to locate the industry and the warehousing -- five minutes away because the unemployed can get here," Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle said.

    Officials said it's a win-win situation with Omaha getting another coat of investment and job opportunity while Good 360 grabs a brush and prepares to paint its way to a brighter future.

    "This facility says we're going to do it every day, and we're going to do it all across the country, not just here in Omaha," Omaha Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer David Brown said.

    To see the catalog of items available and find out how to donate to the cause, visit www.Good360.com.

     
  • 03/22/2012 - North Omaha Gets Global Sorting Center

    North Omaha Gets Global Sorting Center

    March 22, 2012
    By Cindy Gonzalez, World-Herald staff writer

    FULL ARTICLE

    Formed in 1983 to distribute $12 million in office equipment donated by 3M to eligible charities, today the international non-profit Good360 finds homes for some $350 million worth of corporate products, including some that otherwise would be tossed out.

    And now it is moving all of its distribution and sorting operations to north Omaha.

    A ribbon cutting ceremony is planned Thursday for the Good360 National Distribution and Sorting Center. What previously had been operations spread out in 12 cities across the U.S. and Canada will be combined in a central spot at 6200 N. 16th St.

    Good360 will use up to half the 260,000-square-foot warehouse that also is home to Cargo Zone, said Good360 chief operating officer Kevin Hagan. Terry McMullen, president of Cargo Zone, is providing the space at no cost, Hagan said.

    "The beautiful thing about Omaha," said Hagan, "you're right here in the center of everything ? basically a two-day delivery to either coast."

    Consolidation, he said, should substantially cut down time and resources needed to support the company's network of 26,000 nonprofits that provide safety net programs across the country.

    Said David Brown, president of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce: "Our location at the transportation crossroads of North America continues to foster business growth and expansion."

    Two full-time jobs will be created, but Hagan said the sorting and distribution center also will enable Good360 to provide up to 50 training positions for participants of ResCare Workforce Services, a program funded by the State of Nebraska for public assistance recipients.

    The goal is that trainees, after six to nine months, will have gained enough experience in production, inventory management and forklift operations to land jobs.

    Gov. Dave Heineman said the state appreciated working with Alexandria, Va.-based Good360 and providing job training grants to help make its project a reality.

    Perhaps the greatest benefit to Omaha, Hagan said, is that local nonprofit agencies will have ? in their back yard ? a place to get nonperishable items for clients.

    Good360 accepts donated and excess materials such as clothes, toys, personal care products, office and school and building supplies from companies large and small. In some cases, items with flawed packaging are repackaged. then distributed to Good360's network of pre-screened agencies upon request.

    The nonprofit members pay only shipping costs. Thus, having one centralized location rather than 12 should save members money as well.

    Mayor Jim Suttle planned to help cut the ribbon, saying Omaha was fortunate to be chosen.

    Contact the writer:
    402-444-1224, cindy.gonzalez@owh.com

     
  • 01/24/2012 - New Research Proves the Business Case for Product Giving

    Researchers at Indiana University Conclude that Giving Corporate Product Donations is Economically Superior to Liquidation or Disposal

    BLOOMINGTON, Ind., January 24, 2012?? New research from Indiana University concludes that businesses can do well by doing good through product philanthropy.? Donating products to charities helps corporate bottom lines, reduces waste in landfills, and provides relief for people in need. With a record number of Americans living in poverty today, product donations allow people to use their limited resources to pay for food, health care, prescription drugs, utilities and other vital needs.

    The study, released today by Indiana University?s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), provides the first detailed examination of the return on investment for donating merchandise as opposed to liquidating or destroying it.?

    ?This research demonstrates that donating products can result in substantial financial and social benefits for minimal cost and risk,? said Justin Ross, assistant professor of public finance and economics and the lead researcher for this study.? ?Additionally, working with a nonprofit that can match companies with charities lowers corporate costs associated with product philanthropy.?

    Good360, a nonprofit that has worked in product giving for almost 30 years, approached the School of Public and Environmental Affairs last year do the study. As many retailers and other companies approach the end of their fiscal years on Jan. 31, the research provides new and timely information to help them make good decisions about their excess and slow-moving merchandise.

    Additional findings include:

    ??Product giving presents a considerable financial advantage over cash donations because it can carry an enhanced tax deduction.
    ??Product donations can provide the same image enhancement benefits as marketing and advertising programs and at a lower cost.
    ??Companies that engage in product philanthropy avoid fees and negative branding implications associated with disposal of excess inventory.
    ??Product donation is superior to liquidation in most circumstances, and the report provides a rule of thumb for companies wishing to make quick cost comparisons.

    In addition to providing an economic justification for retailers, manufacturers and distributors to donate excess merchandise, the report gives managers a framework for analyzing the costs, benefits, risks, and opportunities of implementing a product philanthropy program.

    ?We hope that the report will inspire more companies to consider product donation as a viable alternative to liquidation or disposal,? said Cindy Hallberlin, president and CEO of Good360, the nation?s nonprofit leader in product philanthropy.? ?For many there is an untapped strategic opportunity to use product giving to advance the business and have substantial social impact on the communities and causes about which they care deeply. Rarely is there such a win-win between business and social good.?

    For more information on the research collaboration and links to research findings, please visit:?http://about.good360.org/productdonationresearch. For those interested in hearing more about this new research, SPEA and Good360 will host a webinar today at 2 p.m. to present key findings and answer questions. Space is limited. Please register at:?https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/684724881. ?

    About SPEA
    Indiana University?s SPEA (http://www.indiana.edu/~spea/) is a world leader in public and environmental affairs and is the largest school of public administration and public policy in the United States. In the 2009 "Best Graduate Schools" by U.S. News & World Report, SPEA ranks second and is the nation's highest-ranked professional graduate program in public affairs at a public institution. Six of its specialty programs are ranked in the top 10 listings. SPEA?s doctoral programs in public affairs and public policy are ranked by the National Academy of Science as the best in the country.

    About Good360
    Good360 (http://about.good360.org), formerly Gifts In Kind International, is the world?s leading nonprofit in product philanthropy and is ranked as one of the top ten most efficient? charities by Forbes magazine. Working with many of the nation?s top retailers and brands, Good360 provides needed products to more than 23,000 qualified nonprofit organizations. Over the last 28 years, Good360 has delivered over $7 billion of donated products. From retail store donations in thousands of communities to employee product giving programs, Good360 continues to identify new ways to efficiently move resources to the communities that need help most.?

    In 2010, the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Good360 worked together on?research that analyzed the social and environmental impact?of The Framing Hope Product Donation Program, a program that was created by The Home Depot and Good360.

    For more information:

    Steve Hinnefeld, Indiana University Communications
    Phone: (812) 856-3488
    slhinnef@iu.edu

    Melissa Trumpower, Good360 Communications
    Phone: (703) 299-7547
    mel@good360.org
    www.facebook.com/good360.org
    @Good360org

     

     
  • The Business Case for Product Giving
    The Business Case for Product Giving
  • 01/24/2012 - Fast Company: The Business Case For Corporate Philanthropy

    Fast Company: Research released today shows donation to be a better financial choice than either liquidation or landfill when it comes to unloading product that cannot be moved otherwise.

    Fast Company expert blogger Seth Kahan makes the case for product giving through Good360, "the world leader in product philanthropy". Read the full article.

     
  • 01/24/2012 - CNBC: Courtney Reagan Highlights Opportunity for Companies to Benefit from Product Donation

    CNBC: Courtney Reagan Highlights Opportunity for Companies to Benefit from Product Donation:

    "There has been a new trend in inventory control. This year, retailers are turning to charities like Good360 to donate more merchandise than ever before. Home Depot, Mattel, 3M, Tempur-Pedic, and JCPenney are just some of the donors this year donating goods from windows to toys to mattresses to over 24,000 charities around the country. It's a win win for everyone involved."

    Listen to the entire story on YouTube, or download the audio file (mp3).

    Download a copy of Indiana University's research on the business case for product giving.

     
  • 11/30/2011 - Good360 Ranked by Forbes as One of the Nation's Most Efficient Charities

    Good360 Ranked by Forbes as One of the Nation's Most Efficient Charities

    Financial efficiency is one of many ways to evaluate a charity. It?s based on the simple proposition that all other things being equal, a donor would rather that as much of a contribution as possible go to the stated charitable mission of the nonprofit rather than be spent in soliciting the donation or in overhead. Read the full article

     
  • 11/22/2011 - More Than 22,000 Organizations Can Benefit Globally Leveraging LightStay

    Hilton Worldwide Partners with Good360 to Donate Reusable Goods to Charitable Organizations

    MCLEAN, Va. - Hilton Worldwide today announced a partnership with Good360 to connect hotels donating high-quality used goods to charitable organizations that can repurpose and serve needs within their communities.

    By utilizing LightStay, Hilton Worldwide's proprietary sustainability performance management platform, all of the more than 3,750 Hilton Worldwide hotels globally will be able to enter goods available for donation into a tracking system that will link to Good360's online product donation marketplace and its more than 22,000 charities that can claim items as needed. Additionally, Hilton Worldwide's group meeting clients can track donations entered by Hilton Worldwide-branded properties in the event a donation opportunity is available through LightStay's Meeting Calculator.

    "Our partnership with Good360 is the critical link we've been looking for," said Jennifer Silberman, vice president, corporate responsibility for Hilton Worldwide. "Many of our hotels have been donating for some time, and we are excited to watch how this partnership will enable more donations by connecting hotels with a greater number of organizations to support communities in need and providing resources to facilitate their donations."

    Routinely, properties have items such as towels, blankets or office supplies that are recovered through renovation and events, or, simply reached the end of their commercial service life, but are still reusable. Before now, it has been difficult for hotels to execute relationships with existing charitable partners on a consistent basis due to time, resource or legal constraints.

