Charity Works

Give hope usa program:in 2010, Charity Works launched a wellness-medical aid program called give hope usa. It was designed to provide temporary relief and wellness aid to the economically disadvantaged and health-stressed families and individuals through local servicing nonprofit agencies and schools. The goal is to strengthen the outreach efforts of others who are responsible for implementing programs and structured activities that promote health, hope and happiness. Each wellness-medical aid pack contains various products in up to three categories--food supplements, personal hygiene products and over-the-counter medicines. It may contain literature about how to maintain a healthy diet, a list of humanitarian assistance centers such as food banks, emergency shelters and free clinics, and other types of basic needs information such as transportation options, discount programs for consumers, coupons, etc. Distributions of packs and kits are customizable in 2012, the give hope usa program began distributing cash and special gifts such as clothes, toys, and other basic necessities during the holiday season. This program was formerly part of our holiday gift giving fund (holiday fund) which was established in 2007 to: 1) encourage people to give during the holiday season, 2) leverage charitable gifts purchased for underprivileged children, 3) strengthen relationships between local retailers and childrens charities, and 4) promote volunteerism during the holiday season. In 2022, twenty-six (26) nonprofit entities received a total value of $248,082 in various distributions of free personal hygiene products, comfort gifts and cash from the give hope usa program. Distributions included dental kits, daily necessities, school supplies, plush toys, cookware, and other special gifts that were requested by participating nonprofits. Based on nonprofit clients needs. One benefit of this program is the opportunity to transition these active participating nonprofits in the organizations cooperative purchasing initiatives and the can purchasing program.the give hope usa program relies on volunteers to support community outreach events throughout the year including the holidays for the purposes of providing hope and inspiration through gift giving and fun activities. During 2022, program volunteers assisted 120 families in the distribution of comfort gifts, including plush toys, flannel pillows and meal cards.to expand the give hope usa program, Charity Works will continue to encourage manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to participate and benefit from in-kind donations, product placement, branding, and other social and marketing considerations.

Teach and reach program:the teach and reach program was designed to provide job training services and job placement for people that are displaced from the workforce. Charity Works venture initially focused on serving the community by re-training displaced workers, especially those with physical or emotional challenges as well as the areas senior citizens. The vocational program also involved the active participation of local volunteers and student interns. Today, many candidates are referred to other local nonprofits that have training programs and staff to better match individual needs. The teach and reach program establishes partnerships with local colleges and other nonprofits to provide Charity Works with a diverse group of candidates whose various backgrounds and talents enrich the unique learning environment. The business cycle is the core focus of the experience. From buying products to warehousing, selling, and preparing invoices, it provides candidates with the opportunity to learn new skills and apply individual abilities in a live business setting. Since 2020, the teach and reach program remained on hold due to the covid-19 pandemic. The majority of the organizations volunteers in 2022 supported the give hope usa program. This group of volunteers were members of the Florida state elks association, a non-profit organization with 92 lodges and 55,000 active members. The teach and reach program also serves to support Charity Works common ground project of the can purchasing program. Collectively these efforts fulfill the organizations mission of helping those who help others.

