Nonprofit benefit programs help those who help others
January 21, 2002
by Nicole Zummach
Government and private institutions, as well as their employees, have
long benefited from group purchasing plans and corporate discounts.
The same cannot be said for the nonprofit sector. While even the most
lucrative corporation can often take advantage of a host of discounts
and perks, many nonprofits, especially smaller ones, pay retail prices
for essential items and services and have little to offer in the way
of employee benefits. However, as the third sector evolves and individual
organizations begin to view themselves as part of a larger whole, a
few groups are working to give nonprofits access to the discounts and
group rates enjoyed by their government and private sector counterparts.
Membership can have its privileges
Though still not common on the nonprofit landscape, some organizations
such as the Canadian Association for Community Care, the Older
Adults Centres Association of Ontario, and the Ontario Community
Support Association do offer their members an employee benefit plan.
Through the OASSIS program, which operates on a not-for-profit
basis, association members have access to an array of benefits ranging
from life insurance to dental care.
This program currently has more than 2,500 participants but it is not
something that can easily be expanded to the sector at large. "Someone
has to sponsor OASSIS and put volunteer trustees on our board, so from
a practical point of view it's only associations that can do that,"
explains Brad St. Clair, plan administrator.
In Kind Canada, another sponsor of the OASSIS program, reaches
a broader range of people than the associations can. It offers benefits
and group purchasing to any Canadian nonprofit organization that is
a member of their 'gifts in kind' program, which distributes donated
goods and services to qualified donees. "Charities out there just
don't have the money," says Nolle Ohashi, who notes that
IKC has offered member discounts since 1995. Currently their members
can take advantage of discounts on travel, communications, car rentals,
stationary supplies, insurance and health coverage, and the program
is still expanding.
A new option is beginning to take off
In an attempt to fill the gap even more, the Care Unlimited Program
(CUP) was created by a group of individuals who have all been care
providers and volunteers within the charitable sector. The goal of the
program is to help and reward members and volunteers of community-building
and care-oriented organizations by negotiating some of the top level
goods and services pricing that government and large corporations already
enjoy.
The inspiration for the program came when one of its founders witnessed
first-hand the vast number of organizations that exist to provide care,
information and support services to people in need. While many of these
agencies developed because of a need in the community, they are often
small, have limited resources, and simply do not have the leverage nor
the means to acquire the specialized expertise needed to obtain even
the most modest group benefits.
Access to a wide range of products and services
That is where Don Drew comes in. He has worked as a buyer for
more than 14 years and has built up a relationship with many corporations.
Because of this, he has been able to secure a number of corporate partners
for CUP, enabling the program to offer a wide variety of goods, services
and benefits. Members of CUP currently have access to government and
corporate prices on insurance, office equipment and furniture, books,
first aid supplies, travel, entertainment, and more. And the list keeps
growing as the program expands.
"Many of the organizations don't have anything," Drew points
out, "even as far as a buying program where they can save on any
items. They are paying the going rate every time. That is why we are
trying to get the government and corporate prices for them, so that
they can save on their main budget and therefore put more into what
they are trying to do rather than on everyday basic costs."
The Care Unlimited Program is unique in that it offers more than just
the standard health and related benefits that some larger nonprofits
have access to. "We are all care-providers and volunteers who have put
this together," says Drew, "so we wanted to do something that is going
to be seen as helpful to people. We're trying to offer stress relieving
things, such as hotel getaways, as well as functional things that the
organization can save money on."
Working to keep costs low
Perhaps the most attractive feature of CUP is the cost. At only six
dollars a year per person, most staff and volunteers at eligible organizations
can take advantage of the program. "We are trying to keep membership
at six dollars by keeping administrative costs down," says Drew.
"Once members are involved they can just go direct [to participating
businesses] by calling a toll-free number, mention their ID number and
place their order. That's the idea behind it, that it can be very administration-free."
Right now CUP is focused mainly on eligible nonprofits in Ontario but
it is also negotiating agreements with some national organizations.
As it grows, the next phase will be to offer the program to provincial
and local agencies. It is currently assessing eligibility on a case
by case basis to determine what will work best for a particular organization
and how their needs can best be met.
For more information about the Care Unlimited Program, e-mail Don
Drew at careunlimited@homail.com. To
learn more about the benefits offered to In Kind Canada members, visit
their web site at www.inkindcanada.ca.