    In 2010, over 1,300 Hilton Worldwide properties donated physical goods to charitable and community organizations. This figure will continue to increase in coming years as hotels utilize the Good360 partnership and manage donations more efficiently using LightStay.

    Good360, previously known as Gifts In Kind International, is a pioneer in the product giving space with recognition by Forbes Magazine as one of America's most efficient charities. In three decades of service, Good360 has distributed nearly $7 billion in product donations to thousands of organizations serving a wide spectrum of people in need. Good360 is developing the world's largest online product donation marketplace, where product donations from America's top brands and retailers become goods for the greater good.

    "Thanks to donors like Hilton Worldwide, Good360 is able to get essential products into the hands of those who need them most," said Cindy Hallberlin, CEO and president of Good360. "When nonprofits receive product donations, they are able to stretch their budget further and focus more time on their mission."

    This is the latest in Hilton Worldwide's commitment to repurpose used goods for community needs. Earlier this month, Hilton Worldwide announced a partnership with the Global Soap Project to recycle soap across its more than 3,750 hotels globally and leverage its global supply chain and expertise to assist with the influx of soap the nonprofit will receive. The company also will invest $1.3 million over three years to expand its infrastructure.

    Hilton Worldwide is the first major multi-brand hospitality company to make sustainability measurement a brand standard and recently earned ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications for quality and environmental management - one of the largest volume certifications awarded for commercial buildings. As part of that standard, Hilton Worldwide-branded properties commit to continuous improvements to their overall sustainability results each year. In 2010 alone, the company saved more than $74 million in utility costs through a 6.6 percent reduction of energy use; 7.8 percent reduction of carbon output; 19 percent reduction of waste output; and 3.8 percent reduction of water use. Hilton Worldwide's global giving is currently focused on creating vibrant and sustainable communities wherever we operate.

    Hilton Worldwide was awarded the Global Vision Award by Travel & Leisure and the Extra Mile Award by Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazines. Most recently, the company was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Power Partnership as one of the top 10 purchasers of green power.?

    Contact:
    Dasha Ross
    Hilton Worldwide
    + 1 (703) 883-5805
    dasha.ross@hilton.com
    www.hiltonworldwide.com/media

    About Hilton Worldwide Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has been offering business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,750 hotels and timeshare properties, with 615,000 rooms in 85 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors?. For more information about the company, visit www.hiltonworldwide.com or connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.hiltonworldwide.com/media. ?

     
  • 11/10/2011 - Housewarming and Toolkits Donated to Nonprofits Serving Veterans

    The Home Depot Foundation, National League of Cities, and Good360 Partner to Distribute 500 Housewarming and Tool Kits to Nonprofits Serving Military Veterans

    Good360 distributed donations of 75 housewarming kits?five-gallon buckets filled with product donations from The Home Depot Foundation including free household items such as towels, cleaning supplies, and trash bags?to U.S. VETS-Phoenix for its newly completed affordable housing project. The Home Depot products were donated by The Home Depot Foundation (THDF) and then sorted into 500 kits?250 housewarming kits and 250 toolkits?by attendees at the National League of Cities (NLC) 2011 Congress of Cities & Exposition. The remaining 425 housewarming and tool kits will be distributed to nonprofits serving military veterans across the nation. The toolkits will be packed in a tool box and will include hammers, box knives, pliers, wrenches, picture hanging kits, gloves and many other items needed on a day-to-day basis.

    ?This is the second year the National League of Cities has partnered with Good360 to give our attendees a worthwhile service project that ultimately connects them with the community where we hold our conference each year. City officials from all over the nation helped sort and kit the free household and toolkit product donations for U.S. VETS-Phoenix and the many other nonprofits serving veterans in the United States,? said James E. Mitchell Jr., NLC President and Councilmember Charlotte, NC.

    According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the latest studies show that more than 75,000 Veterans are homeless on a typical night and about 135,000 spend at least one night a year in a homeless shelter. In fact, military veterans make up 8% of the U.S. population, but almost 16% of homeless adults. In an effort to eliminate homelessness among veterans by 2015, the VA recently announced a plan to transform its efforts in the fight against homelessness from a focus of temporary, shelter-based services, to a focus on prevention, employment, and permanent housing. The housewarming and tool kits include product donations of essential home items which will help veterans maintain their new homes.

    ?Good360?s goal is to provide thousands of nonprofits who help military families, veterans and active members with free product donations. We are thankful to have the support not only of THDF, but also the NLC and the attendees at the 2011 Congress of Cities, who made this service project and free product donations possible,? said Cindy Hallberlin, CEO and President of Good360.

    The Home Depot Foundation?s participation stems from a longstanding commitment to the military and veteran communities. Earlier this year, THDF pledged a three-year, $30 million initiative to address veterans? critical housing needs. The Foundation?s financial commitment will be amplified by associates from The Home Depot, who will also volunteer their time and home improvement know-how skills to projects across the country.

    ?We are excited to support Good360 and their mission to provide nonprofits with essential product donations,? said Kelly Caffarelli, president, The Home Depot Foundation. ?This service project complements our pledge to help address veterans? critical housing needs by giving veterans the day-to-day household items and tools that a family will need to maintain their new home.?

    U.S. VETS, the nation?s largest nonprofit provider of services to veterans, is dedicated to successfully transitioning military veterans and their families through the provision of housing, counseling, career development and comprehensive support. The Phoenix location recently completed 3400 Grand Ave., a new affordable housing project which will house 134 military veterans and their families.

    ?The kits provided by Good360 will provide U.S.VETS with an opportunity to give our newest veterans a gift they can use the minute they come to our facility and to show them that we care,? said U.S.VETS- Phoenix, State Director, Hank Doss. ?This is another great step in eliminating homelessness in Maricopa County where there are 1,200 veterans who are homeless on any given day.?

    ###

    About Good360
    Good360 (about.good360.org) is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to fulfilling the needs of nonprofits by distributing corporate product donations around the world. The organization works with the nation?s top retailers and brands to provide needed products to more than 22,000 qualified nonprofit organizations.?This year, Good360 will launch the latest version of its new, innovative online donation marketplace that helps to aggregate the product needs of nonprofits and provides timely information about how product donations are used for the greater good.?Good360, formerly Gifts In Kind International, is ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the nation?s best-managed charities in America.

    About National League of Cities

    The National League of Cities (www.nlc.org) is the nation?s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing?more than 218 million Americans.

    About The Home Depot Foundation
    The Home Depot Foundation is committed to ensuring that every U.S. military veteran has a safe place to call home.?In April 2011, the Foundation pledged a three-year, $30 million initiative to address veterans? critical housing needs.

    Since its formation in 2002, The Home Depot Foundation has granted more than $270 million to nonprofit organizations improving homes and lives in local communities.?To learn more and see The Home Depot?s associates in action, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org or follow on Twitter @homedepotfdn, and like on Facebook at www.facebook.com/homedepotfoundation.

    About the United States Veterans Initiative
    Founded in 1992, U.S.VETS is dedicated to the successful transition of military veterans and their families through the provision of housing, counseling, career development, and comprehensive support. With 12 locations in six states and Washington, D.C., U.S.VETS is the largest veteran-specific nonprofit housing and service provider in the country. Focused on assisting homeless and at-risk veteran and veteran families, U.S. VETS serves over 2,000 veterans each day. In a year, U.S.VETS will help 3,000 veterans find housing and over 1,000 veterans obtain full-time employment. To learn more, visit www.usvetsinc.org or follow on Twitter @USVETSINC, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usvetsinc.


    For more information, please contact:

    Kara Kozimor
    Senior Director of Communications, Good360
    Phone: (703) 299-7575
    kara@good360.org

    Gregory Minchak
    National League of Cities
    minchak@nlc.org
    (202) 626-3003

    Catherine Woodling
    Public Relations and Communications Specialist, Home Depot Foundation
    Catherine_Woodling@HomeDepot.com
    (770)-384-2304

    Chelsea Cody
    Communications Coordinator, United States Veterans Initiative
    ccody@usvetsinc.org
    (213)-542-2601

     
  • Good360 staff setting up (from left to right) Colleen Clark, Emily Coccia, and Amanda Folk
    Good360 staff setting up (from left to right) Colleen Clark, Emily Coccia, and Amanda Folk
  • 10/21/2011 - Discovery Communications Announces Nonprofit Partners for Second Annual

    Discovery Communications Employees to donate creative services to Good360 at 12-hour marathon event supporting nonprofit missions

    Silver Spring, Md. ? Discovery Communications today announced the nonprofit organizations selected to take part in the company?s annual pro bono initiative, Discovery Impact: Creating Change. During this 12-hour creative marathon, employees will lend their talents in marketing, communications, creative design services, social media and video production to help the organizations with their promotional goals. The second annual Creating Change marathon will be held at Discovery?s global headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland on November 9.

    Discovery has selected 24 non-profit partners to receive design and communications services this year. The organizations serve a number of community needs, including helping the homeless, working with disabled veterans, preventing domestic violence and promoting literacy. In order to address the needs of all the organizations who applied, Discovery has created a series of workshops and roundtables covering a multitude of topics including Social Media and Press Strategy to be held during the event on November 9. All organizations that applied to Discovery Impact: Creating Change will be invited to attend these workshops.

    ?Discovery?s greatest assets are our talented, creative employees and Creating Change allows us to harness the passion and skills of our workforce to help nonprofit organizations with their marketing and communications needs,? said David Leavy, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Global Communications. ?We are humbled by each of the organizations that applied to Creating Change and the extraordinary work they do to make our world a better place.?

    Additionally, key Discovery partner Thinkstock (www.thinkstock.com) an image subscription site from Getty Images, will donate imagery from their library for use in print and online campaigns for the nonprofits, and Killer Tracks (www.killertracks.com), will provide use of their music library for PSAs and videos.

