At Good360, we know that grassroots organizations are continually stretched for resources. Budgets seem to be perpetually tight, and you’re always trying to squeeze more out of every dollar.
We also know most local nonprofits can’t rely on huge fundraising campaigns or mega-donors to fill their coffers. According to data from Guidestar, the vast majority of nonprofits (66.3%) have annual budgets of less than $1 million.
That’s why Good360 has developed a variety of programs over the years to give regional and grassroots organizations greater access to product donations, allowing them to spend less money and fund more direct programs or services. Nonprofits and charities that are registered with Good360 can get these products delivered to their door by paying only a small administrative fee to cover shipping and handling (more on this later).
We are able to provide these products at pennies on the dollar compared to what nonprofits would pay for them at retail. We can do this because of our long-standing relationships with our generous corporate donors. Good360 members also benefit from our long-term investments in technology, logistics and people that allow us to collect, sort and ship products at scale while minimizing costs.
As you consider your budget and programming for 2021, we want to offer some good ways to leverage Good360’s offerings for maximum impact — especially for local nonprofits.
Start with our online catalog
Our online catalog is the easiest and most affordable way to obtain donated product from Good360.
You’ll find a huge assortment of products across a variety of categories, including apparel, electronics, office and school supplies, personal care items, toys and crafts, home goods, and health and beauty products. Most of these items come from top brands you know and love.
Conveniently, you can order as little as a single carton of any particular item, making the catalog accessible for organizations with smaller budgets and limited storage space.
Check our inventory frequently
There’s very high turnover for products available through our online catalog. The most in-demand items go quickly. We also continually update our inventory with new items as we process donations daily.
Members who take the initiative to check our catalog frequently — at least once or twice a week — find that they have an easier time of getting the products that they want and need for their organizations.
Take advantage of our bulk donations
Good360 offers bigger savings when you order donated products at the pallet level, rather than as individual cartons. You also receive additional discounts when you order more than one pallet at a time.
Additionally, we offer a bulk donation program through our partnership with Amazon that gives members access to pallets of Amazon products sorted by specific categories, such as kitchen items, home goods, bedding, shoes, and toys and crafts. All products are first-quality customer returns that are screened to remove damaged or otherwise unusable items.
Keep in mind that there are two requirements for organizations looking to order bulk donations: (1) you must have a business address; and (2) if you do not have a loading dock at your location, you must add liftgate service for an additional, nominal fee.
Look for a local Community Redistribution Partner
In recent years, we have built a nationwide network of Community Redistribution Partners (CRP) that serve as regional hubs for Good360. Most of our CRPs operate physical warehouses where you can find the same types of goods that Good360 offers through its online catalog. At these locations, you can examine products before taking them home.
Most CRPs will charge nonprofit members a small administrative fee to access these donated goods. However, some CRP warehouses are able to offer donations without any fees.
Join our Retail Matching Program
Did you know that nonprofit organizations can pick up donations directly from Good360 partners? That’s right. Our Retail Matching Program gives qualified Good360 members the opportunity to get donated products from stores in their area — typically local locations of national retailers, including Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Advance Auto Parts, CVS, and many more.
The program is an excellent way for organizations to partner with local businesses, and to keep goods within their community.
Allocate your budget accordingly
Some of our organizations find it difficult to order items through our catalog before in-demand products get snapped up because they need to get board approval before requesting a large volume of donations.
We recommend that you work with your board leadership and donors to set aside a budget item for the purpose of obtaining product donations of this sort. That way you can make quick decisions on what to order when products you want become available.
Understand how our administrative fees work
Some organizations might wonder: If these products are donated to Good360, why do we need to pay a fee to get them? The answer is simple: Good360 incurs a range of expenses to process the goods that are donated to us and get them ready for shipment. These costs include personnel to handle procuring, receiving, sorting, storing, pulling, and packing product; the costs of packaging materials and shipping; a compliance team to make sure we’re staying on top of our record-keeping; maintaining or contracting transportation logistics; maintaining facilities such as our national warehouse in Omaha; and keeping our technology and online catalog up-to-date, among other expenses.
Get started with Good360 now
To take advantage of Good360’s unmatched access to product donations and do more for the communities that you serve, register for free today. And happy browsing!
