I’ve found some conflicting information on the net, so I’m curious if anyone here has any first-hand experience with NAEIR (The National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources). The jist of it seems to be they get “donations” from companies (which seem more to be retail items that have reached the end of their potential to be sold for profit) and non-profit companies can acquire these goods for free (after their annual fee and shipping costs). Some places seem thrilled to be able to get items like craft goods, greeting cards, paper goods, toys and collectibles, etc. for their organizations, while other say it’s worthless free crap that really isn’t free. Give.org mentions they don’t meet some of their internal criteria, such as the fact that their board members get paid full salaries.
Theselinks seems to indicate pretty mixed results considering the $600 fee.
I would think you would need to have a specific type of nonprofit to really benefit from what they have to offer (old batteries and outdated calendars, etc.). The handling and membership fees are pretty steep for such stuff.
It basically seems like a dumping ground to turn worthless merchandise with no sale value into a charitable donation.
Ok, to your OP the company I work for looked into using NAEIR a year or so ago to help us augment a large auction we were having. They don’t make it very easy for non-profits to sign up with them, and they are sort of attention whores when it comes to media. Meaning they want/need their logo attached to a lot of different things.
That being said I think they offer a good service, their plight is good enough, but in the end we did just fine without them. And that auction netted my company 150K that year. So if you have more pointed Q’s feel free to email me. I think I can dig up a name in my outlook for a contact there.
Our church has been a member of NAEIR for 10 years and we love it! It costs us $2000 a year for all expenses including membership, handling fees, Grab Bag and gas and motel expenses to drive 375 miles one-way to pick up the merchandise. For that money and time investment we receive over $100,000 a year in the stuff that NAEIR gives away free. It’s a hugh organization and they have to hire people to run it and do the work, so I can’t complain about their very reasonable rates. We use what we can for our church ministries and then we give the rest away to community non-profit organizations who love to come in and “shop” for stuff for their organization. It’s a win-win situation for all. If you have questions you can send me a PM.
Our Ohio non-profit organization was a member of NAEIR for several years and benefitted from the items that they had available. The system is pretty much potluck, with some junk as well as some very usable items. If we did not have to make an eight hour drive, which required the cost of an overnight stay to take advantage of the “grab bag” option, we would still be members. Some trips were very productive while others were less productive. Aside from the long drive, the membership pricing was fair.
The organization that I work with has been an active member of NAEIR for about 8 years now. Here is my observation: NAEIR is a great opportunity for organizations that want to squeeze every penny out of their dollars and have supplies and materials for use by children, youth, elderly, ill and low-income individuals. NONE of the merchandise is to be sold or bartered for profit in any way. None of the items may be used directly by staff…unless it is for the betterment of the individuals that they serve who fit the above categories. NAEIR acquires merchandise that brand name businesses and corporations have cast aside for whatever reason. Most of them are not damaged in anyway. They have a large variety of items…not just craft items, as was suggested. The person doing the order should project over a large time frame and develop a ‘wish list’ of items that they feel their organization can use. Then, match what is on that list with what they offer in their catalog–this does take time and should be done by someone that is real familiar with your organization’s events, recognitions, and activities throughout the year. Then, the order must be submitted via internet or FAX. The NAEIR workers try and fill as many of the items on the list as possible. However, they have a finite amount of any one thing…and it is ‘first come/first serve’. Because we are based out of FL, we are unable to go directly to their warehouse to pick up our items because of distance and high cost of gas. That makes it more expensive for us because we have to have them ship it to us. It costs about 50 cents per pound to have things shipped. However, I have noticed that the ‘poundage’ they have listed is not true weight. I think the poundage is based on how popular the item is and how many of them they have in the warehouse. For instance, 6 lip gloss pkgs might be listed as a pound…and a man’s suit might be listed as a pound…and 5 notebooks might be listed as a pound. Obviously, they are all not weighing a true pound. That being said, we average about 5 orders a year from NAEIR. Because we have a very specific population that we are serving, I have limited items that we can use. Even so, we average receiving about $30,000 worth of goods each year (retail value)…and we pay in about $2,000/year–that pays for our membership fee plus all shipping & handling costs for all items. As stated by others, the items themselves are given freely at no cost. We have gotten brand new men’s suits with the tags still in them; brand new sneakers for young men; all sorts of school supplies; safety vests for them to use when doing community work; safety glasses w cases; welding gear for them to learn that trade; a host of top brand name tools; particulate masks to protect them when doing lawn maintenance; hygiene products; shorts & T-shirts; educational materials of all sorts; first aid materials; electronics such as cameras and equipment to use with computers including software; gift bags and bows for special recognitions; awards and trophies; kitchen supplies; building supplies; etc. As you can see, it is a far cry from only being ‘craft’ materials…all of these things were brand new…none of them were ‘junk’. When a person deals daily with people who are truly needy, these items are treasures that are truly appreciated. I guess if you have enough money to select what you wear from the mall or pick out your own hygiene products of a specific brand name you want…then NAEIR products would probably not interest you. Being a NAEIR member has meant that we were able to continue to provide quality products to our members even when our finances have been cut to the core by steadily decreasing budgets. For that, we are very thankful. There are a few observations that can increase the usability of a NAEIR membership…which a person learns over the years. As with most things, you get better at it with time. If we were ever sent something we could not use directly in our program, we took it to another group that could use it in theirs. Nothing is ever wasted or thrown away.
Welcome back.