    Creating Change is one of several Discovery Impact initiatives that leverage the power of Discovery's brands, businesses and employees to make a direct impact on the communities in which we live and work. Discovery Impact enables employees to honor the company?s founder, John Hendricks? original vision to make a difference by giving back to the source of Discovery?s greatest stories and most stunning images, our world.

    Other Discovery Impact initiatives include Discover Your Impact Day, an annual day of global employee volunteerism, Discover Your Skills, a campaign to provide critical resources for obtaining job skills to the unemployed and underemployed, and a comprehensive disaster relief program. Most recently, Discovery launched Rebuilding Alabama, a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham where 125 Discovery employees from across the US worked together with on-air talent to rebuild five homes affected by the devastating tornados last spring.

    Please find below the complete list of the nonprofit partners who will be participating in Discovery Impact: Creating Change. To learn more about these organizations, please view: http://blog.discoverycommunications.com in the upcoming weeks.

    Achieving the Dream
    Good360
    Northern Virginia Family Service
    Basic Animal Rescue Training (BART)
    Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, MD Inc.
    One Warm Coat
    Colorbars Network, Inc.
    Hero Dogs, Inc.
    Real Medicine Foundation
    Community Bridges
    League of Women Voters
    Shenandoah National Park Trust
    Computer C.O.R.E.
    Literacy Council of Prince George?s County
    ThanksUSA
    DC Diaper Bank
    Lydia?s House in Southeast
    The Shepherd?s Table
    Global Zero
    Men Can Stop Rape
    VolunteerMatch
    GlobalGiving Foundation
    National Network to End Domestic Violence
    Wider Opportunities for Women

    About Discovery Impact
    Through its Discovery Impact programs, Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) leverages the power of its brands, businesses and employees to give back to the world. From programming that inspires and educates to annual events that make a direct impact on the communities in which we live and work, Discovery strives to celebrate, support and sustain the majesty of the earth's people, animals and natural beauty. For more information about how Discovery is making an impact, please visit: http://impact.discovery.com.

    About Discovery Communications
    Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 210 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 139 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as US joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

    CONTACT: Tammy Shea, Tammy_Shea@discovery.com 240-662-6506

     
  • 09/22/2011 - Product Philanthropy, Measurable Value for the Bottom Line

    Good360 Summit to Discuss Business Benefits of Product Giving

    With the overall poverty rate climbing from 14.3 percent to 15.1 percent just in one short year, even more Americans are financially suffering?to be exact?1 out of every 6 Americans now live in poverty. Our neighbors, their children, the homeless veterans on the street, the under and unemployed are all struggling to survive and get the items they need for everyday life?clothing, personal hygiene products, or school supplies for their kids.
    ?
    Good360, the thought leader in product philanthropy, is hosting a two-day product philanthropy summit in Monterey, Cali. to discuss the impact businesses can not only have on the millions of people-in-need, but also the benefits their company can receive through product giving. The summit will make the business case on why companies should be donating products, how they can align donations to their philanthropic and corporate goals, and show companies how product giving can create a more efficient supply chain.

    To support the discussion, a case study was recently completed by Indiana University?s School of Public and Environmental Affairs on Good360?s Framing Hope program with The Home Depot. Since Framing Hope?s inception in 2008, more than $100 million in products have been donated to 1,500 local nonprofits reaching nearly 500,000 low-income families. Results include:
    ???? Social Impact: Almost 500,000 low income families reached.
    ???? Economic Impact: More than $1.4 million in energy costs saved.
    ???? Environmental Impact: Diversion of landfill space equivalent to approximately 2,500 garbage trucks, manufacturing energy savings enough to power 119 homes for one year, and annual consumption energy savings totaling more than 3.3 million kWh reducing CO2 emissions equivalent to planting 517 acres of pine forest.

    At the summit, Good360 will also be reviewing the findings of new groundbreaking research from Indiana University on the business case for product giving. The report, which will be revealed in the next several weeks explores product philanthropy further and identifies the benefits, costs, and risks of participating in product donation?from the perspective of cost, brand enhancement and awareness, and employee engagement.

    One book a child owns can alter their future, one toothbrush can keep a single mother stay healthy, and one bed can ensure restful sleep to a veteran who came back from serving overseas but now has nowhere to call home. To learn more about how your company can impact the greater good, please register for the Good360 Corporate Summit on Product Philanthropy.

     
  • 08/24/2011 - Good360, Indiana University Collaborate to Measure Corporate ?Product Philanthropy?

    Good360, Indiana University Collaborate to Measure Corporate ?Product Philanthropy?

    BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ? The Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Good360, formerly Gifts In Kind International, have completed the first year of a unique, ongoing collaboration designed to measure the impacts of corporate gifts-in-kind to nonprofit organizations.

    The collaborators have focused on evaluating the effects on community nonprofits of Framing Hope, a partnership between Good360 and The Home Depot Foundation in which unsold merchandise from Home Depot stores is donated to participating nonprofit organizations. More information and preliminary research results may be seen at http://www.indiana.edu/~spea/research/interdisciplinary_research/index.shtml.

    The collaboration to develop reliable metrics began as an effort to help Good360 better understand and communicate the financial and social impacts of corporate product donations, both to recipients and to current and potential corporate donors. The initial idea quickly generated widespread interest among School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) faculty members, not only from the public policy and nonprofit management disciplines, but also from environmental science.

    ?Once we began talking,? says IU professor Lisa Blomgren Bingham, who holds the Keller-Runden Chair in Public Service in SPEA, ?it became apparent that there would be multiple ways to look at the impacts? the organizational effects on the nonprofits receiving and managing donations, the social effects on the end-users of the products, and the effects on environmental sustainability. It is exactly the kind of complex research project that is custom-made for the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.??

    ?The research is invaluable to Good360 and other in-kind giving programs because it will help us to better explain the leveraged value of product giving,? added Cindy Hallberlin, CEO and President of Good360. ?We are excited to continue with the research after completing the study on the Framing Hope program and unveil even more groundbreaking findings to our corporate partners at our product giving summit this fall (http://summit.good360.org).?

    The early research is promising. SPEA environmental science professor Diane Henshel?s ?capstone? class of students completing master?s degrees quantitatively estimated how product donations contribute locally both to energy savings and to reduction in landfill use. SPEA faculty members Evan Ringquist and Justin Ross hope to expand on this ?green philanthropy? research, and have additional grant applications in process.

    In terms of organizational impact of product philanthropy, nonprofit management professor Beth Gazley conducted a national survey of nearly 800 charities that had partnered with The Home Depot Foundation through Good360?s Framing Hope program, to determine how product donations affected their ability to carry out their missions. Further research on disadvantaged populations as the end-users of these donations by SPEA social policy professor Kristin Seefeldt is also in the works. The entire multi-disciplinary project is assisted by SPEA doctoral students Gordon Abner and Oral Saulters.?

    For more information on the research collaboration and links to research findings, visit http://about.good360.org/AboutUs/Product_Giving_Research.

    About SPEA
    The IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs (
    http://www.spea.indiana.edu) is a world leader in public affairs and the environmental sciences and is the largest school of public affairs in the United States. In the most recent "Best Graduate Schools" by U.S. News & World Report, SPEA ranks second and is the nation's highest-ranked graduate program in public affairs at a public institution. Six of its specialty programs are ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News.

     
  • 07/28/2011 - Good360 to Bring Companies Together to Discuss Product Philanthropy This Fall in Monterey, Calif.

    Groundbreaking Research on Business Benefits of Donating Products to Be Released During Event

    Good360 (formerly Gifts In Kind International), the nation?s leader and expert in product giving, will bring together some of the nation?s top brands at a summit this fall to discuss the future of product philanthropy (summit.good360.org). The Corporate Summit on Product Philanthropy, to be held in Monterey, Calif. November 10?11 will highlight best practices in product giving and provide real-life examples of how doing good results in doing well.

    ?We look forward to bringing together some of the nation?s most innovative and generous companies to discuss the future of product giving and to spotlight product giving programs that have had a significant impact in communities across the country,? said Cindy Hallberlin, President and CEO of Good360. ?This meeting will be a great opportunity for companies to learn from the sessions and their peers about innovations in product philanthropy.?

    New Study Will Highlight Product Giving Business Benefits

    Attendees of the Summit will be the first to hear groundbreaking research by economists at Indiana University?s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA - Bloomington) on the business case for product giving. With the generous support from The Home Depot Foundation, Good360 and SPEA partnered to develop reliable metrics to better understand and communicate the financial and social impacts of corporate product donations. The study includes a cost-comparison between liquidation, salvaging, and donating inventory and an analysis of the relationship between product giving, employee engagement, and a company?s brand.

    ?Through our partnership with Good360, The Home Depot Foundation has been able to transform our product donation process in a way that engages and inspires our associates while providing tremendous value to local nonprofit organizations,? said Fred Wacker, director and COO of The Home Depot Foundation. ?We are thrilled to participate in The Corporate Summit on Product Philanthropy to learn even more best practices to apply to our program.?

    Good360?s Corporate Summit on Product Philanthropy will also provide a great opportunity for company representatives to network with an elite group of colleagues from companies large and small. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn best practices, network, and share ideas with companies that have designed and implemented strategic product giving programs.

    Roy Spence, co-founder and chairman of GSD&M and author of It?s Not What You Sell, It?s What You Stand For, will be one of the keynote speakers for the event. He will discuss building an organization that truly makes a difference in the marketplace, becoming a leader of great purpose, and bringing your company?s purpose to life so that your consumers know exactly what it stands for. For more information and to register for the Corporate Summit of Product Philanthropy, please visit summit.good360.org

    About Good360 (formerly Gifts in Kind International)
    Good360 (about.good360.org) is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to fulfilling the needs of nonprofits by distributing corporate product donations around the world. The organization works with more than half of the Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies to provide needed products to more than 18,000 qualified nonprofit organizations. This year, Good360 will launch the latest version of its new, innovative online marketplace that helps to aggregate the product needs of nonprofits and provides timely information about how product donations are used for the greater good. Good360, formerly Gifts In Kind International, is ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the nation?s best-managed charities in America.