Can purchasing program:charity Works provides charities, other non-profit entities and schools (nonprofits) with access to significantly discounted prices on a broad range of products and services through its purchasing program called charitable alliance network (can). Through the development of beneficial networks and strategic alliances, people enjoy collaborative action that helps create value and reduce operating costs.the can program directly benefits nonprofits by providing the following purchasing advisory services:matching needs with product specifications/service requirementslocating qualified vendors/suppliersnegotiating contract termspurchasing consultationthe outcome of the can program is a collaborative process whereby the public and private sectors work more effectively and efficiently together in serving humanitarian causes and thus relieves administrative burden for government entities at all levels in the united states. In 2022, twenty-six (26) nonprofit entities in Florida received direct benefits from purchasing services rendered under the can resource finder program. Acquisitions services rendered concentrated on the consumable product needs of local nonprofits and schools. Purchasing advisory services were also provided to funders of nonprofits throughout the year but are not counted in the direct benefits total. Enhancements in vendor relationships that support the organizations most-favorable- customer status goal for nonprofits offer both long-term direct and indirect benefits. However, the measurement of the added value provided is challenging to document. For example, savings calculations achieved for purchasing services rendered could be measured based on a mix of price levels depending on the clients customer status, either a donor or recipient nonprofit. In 2022, a private foundation contributed $75,000 of a $100,000 grant for purchasing advisory services to benefit vulnerable women involved in the sex industry. The services provided generated additional resources for the cause. The benefits included: 1) cost savings on the purchases of personal hygiene products which are based on vendors recognition of the customers status, a grant making entity; 2) product donations made in-kind from vendors; and 3) monetary gifts from individuals and corporate donors that supported the cause. In 2023, the can program will continue to concentrate on expanding vendor trading relationships primarily for acquiring consumable products and secondarily for capital goods needed by nonprofits. Purchasing advisory services will be offered and available to those nonprofits that have offices in the state of Florida. Economic and marketing uncertainty may continue to negatively impact the organizations cooperative purchasing initiatives.

Common ground project:charity Works promotes a project called common ground that involves cooperative purchasing initiatives between government agencies and qualified nonprofit entities. The project is based on the theory that charities are instrumentalities of government and, as such, should be eligible to access competitively bid purchasing contracts that are negotiated and managed by federal, state, and/or local government agencies. Numerous nonprofits in the united states receive funding either in whole or part from one or more government agencies. And many government officials agree that it would make sense to allow these and other qualified nonprofits to participate in the governments purchasing systems. However, few laws exist that permit this practice. Thus, nonprofits are forced to spend resources to attempt to duplicate the favorable results of these governmental-based purchasing programs such as cost savings and vendor leverage that government agencies already have established through taxpayer funding. Common ground is designed to leverage the purchasing power of irs approved nonprofits throughout the united states. At stake each year are billions of dollars that could be gained in annual savings for the nonprofit sector.this project establishes Charity Works as a facilitating administrative organization to help unite the common trading interests among and between government agencies, nonprofits, and vendors. One objective is to establish government-pricing parity and buying privileges for charities to use and get recognized as eligible under the united states general services administrations federal supply service multiple award schedules program. Charity Works goal is to engage all levels of government in supporting cooperative purchasing through statutory law changes that will effectively reduce the duplicative administrative functions and related expenses that each incur when contracting with vendors to acquire the same types of products and services.charity Works vision for Florida is to help make it the first state in the country to legally recognize its qualified nonprofits as eligible users of state, county and city purchasing contracts. Of course, vendors may offer charities a most-favored-customer status that could include larger discounts and preferential contract terms than those offered to governmental agencies. Also, the common ground project will establish and promote standards for responsible spending by nonprofits. By creating a base-line price ceiling derived from all levels of government-vendor contracts, nonprofits will be able to compare and gauge the effectiveness of their actual spending. Nonprofit trustees and directors in exercising their fiduciary duties could use these standards to reasonably measure nonprofit spending. This project is designed to increase the trust factor for donors, thereby strengthening the financial viability of the nonprofit sector due to the renewed confidence in charitable spending.

Caringperks program:charity Works is developing a fringe benefit and customer loyalty program called caringperks. The discount and rewards program promotes the goods and services offered by businesses to charities, nonprofits, and schools. The purpose is to encourage more youths and adults to become active volunteers in the support of charitable and educational causes within their respective communities. The program provides special recognition, incentives and rewards for people who are actively committed and dedicated to providing voluntary community service to one or more nonprofits. Program testing involves the selection of participating retailers that agree to recognize volunteers as vip customers that are eligible for preferred status, discount privileges and/or other types of incentives. A technology solution is vital to an effective and successful statewide or larger area program launch. The rewards program was put on hold in 2020 due to covid-19 and remained so throughout 2022. The caringperks program remains in the development stage.