Following a few simple precautions will help ensure that your charity donation dollars rightly go to the people and causes you wish to help. First, be skeptical of appeals that are geared to tug at your emotions, particularly pleas invoking patriotism and current events in the Middle East. Sadly, this is one of the most popular ruses currently in vogue.
Always request written information about the charity organization, especially its name, address, and any pertinent telephone numbers. Any legitimate organization seeking contributions will furnish data about their mission and how your donation will be put to use. Corroborate the charity's financial information, which can be found online at, www.guidestar.org. Appalachian Sharing Network offers our donors a complete, surplus assets solution.
Finally, ask for verifiable proof of identification. Call the numbers the organization provides and see if they check out. Be cynical of callers who thank you for a pledge you don't remember making, those who offer to send overnight couriers to pick up your contribution immediately, or any charitable organization that uses terms like "guaranteed sweepstakes." In short, most charities use your donations responsibly and wisely, and none of the above should make you unduly paranoid about the prospect of making charity donations. Still, other organizations may use the bulk of your contribution on bureaucratic expenses or expanded fund-raising efforts (and may strategically overlook mentioning this). And a very devious few outright misrepresent their intentions or solicit for fraudulent causes. You can avoid being ripped off simply by using common sense and modern research tools. Generosity and wariness don't have to be mutually exclusive.
CLOSE OUT PRODUCTS
The term "closeout products" refers to a company's merchandise that is regarded as excess inventory from an earlier fiscal quarter. Closeout products usually become that way as a result of changes in color or design or fabric or missed deliveries but other factors may sometimes be involved. In the end, many large companies are commonly stuck with billions of dollars in closeout products every year and have to sell it all off at a whopping discount. Waste to Charity offers our donors a complete solution for close outs.
Obviously, Closeout Products remain a regular source of tension for most companies. Products need to be removed from shelves to make way for the influx of newer models. Sometimes a shift in financial circumstances or strategy results in canceled orders or manufacturers need to downsize or move their facilities due to economic pressures. Whatever their origin, closeout products need to be unloaded quickly, regardless of cost
Donating closeout items directly to licensed charity organizations is of course another possible use of such items, although sadly it is the road less traveled. Doing so is often less hassle and inconvenience to the company, which would then go on to enjoy the public relations benefits that come with such transactions. Yet it goes against the grain of many businessmen to think in such terms, and corporations tend to be resistant to change, even when a more refined methodology would make immeasurably more sense from a business perspective alone.
EXCESS INVENTORY
Excess inventory is the rule rather than the exception among most major businesses, a phenomenon they handle in a number of different ways. The laws of supply and demand dictate that the availability of the former always outweigh any possible outcry made by the latter over a shortfall; in other words, having too much of something makes more business sense than not having enough of something, in the long run. Otherwise, count on one of your competitors to fill the gap before you do. Waste to Charity offers our donors a complete, excess inventory solution.
Excess Inventory and Resale Value Most excess inventory is sold off in bulk at discount rates to third parties with the intention of reselling them. The repackaging and reselling of companies' excess inventory is a flourishing industry unto itself, accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars every year in retail sales. Those who purchase these products are typically entrepreneurs such as discount retailers, flea market vendors, exporters, auctioneers, and wholesalers.
Excess inventory items are usually sold at a substantial discount which could range from fifteen to eighty percent off first quality rates. These savings are, in theory, passed along to the consumer and offer a merchant the chance to promote a product at a reduced price tag to the marketplace. Whenever making an expensive purchase, it might be worth one's consideration to look into whether the product in question is available through such channels beforehand.
An Ideal Solution for Excessive Inventory Giving excessive inventory items to charity organizations offers companies significant tax benefits, not to mention a groundswell of positive public relations. Dealing with charity organizations is much easier and potentially friendlier than negotiating with an agency whose sole purpose is to gouge you for as much as possible. Finding a better use for excessive inventory merchandise, either from a business or a moral perspective, seems unlikely.
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