     
  • 06/28/2011 - Good360 hosts Changing Diapers, Changing Lives Diaper Drive

    WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA)-- Angie Goff (@ohmygoff) reports local charity Good360 gave out 4,000 free diapers to families in need.

    On average diapers cost parents $70 a month. There are families that simply can't afford it.

    It's why non-profit group Good360 recently held diaper drives for those in need. The group handed out thousands of Seventh Generation diapers at The Carpenter Shelter in Alexandria and The Family Place in DC.

    The campaign called Changing Diapers, Changing lives raises money through $5 text message donations. They also hold diaper drives in the community. You can make a $5 donation by texting BABY to 52000. Check out Good360.org for more info.

    See the video here: http://wusa9.com/news/article/156532/374/4000-Free-Diapers-Given-Out-in-DC

     
  • 06/14/2011 - Good360?s Changing Diapers, Changing Lives Campaign to Distribute Two Pallets of Diaper Donations to D.C.-area Families in Need

    Communities and individuals are encouraged to participate and donate diapers and baby wipes on Thursday, June 23 to Carpenter?s Shelter in Alexandria and The Family Place in Washington.

    ALEXANDRIA, VA., June 14, 2011 ? Good360, formerly Gifts In Kind International, announced today that it will distribute almost 4,000 free diapers to Carpenter?s Shelter in Alexandria, Va. and The Family Place in Washington, D.C. in honor of Father?s Day this Sunday. The diapers were funded through Good360?s cause campaign, Changing Diapers, Changing Lives, which aims to distribute free Seventh Generation diapers for babies-in-need through $5 text donations. The campaign was developed after Good360?s nonprofit network expressed an overwhelming need for diapers. Individuals in the Alexandria and DC metro area are invited to contribute to the cause and stop by either location on June 23 between the hours of 11:30 am to 4:00 pm to drop off diapers and baby wipes.

    ?The costs of caring for a baby are high. In fact, diapers alone can cost as much as $50 - $80 a month, and there are no government aid programs (WIC, Food Stamps, Medicare) to help low-income families get diapers,? said Cindy Hallberlin, President and CEO of Good360. ?With inflation cost increases hitting the diaper market this summer, it is more important than ever to support the low-income families in our community. We are excited that our campaign could generate these first few pallets of free diapers and hope that we will continue to gain even more support to distribute diaper donations to our nonprofit network.?

    If you can?t make it to either of the locations below, please visit www.facebook.com/good360.org to learn more about the campaign and help us spread the word, or text BABY to 52000 and give a one-time donation of $5.

    Diaper Drive Locations and Recipients:

    Carpenter?s Shelter
    930 N. Henry Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
    Diaper drop-off hours: 11:30 am to 4:00 pm

    Carpenter?s Shelter (www.carpentersshelter.org) is a nonprofit organization that works to end homelessness through services, education, and advocacy. Carpenter?s Shelter programs include aftercare and educational workshops as well as winter shelters and transitional services. In addition, the shelter provides basic needs to new parents such as diapers and baby wipes. Carpenter's Shelter depends solely on community members to provide these types of donations.

    ?It is essential that our clients, especially our youngest clients, grow up with a sense of security and that all of their needs are met,? said Lissette Bishins, Executive Director of Carpenter?s Shelter. ?We are excited to receive so many diapers as we have many babies who come through Carpenter?s Shelter each year. These donations will immensely help those who have so very little.?

    The Family Place
    3309 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20010
    Diaper drop-off hours: 11:30 am to 4:00 pm

    The Family Place (TFP), www.thefamilyplacedc.org, was founded in 1980 in Washington D.C. and serves low-income families in the District to foster the optimal development of their young children through educational and support services. Along with their educational program, TFP has wellness and stability programs including pre-natal and infant classes and offers emergency food, clothing, and diapers to any family who comes through their doors.

    ?Diapers play a vital role in bringing up healthy babies and we hope individuals in the Alexandria and DC metro area will participate in this cause and bring much-needed diapers so that we can distribute them to families in our community who so desperately need them,? said Haley Wiggins, Executive Director of The Family Place.

    About Good360
    Good360 (www.good360.org) is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to fulfilling the needs of nonprofits by distributing corporate product donations around the world. The organization works with more than half of the Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies to provide needed products to more than 16,000 qualified nonprofit organizations. This summer, Good360 will launch the latest version of its new, innovative online marketplace that helps to aggregate the product needs of nonprofits and provides timely information about how product donations are used for the greater good. Good360, formerly Gifts In Kind International, is ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the nation?s best-managed charities in America.

    About Seventh Generation Seventh Generation (www.seventhgeneration.com) is committed to being the most trusted brand of household and personal-care products for the home. Their products are healthy solutions for the air, surfaces, fabrics, pets and people within a home -- and for the community and environment outside of it. Seventh Generation also offers baby products that are safe for children and the planet.

    The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy that states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, and making the world a better place for this and the next seven generations.

    Contact Information
    Kara Kozimor, Senior Director of Communications, Good360
    Phone: (703) 299-7575
    kara@good360.org

     
  • 06/02/2011 - United Way Donates Mattresses to Westchester Families in Need

    The United Way and Furniture Sharehouse donated over 100 mattresses on Thursday to families throughout Westchester County.

    By Brian Marschhauser

    With the help of the United Way and Furniture Sharehouse, Westchester families in need will experience a dream only made possible by a good night?s sleep on their new mattresses.

    The two organizations teamed up to provide 106 mattresses to dozens of families living in White Plains and throughout Westchester County.

    ?We're just amazed and loving it right now,? said Deshawn Manning. Deshawn and his wife Cassandra, one of the families receiving the mattresses, appeared at Furniture Sharehouse?s warehouse stationed at the Westchester County Airport on Thursday.

    The shipment of mattresses came at the perfect time for the Yonkers couple and their four boys who were in desperate need of furniture.

    ?They've been asking every day 'When is it coming? When is it coming?' To them it's like Christmas,? said Cassandra. The boys, aged 13, 10, 6 and 4, had previously been bunking with one another and had been experiencing back pain due to their old, worn out mattresses.

    ?They're sleeping on their mattresses, but their mattresses are so worn and they really have to be thrown out,? said Deshawn. ?The springs are starting to come out, the stuffing's starting to come out, so to have these mattresses come in is going to be tremendous for the kids? For them it's going to mean the world. It's really going to change their lives.?

    Cassandra believes the mattresses will do more than just alleviate their back pain. The mother of four is equally excited to see the smiles on their faces that the new mattresses will bring. ?The pride that they'll have is unbelievable.?

    The sole contributor of mattresses to this cause was Tempur-Pedic. Due to possible bed bug infestations, only foam mattress donations were accepted.

    ?These types of mattresses are foam,? said Naomi Adler, United Way?s chief executive officer. ?Therefore they can be used in all types of places in which bed bugs have been a problem. Bed bugs won't infiltrate these types of mattresses.?

    The donation was made possible by the United Way?s Gift-in-Kind program, which assists companies and individuals who would like to donate products and goods to nonprofit organizations.

    Furniture Sharehouse is one of the nonprofit organizations working with the United Way. The organization collects ?gently-used? furniture and redistributes it free of charge throughout Westchester County to families in need. The families are referred by social service agencies.

    ?Our single biggest client need is beds, and we never have enough,? said Kate Bialo, executive director of Furniture Sharehouse. ?This wonderful donation? will make a huge difference in the lives of dozens of families who would otherwise be sleeping on the floor.?

    Read full article

     
  • 05/17/2011 - Family Refuge Center Gets Major Donation

    The American Trucking Association, a nonprofit known as Good 360, and a local politician joined forces to bring attention to a need in southern West Virginia.

    By Lauren Weppler

    Three forces came together to lighten the load off the back of a private non-profit organization, the Family Refuge Center, who's mission is to eliminate physical, sexual and emotional violence in Greenbrier, Pocahontas, and Monroe counties.? West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall suggested the center to the American Trucking Association and Good 360.

    "Its heart warming to see such compassion and emotional support delivered by a large sector of our economy the trucking industry,? said Rahall.

    Read the article

     
  • 05/16/2011 - National nonprofit?s ?logistics hell? challenges 3PL firm

    Kevin Hagan laughs ? at least sort of ? when he describes Good360. ?This,? says the chief administrative officer of the nonprofit headquartered at Alexandria, Va., ?is logistics hell.?

    Bender Group, a third-party logistics company based in Reno, plays a big role in making sure that the logistics hell turns into something that approaches distribution heaven.

    Good360 accepts donations of new products from manufacturers and retailers, then ships them to participating charities that place orders through an online catalog.

    For Bender, which warehouses the donations and prepares shipments to nonprofits, the Good360 account brings unknowns:

    Unknown merchandise of an unknown size and configuration, arriving on an unknown schedule, taking an unknown amount of floor space and sticking around the warehouse for an unknown amount of time.

    ?They have to be willing to work in an uncertain world,? Hagan says of the distribution companies that contract with Good360. ?Bender Group has really gone out of its way to work with us. They do a phenomenal job.?

    Bender?s distribution facilities in north Reno handle shipments to participating nonprofits on the West Coast, along with all donations and order-fulfillment of toys and personal care items for the entire country. A second Bender facility at Winchester, Va., handles even larger volumes of donations for Good360, says Jared Lindwall, business development manager for the 3PL company.

    The biggest challenge, Lindwall says, typically comes when the donated items arrive at Bender?s warehouses.

    Because manufacturers generally want only to be rid of the items they?re donating, shipments aren?t nearly as well organized as they would be if they were headed for a retailer or other paying customer.

    ?It can be a hodgepodge of products that?s been shipped in a hodgepodge of configurations,? Lindwall says. ?This is definitely different. It?s almost like a returned merchandise process.?

    But once Bender employees get the product straightened out and get data entered into warehouse-management systems, Lindwall says the Good360 merchandise moves like any other through the sprawling Bender 3PL operation.

    Unpredictability isn?t a major issue, Lindwall says.

    While Good360 used as little as 3,000 square feet of space in the Reno warehouse at times last year, and used as much as 6,000 square feet at others, that?s a small blip on the screen in the 500,000 square feet the company operates in Reno.

    ?It?s pretty easy for us to flex up and down,? he says.

    And although the hodgepodge shipments challenge Bender staff, a saving grace is that their arrival is fairly rare ? 49 shipments of Good360 merchandise arrived at the Reno facility last year.

    At the Bender facility in Virginia, however, more than 200 shipments ? an average of nearly four a week ? arrive from Good360 donors.

    Hagan, who oversees the Good360 operations, says the organization prizes efficiency in distribution operations. Its overhead amounts to less than 1.8 percent of the value of the goods that are donated, and Good360 has been identified by Forbes magazine as one of the 10 best-managed nonprofits in the country.

    Distribution efficiency is all the more important, he says, because Good360 bills its distribution costs back to participating charities, and low costs allows them to serve more people in need.

    Northern Nevada Business Weekly
    John Seelmeyer, 5/16/2011

    Go to article

     

     
  • 04/26/2011 - Donate My Card? Adds Good360? as National Partner Charity for its Digital Donation Solution

    Small, unused balances on prepaid gift and debit cards can provide billions of dollars in resources for great causes.

    Los Angeles, April 25, 2011 ? Donate My Card? announced today that Good360? (www.good360.org), the world's leading nonprofit in product giving and one of the largest nonprofits in the United States, has joined Donate My Card as a participating partner charity, offering them a new opportunity to raise funds, increase awareness of their mission, and grow their donor base.

    With an estimated $5-10 billion ending up unused on the $100+ billion of gift and prepaid debit cards sold each year in the United States according to industry studies, holders of gift cards, rebate cards and pre-paid debit cards can now easily, safely and securely donate those balances without spending additional dollars through Donate My Card?s website (http://donatemycard.com). Donate My Card currently accepts any "open-loop" cards, those issued by VISA?, MasterCard?, Discover?, and American Express? and anticipates being able to accept ?closed-loop? retail gift cards later this year.

    ?The partnership with Donate My Card will be extremely valuable to Good360 and help our organization raise money to better serve our nonprofit network,? said Cindy Hallberlin, CEO and president of Good360.

    Over the past 28 years, Good360 (formerly Gifts In Kind International) has distributed corporate product donations valued at more than $7 billion to thousands of recipient organizations serving a wide spectrum of people in need. People interested in donating their cards to Good360 can do so at https://donatemycard.com/Good360.

    Lawrence Bracco, CEO and co-founder of Donate My Card, said, ?Good360 has long understood the powerful potential in bringing corporations together with charitable causes. Their logistics capabilities and Fortune 100 relationships make them one of the most effective nonprofit organizations in the world. We are excited to be working them to further their reach as a Donate My Card participating charity.?

    About Donate My Card
    Donate My Card?s mission is to turn the billions of dollars in small, unused balances on prepaid gift and debit cards into resources for great causes. Donate My Card is a privately held company and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

    About Good360 (formerly Gifts In Kind International)
    Working with more than half of the Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies, Good360 (www.good360.org), is a charitable organization that is dedicated to fulfilling the needs of thousands of qualified nonprofits by distributing corporate product donations around the world. Good360 is ranked by Forbes Magazine (listed as Gifts In Kind International) as one of America?s best-managed charities.

    PRESS CONTACTS: Sandra Miller, Donate My Card
    Telephone (424) 233-0230 x106
    smiller@donatemycard.com

     
  • 03/15/2011 - Baby Codes Author Kevin Mills Teams Up with Good360 to Give Diapers to Babies in Need

    Baby Codes Author Kevin Mills Teams Up with Good360 to Give Diapers to Babies in Need.

    Portion of each book sale buys Seventh Generation diapers

    03.15.2011? Diapers can cost as much as $80 a month and there are no government programs in place to help defer the cost for needy families. That?s a huge struggle for those who can?t afford them, forcing some parents to take drastic measures?including stuffing underwear with newspapers. The new Changing Diapers, Changing Lives campaign aims to fill this void by distributing 10 million Seventh Generation diapers to families in need. Author and stay-at-home dad Kevin Mills teamed up with Good360 (formerly Gifts In Kind) to help. ?It?s painful to imagine parents not being able to provide for their child something as simple and necessary as a fresh diaper,? Mills says. With every donation received, Good360 will be able to purchase, store, and ship diapers to its nonprofit network free of cost.

    A portion of every sale of Mills? new book, Baby Codes: 101 Winning Combinations to Help Your Baby Sleep, will buy diapers for underprivileged children. Mills, a sleep coach and dad to three, says his book helps crack the code for getting babies to sleep so parents can too. Baby Codes is a compilation of 101 top tips and fresh ideas, concisely written with today?s busy (and sleep-deprived) parents in mind. ?I wrote my book to help new parents, I just never expected that it would help in this way,? says Mills. ?I?m extremely excited to be able to use my book in helping meet this need.?


    ?Good360 developed the Changing Diapers, Changing Lives campaign to address the overwhelming need for diapers by low-income parents who struggle to provide basic necessities for their families. ?We are incredibly excited to partner with Kevin on this project,? saidMelissa Trumpower, Chief Marketing and Nonprofit Relations Officer for Good360. ?Parents can feel good knowing they?re not only getting a book full of great information, but directly helping other parents in need at the same time.? To learn more visit www.facebook.com/giftsinkind or simply text BABY to 52000 to make a $5.00 donation.

    Baby Codes is available for purchase on Amazon.com for $10.99. For more information about Baby Codes visit www.BabyCodes.co. For interview requests or information contact Alison Storm at (239)292.7343 or Alison@alisonstorm.com.

     
  • Pick Up a Copy of Baby Codes at BabyCodes.co
    Pick Up a Copy of Baby Codes at BabyCodes.co
  • 02/10/2011 - Changing Diapers, Changing Lives campaign Featured on WUSA9 MomsLikeMe.com segment

    Changing Diapers, Changing Lives campaign Featured on WUSA9's MomsLikeMe.com segment. Click here to watch the interview.

     
  • 02/03/2011 - Dialing for Diapers - 7GenBlog

    Changing Diapers, Changing Lives--These days, too many of our friends and neighbors have too little. This is especially true where struggling families are concerned. It costs about $11,000 a year to raise a child, but one in four families earn less than that. So we came up with a quick and simple way for all of us to help these moms and dads using nothing more than our cell phones.

    It couldn't be more essential, and it couldn't be simpler. Just text the word "BABY" to 52000. When you do, you'll make a one-time donation of $5, which we'll use to help solve one of the biggest yet most underappreciated problems facing impoverished parents: the desperate need for diapers to keep their babies healthier and happier.

    Working with Gifts In Kind International, our goal is to raise $10 million dollars for needy families and use it all to give their littlest members a better start in life. We're hopeful that we can make a huge difference in homes all across the country, but it's a big challenge. We're talking an extraordinary two million text messages that must be sent in order for us to have the kind of impact that's needed.

    Please take just 10 simple seconds to text "BABY" to 52000 and put a clean diaper on a needy newborn. If you don't have a cell phone, you can donate online. It doesn't matter which method you choose. It only matters that we all come together to change the world one diaper at a time.

    http://www.seventhgeneration.com/learn/blog/dialing-diapers

     
  • 12/08/2010 - Gifts In Kind International Announces $375,000 Toy Donation by Scentsy, Inc., in time for the Holidays

    Gifts In Kind announced that Scentsy, Inc., has donated $375,000 in plush toys to be distributed to Gifts In Kind International groups across the country. The donation was announced today as part of the NBC TODAY Show?s annual toy drive and is part of a larger pledge by Scentsy worth $2.5 million in toys for nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping children.

    ?Gifts In Kind is thrilled to receive these Scentsy toy donations to distribute to our large network of nonprofits that serve families in need,? said Cindy Hallberlin, CEO and president of Gifts In Kind International. ?The toys will brighten the lives of many children whose families may be struggling over the holiday season.?

    Gifts In Kind International will receive 15,000 Scentsy Buddies, a cuddly companion for children ages three and up. There are six Scentsy Buddies, and each features a zippered pocket that holds a fragrant Scent Pak?. Children can register their Buddy, play games, and print an adoption certificate at an interactive website, scentsybuddy.com.

    ?We try to contribute more than we take everywhere we do business,? said Heidi Thompson, President of Scentsy. ?We are blessed to be in a position where we can help children around the country. We hope our Scentsy Buddies will create some wonderful memories for kids this holiday season.?

    Scentsy?s flagship product is a wickless candle heated in a decorative ceramic warmer. The Scentsy Buddy is the newest addition to the company?s home fragrance line and allows children to enjoy fragrance in a fun, safe way.

    About Gifts In Kind International
    Ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the nation?s best-managed charities in America, Gifts In Kind International (www.giftsinkind.org) is dedicated to helping people and communities by distributing new corporate product donations?including books, toys, personal care products and clothing, building supplies, computers and other technology products, and much more?to qualified nonprofit organizations. The charitable organization works with more than half of the Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies.

    About Scentsy
    Scentsy, Inc. is a rapidly growing party plan company offering a variety of scented, wickless candles heated in decorative ceramic candle warmers. The simplicity and value of its flameless candle products provide a better alternative to burning wicked candles in the home and office. What began in 2004 in a 40-foot ocean container on a small sheep farm is now an international company headquartered in Meridian, Idaho, with more than 80,000 current Independent sales Consultants in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and Canada. To learn more or find a Consultant, visit www.scentsy.com.

     
  • 12/04/2010 - Gifts In Kind, NLC to Distribute Denver-based Product Donations to Mile-High Youth Corps and other Denver Nonprofits

    Today, in Denver, Colo., Gifts In Kind International distributed product donations collected from Denver businesses and sorted by attendees at a National League of Cities (NLC) service project held during the 2010 Congress of Cities & Exposition to local Denver nonprofit Mile High Youth Corps.

    Gifts In Kind International partnered with the NLC to bring product donations to Denver-based nonprofits. Numerous local businesses in the surrounding Denver area provided products ranging from clothes to housing materials for sorting and distribution to local qualified nonprofits. Local elected officials from across the country sorted the items during the 2010 Congress of Cities & Exposition this past week in Denver, Colorado.

    ?Gifts In Kind is excited to partner with NLC to help connect local resources with Denver community nonprofits,? said Cindy Hallberlin, CEO and president of Gifts In Kind International. ?Most cities are not aware that there are valuable local resources going unused every day, and in some cases are destroyed. Product giving can offer timely solutions to help alleviate the carrying costs of inventory and allow a business to help the communities where they do business.?

    ?The work done by Gifts In Kind, creating synergy between private companies and the nonprofit sector to help people in need, is true corporate citizenship,? said Mayor John Hickenlooper. ?We very much appreciate the many local businesses in the Denver area for their contributions, as well as the NLC attendees who helped to sort the products for distribution. Their dedication helps fuel the success of programs like Gifts In Kind.?

    Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC), one of the recipients of these donations, received a pallet of requested building and renovation products to use in their young adult programs. These programs help youth develop valuable job skills while giving back to metro Denver and Southern Front Range communities. MHYC is a member of the Neighborhood Energy Action Partnership (NEAP) and employs and educates over 300 young people each year.

    ?We empower young people to improve their lives and our communities through service,? said Dr. Kelly Causey, the Executive Director of the 18-year-old organization. ?They earn a paycheck, an AmeriCorps Education award, and job experience while helping others. It?s definitely a win-win for everyone involved. Support from Gifts In Kind International goes a long way in helping nonprofits like Mile High Youth Corps stretch our dollars so that more resources can go directly to the youth.?

    Youth Mentoring Collaborative, NEAP, and Denver?s Road Home, three collaborative nonprofit groups, will each receive a pallet of donated products. All other collected product donations from the service project will be available for free to registered Denver nonprofit organizations to pick up at a designated Denver warehouse. More than 120 Denver nonprofits registered with Gifts In Kind for this event to receive donations. They will be able to choose and receive the products starting next week.

    ?We are proud to be partnering with Gifts in Kind to repurpose these items so instead of potentially being wasted they will help Denver-area nonprofits," said Ronald O. Loveridge, mayor of Riverside, CA and president of the National League of Cities. He continued, "We hope that this will spark our members to replicate this activity in their own cities and towns across the country.?

    PRESS CONTACTS:
    Mike Roque, 720.913.8851, mike.roque@denvergov.org Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships

    Gregory Minchak, 202.626.3003, minchak@nlc.org National League of Cities

    Kara Kozimor, 703.299.7575, kkozimor@giftsinkind.org Gifts In Kind International

    Kelly Causey, 303.903.3431, kellyc@mhyc.net Mile High Youth Corps

    ###

    About Gifts In Kind International
    Ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the nation?s best-managed charities in America, Gifts In Kind International (www.giftsinkind.org) is dedicated to helping people and communities by distributing new corporate product donations?including books, toys, personal care products and clothing, building supplies, computers and other technology products, and much more?to qualified nonprofit organizations. The charitable organization works with more than half of the Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies.

    About National League of Cities
    The National League of Cities (www.nlc.org) is the nation?s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

    About Mile High Youth Corps
    Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) (www.milehighyouthcorps.org) helps youth make a difference in themselves and their community through meaningful service opportunities and educational experiences. The Corps employs young adults on projects in neighborhoods, public lands and open spaces throughout Metro Denver and the Southern Front Range. We have an 18-year track record of engaging youth in jobs that help the planet and provide pathways to a promising future. By integrating paid work experience on community projects with career exploration, education and lifeskills training, MHYC helps youth gain the knowledge, skills and motivation they need to make positive changes in their community, their own lives and the world.

    About Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships
    The Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships (DOSP) was created in January 2004 by Mayor Hickenlooper to serve as a liaison between the City of Denver and the nonprofit sector. DOSP believes that by working collectively, the public and nonprofit sectors can be even more efficient and effective in strengthening Denver's communities.

    Our Sponsors
    Borders
    Bed Bath & Beyond
    Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships
    HVHA Transportation, Inc.
    Colorado Motor Carriers Association (CACA)
    Williams-Sonoma
    MAXrave
    Bass Pro Shops
    West Elm
    Guess
    Disney
    The Home Depot
    National League of Cities
    Talbots
    Freeman
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  • Mile High Youth Corps unloading pallets of donated product from Gifts In Kind Internation, NLC sorti
    Mile High Youth Corps unloading pallets of donated product from Gifts In Kind Internation, NLC sorti
  • 11/11/2010 - Veteran's home, destroyed by fire, being rebuilt

    TAMPA - Linda Webb is a U.S. Army veteran who is ecstatic to be moving into her house around the holidays. But her outlook wasn't so cheery in recent months.

    "I left my son and grandson here," Webb said, pointing to the inside of her home that is currently under construction. "And I went to McDonalds and I got a phone call from my son. "

    It was the call that changed her life. Her house, in which she had spent 39 years raising her kids and grandchildren, was up in flames.

    ?Click here to read the story and watch the video.

     
  • 10/19/2010 - The Home Depot Foundation Partners with Gifts In Kind International and Help the Children to Open Framing Hope Warehouse in Los Angeles County

    Warehouse Offers Low-Cost, High-Quality Building Products for Nonprofits.
    Today, in Los Angeles County, Help the Children, Gifts In Kind International, and The Home Depot? Foundation announced the opening of the Help the Children Framing Hope Warehouse to offer building and renovation products to local nonprofits at little to no cost. More than 600 nonprofit organizations, including a local shelter for abused women and children, a men?s shelter and a family resource center have already signed up to participate.

    The Framing Hope Product Donation Program (http://thd.giftsinkind.org/homedepot/) is a collaborative effort between The Home Depot?, The Hope Depot Foundation and Gifts In Kind International. The Home Depot stores throughout the country are matched with nonprofits in their local communities to pick up a wide variety of donated products and building supplies on a weekly basis. Since the program began in 2008, $75 million in products from more than 1,000 Home Depot stores have been donated to more than 1,200 nonprofit partners, resulting in the diversion of 35,000 tons of usable product from landfills.

    Launched in 2009, the warehouse strategy extends the reach of the Framing Hope program by partnering with multiple Home Depot stores with large nonprofit organizations that have the logistical capability to redistribute the products to a wide range of smaller nonprofit organizations. Current products available at the Help the Children Framing Hope Warehouse include bathroom fixtures, carpets, tile and wood floorings, window blinds and much more, all donated by ten local Home Depot stores. Nonprofits interesting in touring the warehouse and receiving products should contact Help the Children at 323.980.9870 or www.helpthechildren.org. The Framing Hope Warehouse is located at 5600 Rickenbacker Road, 1B, Bell, California 90201. A similar Framing Hope Warehouse is currently in operation in Buffalo, N.Y.

    ?We are so pleased to partner with Gifts In Kind International and Help the Children to offer nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles county access to quality building products at minimal cost,? said Kelly Caffarelli, president, The Home Depot Foundation. ?By not having to spend precious budget dollars on these products, these organizations will be able to invest more in their core services to the community.?

    For Help the Children, this partnership continues the organization?s mission to help alleviate the suffering of children and their families throughout the United States and around the world.

    ?We are extremely excited about our partnership with The Home Depot Foundation and the Framing Hope Program,? said Roger Presgrove, president, Help the Children. ?We know that this program will provide tremendous help to the children and families that we serve each and every day.?

    Through its partnership with The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation, Gifts In Kind International manages the activities of the Framing Hope program.

    ?Gifts In Kind International is excited to collaborate with The Home Depot and Help the Children to open a Framing Hope Warehouse in Los Angeles,? said Gifts In Kind International President and CEO Cindy Hallberlin. ?The new warehouse will allow smaller nonprofits to further their mission by providing them easier access to much needed products. We look forward to seeing the substantial impact the warehouse will make in the Los Angeles community.?

    ###

    About The Home Depot Foundation
    Created in 2002, The Home Depot Foundation supports nonprofit organizations dedicated to creating and preserving healthy, affordable homes as the cornerstone of sustainable communities. The Foundation?s goal is for all families to have the opportunity to live in healthy, efficient homes they can afford over the long-term; to have access to safe, vibrant parks and greenspaces; and to receive the economic, social and environmental benefits of living in a sustainable community. Since its formation, The Home Depot Foundation has granted $190 million to nonprofit organizations and supported the development of more than 95,000 homes, planted more than 1.2 million trees, and built or refurbished more than 1,875 playgrounds, parks and greenspaces.

    About Gifts In Kind International
    Ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the nation?s best-managed charities in America, Gifts In Kind International (www.giftsinkind.org) is dedicated to helping people and communities by distributing new corporate product donations?including books, toys, personal care products and clothing, building supplies, computers and other technology products, and much more?to qualified nonprofit organizations. The charitable organization works with more than half of the Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies.

    About Help the Children
    Established in 1998, Help the Children is a non-profit humanitarian relief organization dedicated to helping alleviate the suffering of children and their families throughout the United States and around the world. Help the Children currently works with over 600 non-profit organizations including, but not limited to, homeless shelters, shelters for women, churches, senior citizen shelters, shelters for women and unwed mothers, rehabilitation centers, and individuals on a fixed income.

    Press Contacts:
    Kathryn Gallagher, 714.940.3696, kathryn_gallagher@homedepot.com
    The Home Depot

    Catherine Woodling, 770.384.2304, catherine_woodling@homedepot.com
    Paula Drake, 770.384.3439, paula_drake@homedepot.com
    The Home Depot Foundation

    Kara Kozimor, 703.299.7575, kkozimor@giftsinkind.org
    Gifts In Kind International

    Stephanie Stegall, 323.980.9870, sstegall@helpthechildren.org
    Help the Children

     
  • 10/11/2010 - 5K for nonprofits a huge success

    More than 300 competitors took to the trails of Cameron Run Regional Park for area charities in a 5K race organized by Alexandria-based Gifts in Kind International Saturday.

    Within sight of the water park just off of Eisenhower Avenue, the mostly local slate of runners and walkers set off on a crisp, clear autumn morning for the ?Charity Charge.? City Councilman Frank Fannon and Vice Mayor Kerry Donley were among local dignitaries present.?
    ????
    A portion of the $25 pre-race registration (or $30 on-site registration) could be designated for one of more than 20 local nonprofit organizations taking part in the race. Organizers hoped the event would raise awareness of Gifts in Kind, which liaises between corporations and other nonprofits for product donations, as well as other nearby charities.
    ????
    ?We are based in Alexandria, but we are an international organization,? said spokesman Colleen Clark. ?We sort of feel like this is home our community. If Alexandrians don?t know who we are, we can?t expect the rest of the country to know us. We?re definitely trying to make sure the local community knows we?re here and interested in being engaged.?
    ????
    If raising the nonprofit?s local profile along with money for area organizations were the goals going into the 5K then President and Chief Executive Officer Cindy Hallberlin called the day a ?huge? success.
    ????
    ?There?s a great feeling of energy and the nonprofits all get to tell their stories,? she said, walking through a tent housing several dozen local charitable and nonprofit groups. ?I think the services we provide are critical to charities. They can?t go out and purchase supplies retail. With our help they can keep their budgets tight and do more good.?
    ????
    As the economic crisis forces belt tightening at every level of government, organizations like Gifts in Kind, will become increasingly important, Fannon said, still damp from the run. He finished the 5K in 28 minutes.
    ????
    ?With the projected turnover in the federal government and a big cut in state aid, more local municipalities are going to make decision on what we can provide,? he said. ?The federal money is going to stop flowing; state money is going to stop flowing. That?s when charity groups become more important.?
    ????
    Alexandria is fortunate to be home to the umbrella nonprofit group, said Fannon, chairman of the local United Way. The city is recognized as a statewide leader in giving, he said.
    ????
    Seena Foster, a volunteer with Carpenter?s Shelter, the North Henry Street based homeless shelter, agrees. Events hosted by Gifts in Kind International, like the 5K, have given smaller groups the chance to get the word out about their mission, she said.?
    ????
    ?It?s a really outstanding program that allows more people to become aware of what we do, not only just the runners, but their family members come out for this event and it does give us some notoriety,? she said. ?It?s a difficult economy and the needs we serve have increased.?

     

    By Derrick Perkins
    http://alextimes.com/news/2010/oct/11/5k-for-nonprofits-huge-success/

     

  • 09/28/2010 - NLC Congress of Cities Attendees to Participate in a Service Project, Dec. 2-3, Providing Product Donations to Nonprofits in the Denver Community

    Gifts In Kind Int', National League of Cities Partner to Help Denver Nonprofit Organizations in December

    Gifts In Kind International (www.giftsinkind.org)?a leading charitable organization in the product-giving field?has partnered with the National League of Cities (NLC) to lend a hand to Denver-based nonprofits. The organizations will join forces at NLC's 2010 Congress of Cities & Exposition, November 30 ? December 4 in Denver, Colorado. Attendees of the conference will help to sort and organize products donated through Gifts In Kind from businesses and retail stores throughout the city and beyond; donations will be distributed to qualified charities in the Denver community.

    "Gifts In Kind International is thrilled to partner with the National League of Cities to organize a service project that will benefit the Denver community and allow conference participants to give back," said Gifts In Kind International President and CEO Cindy Hallberlin. "Thanks to our generous corporate partners we are able to support nonprofit organizations in communities across the country. Participants will learn how they can work with us in their own communities to ensure important resources are used to benefit neighborhood nonprofits."

    Gifts In Kind began collecting donations from local donors this week for the service project, which will take place on Thursday, Dec. 2 and Friday, Dec. 3. All products will be delivered to the convention center and sorted into cartons by NLC conference attendees.

    The products will be disseminated to Denver-based nonprofits, including schools and homeless agencies, housing groups and nonprofits serving children. Local charities will be invited to retrieve items from a local facility following the event. Gifts In Kind and NLC will also deliver some of the products to three charities on Saturday, Dec. 4.

    "NLC is honored to partner with Gifts In Kind for this great community service opportunity," said Donald J. Borut, NLC Executive Director. "We are truly excited to be giving back to the citizens of the Denver area. Is it important that, during these tough fiscal times, cities work together to help one another. This is a worthy program and we are delighted to be involved."

    The significance of this partnership is tremendous, as NLC is the largest organization representing municipal governments in the United States. Those attending include city leaders and local businesses, as well as content experts, allowing Gifts In Kind and NLC to encourage and emphasize the potential impact these projects can have in cities across the nation.

    NLC's Congress of Cities includes leadership seminars and workshops focusing on networking and learning about programs and new policy developments. Participants in the service project will be able to learn how they can work with Gifts In Kind in their own communities to utilize available community resources/donations to help local nonprofits achieve their missions.

    For more information about how to donate products for this project, please contact Doyle Delph at ddelph@giftsinkind.org.

    To learn how your nonprofit organization can benefit from this project, please contact Melissa Trumpower at (703) 299-7547 or mtrumpower@giftsinkind.org.

    About Gifts In Kind International

    Ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the nation's best-managed charities in America, Gifts In Kind International (www.giftsinkind.org) is dedicated to helping people and communities by distributing new corporate product donations?including books, toys, personal care products and clothing, building supplies, computers and other technology products, and much more?to qualified nonprofit organizations. The charitable organization works with more than half of the Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies. The organization distributes products to its nonprofit network comprised of thousands of pre-vetted organizations.

    About National League of Cities

    The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

     
  • 08/25/2010 - Showers open for homeless, but more volunteers needed

    Showers open for homeless, but more volunteers needed.
    The Basic Hygiene Center, 516 E. First St., Port Angeles, serves individuals and families without access to showers or laundry facilities.

    Owned and operated by Serenity House of Clallam County, the hygiene center is open from 7 a.m.-10 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Other days and evening hours will be added as volunteers step forward.

    Volunteers sign in guests, pass out personal care and laundry supplies, offer items from an on-site clothes closet and refer users to other resources as needed.

    "We haven't had a single problem with the people using the showers," said Sandra Enger, volunteer crew chief.

    People can help by donating personal grooming toiletries, laundry supplies and financial support. Toothpaste, razors, combs and men's clothing especially are needed.

    The hygiene center, next door to Serenity House's Street Outreach Shelter and across from the Housing Resource Center and teen Dream Center in the agency's Tempest building, also will serve as a warming station on freezing winter days.

    Serenity House staff, volunteers and community service workers handled most renovations, beginning last fall with the Port Angeles Fire Department's Day of Caring demolition crew and ending with KeyBank and Serenity House employees volunteering to clear and spruce up the west side entryway for the Aug. 2 quiet opening.

    A Benjamin N. Phillips Memorial Fund grant, materials from The Home Depot's Gifts In Kind program and other local business and corporate donors supported the construction phase. Still needed are two wall mirrors, towel racks and a pathway.

    Read More News
    http://www.sequimgazette.com/news/article.exm/2010-08-25_showers_open_for_homeless,_but_more_volunteers_needed

     
  • 08/01/2010 - Road Kill Social Media What?s hot one day, can cool off in a hurry

    Road Kill Social Media What?s hot one day, can cool off in a hurry.
    In just less than a month, the ?Skinned Alive? campaign by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had garnered 98,000 fans, driven almost entirely through social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter. MySpace? Not so much.

    Only a few years ago, MySpace was essentially neck and neck with Facebook in a battle for social networking supremacy. These days it seems to be falling into the niche category while Facebook boasts more than 400 million users worldwide and Twitter has seen fast-paced growth during the past year. Nonprofits, it seems, are following the same lead.

    In the second annual survey of nonprofits? use of social networks, MySpace saw a 45 percent dip in year-over-year usage. Only 14 percent of organizations surveyed, compared to 26 percent last year, reported a presence on MySpace, according to the Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report, which was compiled by Portland, Ore.-based NTEN, ThePort Network of Atlanta, Ga., and Common Knowledge in San Francisco, Calif.

    Meanwhile, other social networks continued to see increased participation, such as 86 percent of nonprofits responding they were on Facebook, compared with 60 percent on Twitter, 48 percent on YouTube and 33 percent on LinkedIn.

    In another survey of nearly 500 nonprofits by Portland, Maine-based Idealware, Facebook (73 percent), Twitter (56 percent) and video-sharing sites (49 percent) were the most widely used social media channels. MySpace was ranked lowest for outreach and enhancing existing relationships.

    Different platform, same techniques

    The basic fundamentals of fundraising remain regardless of the medium. ?Just because email comes along doesn?t mean direct mail is going out the window,? said Paul Phillips, online fundraising manager for the PETA Foundation. ?Everyone reinforces everything else,? he added.

    ?Our engagement in Twitter became much deeper and a much larger part of our overall social marketing scheme,? Phillips said of the ?Skinned Alive? campaign. ?We probably will look for folks who use Twitter to reinforce what we?re doing across other social channels more,? he said.

    PETA?s strategy isn?t so much about shunning MySpace as it is about simply going to where constituents are, Phillips said. The nonprofit can still be found on MySpace, although the number of fans on the network is about 10 percent of the total on Facebook. ?Chalk it up to constituents moving to a social media channel they?re most comfortable with,? he said. ?If we have one-tenth the voice on MySpace that we do on Facebook, that?s entirely the driving factor of why Facebook is the central piece in this campaign. It?s much more a matter of where the audience is more active. We?re going to take PETA?s message to whatever channel constituents want us to,? he said.

    ?A lot of the tools we provide should work across social media platforms. Part of the nature of social media is letting the crowd take the message to their friends and family,? said Phillips. Even if something comes along that turns out to be ?the next Facebook,? there usually are enough compatible elements and tools that will migrate to another network.

    ?Social networking is in large part about going to where our constituency is. At Oxfam America, we?re not focusing on MySpace as much because our constituents left it for Facebook and Twitter,? according to Megan Weintraub, new media manager at Oxfam America. The growth of Oxfam?s community in MySpace has slowed significantly during the past 12 to 18 months while its presence on Facebook and Twitter has exploded.

    It?s almost inevitable that something will come along eventually to knock even Facebook off its perch. Five years ago, it was Facebook versus MySpace in a duel of rival social networks. Before that, there was Friendster and MeetUp, and other social networks that were the shiny, new toy at some point.
    Jeff Patrick is often asked which social networks nonprofits should join. ?When a new wave of things happen, it usually happens in a certain way, and understanding that helps people get a handle on that,? said Patrick, the president and CEO of San Francisco, Calif.-based Common Knowledge. ?Certain things tend to happen when new technology comes in; a bunch of players hit and some evolve as mainstream players,? he said.

    When social networks started to take off about five years ago, there was MySpace and Facebook but also thousands of other networks. ?As each one of those develops their solutions, their base of consumers, each tends to develop the company, the product and the customer base,? Patrick said. As each gets bigger, they get dominant players in each area. Years ago, the social networking space was still shaking out but today, there are strong indications of who will be dominant.

    Precursors to MySpace and Facebook were Friendster and MeetUp, which were social networking focused in 2000. ?They got outdated and usurped when Facebook and MySpace were incrementally more social. They were just better, more shiny,? Patrick said. ?They failed to see the real potential in the social networking software,? he said, and the two still exist but are not considered state of the art.

    LinkedIn might not be as popular as Facebook but it is solidifying its lead as the social networking platform for professionals, according to Patrick. And while it might still be too early to tell, FourSquare, a spin-off of Twitter, is making its case in the mobile social networking space.

    When The Buzz Wears Off

    A common misconception is that people assume since media coverage has slowed that something is no longer viable or even exists, according to Susan Tenby, online community director at San Francisco-based nonprofit TechSoup. A case in point is Second Life, a virtual world where you can control your avatar and buy virtual land.

    ?At the beginning, everybody thought they had to be there because it was the sexy, new technology; there was nothing else like it,? Tenby said. Those organizations that figured out a use for it are staying in Second Life. ?They?re the ones who tested it?and are staying,? she said.

    Since 2008, 1,900 avatars have spent 15,000 hours at Second Life?s Nonprofit Commons, run by TechSoup. A campaign to raise money for Haiti generated $7,000 in virtual donations, and the American Cancer Society?s Relay For Life raised $300,000 last year in Second Life. ?It?s successful because it?s so well known. There?s huge muscle behind their following in real life,? Tenby said.

    Some smaller nonprofits have stepped away from Second Life and other social networks, either because they?re taking a break from social media, loss of staff or moving to their own simulation. ?It?s about meeting people where they?re at. Find out where your community is,? Tenby said. It?s not really about finding a new tool, it?s about going where people are, she said.

    Patrick said nonprofits must determine how they want to use the social network, whether for fundraising or community building. ?When you make the choice and invest in it, it has to be there tomorrow,? he said, so nonprofits have to prognosticate to some extent. ?After four or five years, winners are beginning to evolve and will continue to advance in this space,? Patrick said.

    Weintraub expects location-based social networking will play a greater role in organizing volunteers and events for the organization?s outreach work, but ?the jury is still out on which product will take the lead and be used most widely by the constituents we are cultivating,? she said.

    It took email several years to get to a point where Patrick was confident that it could raise money for nonprofits. ?We?re getting to that place on Facebook; we?re not quite there; that likely will be solidified in the next few years,? he said.

    Before dumping one technology or social network altogether, Patrick suggests checking that it?s really not valuable for your nonprofit. For instance, he said MySpace appears to have some people they can?t reach other ways. MySpace tends to still attract youth and minorities.

    ?Don?t just follow what the market trend is because it might not look as you originally imagined, you might have to adapt,? Patrick said. ?If after doing that it?s clear that it?s going to be decreasingly less value for you here, falling away, cut your losses and do your best to migrate those folks to something else,? he said. ?There?s no point in sticking around with something that?s not going to work.?

    Rather than adopting one network, figure out what demographic you want to reach with this message and decide what network you?re going to use to do it. ?When you do that, you?re customizing to a network and an audience,? Patrick said. Each social network will reach an intended market versus arbitrarily picking something that you think will be the network for the rest of your life, Patrick said. ?It?s not going to be. Twitter and Facebook are going to go away, we just don?t know when and what?ll replace it,? he said.
    ??No one wants to do business on 10 different platforms. You?d rather have a few places that work really well; that are more cost effective. Industry focuses on several, then accentuates those. That?s what?s being called widely adopted,? Patrick said.

    Tenby suggested nonprofits use content across a broad range of platforms. ?Show them that it?s not one tool or the other,? she said, ?a way to connect these tools so you have a constellation of social networks and consistent branding,? she said.? NPT

    By Mark Hrywna
    TheNonProfitTimes
    http://www.nptimes.com/01Aug/npt-100801-1.html?

     
  • 07/19/2010 - Just announced: the IRS is offering a one-time Special Filing Relief Program for small charities

    The IRS is offering a one-time Special Filing Relief Program for small charities.
    From the National Council of Nonprofits - Oct. 15 is the due date to preserve tax-exempt status. Watch this quick video to find out more. Please help spread the word to nonprofits who may not know about this deadline.Tax Tips: Small Tax Exempt Orgs Revised Deadline - July 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLEcaDAoybc

     
  • 07/06/2010 - Wisconsin companies contribute to Gulf cleanup effort

    Wisconsin companies contribute to Gulf cleanup effort.
    S.C. Johnson & Sons Inc. and Kohler Co. are among the Wisconsin firms contributing to the cause of cleaning up the oil-laden Gulf of Mexico.

    Kohler Rental, a Kohler Co. business, today announced it is providing temporary power and air conditioning services to wildlife rehabilitation centers located across several Gulf Coast States. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, a bureau in the U.S. Department of the Interior, established these wildlife M*A*S*H units following the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill that has been occurring in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana since April. Included in Kohler Rental?s support effort is Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, an epicenter of bird rescue and cleaning operations located in Louisiana?s fringe coastal area south of New Orleans.

    ?The men and women rescuing, cleaning and nursing pelicans and other birds back to health in Gulf Coast states may not know Kohler Rental is onsite. And we?re not running the wildlife rescue camps. However, the people who do operate the rescue centers reached out to Kohler Rental and it?s our mission to climate control the rescue camp and deliver additional power. By providing a more comfortable working environment, Kohler Rental helps keep workers at their best throughout the countless hours spent caring for the helpless birds,? said Mike Nasif, general manager of Kohler Rental. ?Kohler Rental is involved in something a lot bigger than Kohler and fortunately what we do - providing for temporary climate control and power needs - can make a difference. It has been awe-inspiring to see the passion and dedication of the people we support as they save wildlife affected by this environmental disaster.?

    Racine-based S.C. Johnson is donating approximately 5,000 product units of its OFF! insect repellant to provide support to the large number of relief agencies, volunteers, government, and contractor groups.
    The company is partnering with Gifts in Kind International, an international nonprofit organization and one of the country's largest charities, to distribute the pest control products.

    The product will distributed through the Gifts in Kind organization over the next few weeks.

    Published July 6, 2010 - BizTimes Daily
    http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2010/7/6/wisconsin-companies-contribute-to-gulf-cleanup-effort?

     

  • 06/15/2010 - Volunteerism Increases at Highest Rate in 6 Years

    Volunteerism Increases at Highest Rate in 6 Years.
    The number of Americans who volunteer grew last year at the fastest rate in six years, according to a new report, defying the popular notion that hard economic times suppress civic participation.

    The report, released today by the Corporation for National and Community Service, says that 63.4 million adult Americans??nearly 27 percent of the population?volunteered to help charitable causes last year. That?s an increase from 2008 of roughly 1.6 million volunteers, the largest single-year jump since 2003.

    In total, 2009?s volunteers donated about 8.1 billion hours of service, valued at nearly $169-billion, says the report, which is based on annual and monthly surveys of roughly 100,000 Americans age 16 or older, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Last year?s figures defied expectations, according to the report, which pointed to the common assumption that when the economy goes sour, people turn inward to focus on their own circumstances. ?The data, however, tell a different story,? the report says.

    An increase in volunteer rates among women ages 45 to 54 and among married women helped fuel the rise in volunteer numbers. Among black women, volunteer rates rose nearly two percentage points, to 22.8 percent.

    The organizations at which Americans chose to volunteer stayed fairly consistent between 2008 and 2009. As before, the largest percentage of Americans?more than one-third?volunteered at churches or with other religious groups. But the economic downturn may have stirred more people to donate their time to social-service organizations, which counted 8.8 million volunteers last year, up from 8.4 million in 2008.

    Click here to go to the entire article.

     
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