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Charity Embarks on Bold New
Plan
By Peter L.
Schweitzer,
Clearwater-Countryside Citizen Publications, October 24-30, 2002.
Reprinted with permission of the author
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CLEARWATER--Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man
how to fish and he eats for a lifetime. This adage is especially
true in the case of the new venture Teach and Reach, a local program
designed to provide job skills training to those displaced from the
workforce. In 1996 Chris Renfrow founded
Charity Works, a local support organization whose mission is to "help
those who help others." The charity serves as a liaison between
charitable organizations and the business community.
In this role, it helps charities maximize every
dollar through contract negotiations, allowing the particular charity to
secure a most-favored customer status with recommended vendors.
Alternatively, it attracts business involvement in charitable works by
bridging the two worlds.
"The Charitable Alliance Network serves as a
resource finder by linking donors, vendors and non-profit organizations,"
said Renfrow. "Charity Works strives to find the bet value every
time a charity goes to market."
Renfrow recently embarked upon a new venture to
serve the community by retraining displaced workers, especially those
with physical or emotional challenges, as well as the area's senior
citizens.
The organization has partnered with organizations such as
AARP Foundation, the Division of Blind Services, and Florida
Metropolitan University to host qualified candidates, an important part
of the new Teach and Reach program. |
In a recent New York Times article, it was noted
that some workers especially traditional blue-collar workers, are
displaced from the workforce forever because they lack technical job
skills. These technical job skills such as computer training are
essential to survive in the new marketplace.
Tonya Parsons is one of those who is benefiting from the new program.
A single mother of two, she is presently attending Florida Metropolitan
University pursuing a degree in accounting. Her internship has
provided her with the practical experience she will need in her new
profession.
"What I've learned here has helped me tremendously.
I had no experience in the accounting field and now I can see how
invoicing, purchasing and the sales/use tax really impact nonprofits,"
she said.
Another program participant, Chris Longenecker, a
visually impaired young man, said, "I feel like I'm doing something
productive. I'm not only learning more about computers, but also
helping others."
For more information on how CharityWorks can
work for you or your favorite charity, contact CharityWorks at
915 Chestnut Street, Clearwater, Florida
33756. Phone: 727-447-2064, Toll Free 877-728-3294, Fax
727-447-1892.
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By Joanne
Faruggia Kavanagh
Reprinted
with Permission
Belleair Bee, Leader
Publications, April 5-11, 2001
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Everybody loves a bargain. When it comes to spending our
money we all appreciate getting the right stuff for the right
price. Charitable organizations are no exception to the rule.
Donors, contributors and recipients alike know the better the
price, the more the budget will afford.
There is a solution to finding the best value
for our charitable dollars. Charity Works, Inc. has that
solution and is working its magic on charitable budgets all around
Pinellas County and across the country.
Charity Works, Inc., headquartered in
Clearwater is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that promotes
charitable giving and provides free purchasing consultation and
management advisory services to qualified charitable organizations
throughout the country. The mission of CharityWorks is
helping those who help others. Through innovative programs
like the Charitable Alliance Network (CAN), CharityWorks provides
one-of-a-kind successful solutions that create beneficial and
strategic alliances among donors, vendors and nonprofit
organizations.
Chris Renfrow, CPA, is president, founder and
CEO of Charity Works, Inc. He has more than 20 years of
administrative and financial management experience in the nonprofit
industry. He strongly believes creating social value means
pooling resources from three markets to create common objectives.
Those three markets are donors, vendors and nonprofits.
Based on Renfrow's extensive health care
career he learned first-hand from vendors that they are willing to
recognize "charitable status" and extend a variety of non-cash
resources, including generous discounts to charitable
organizations.
Recently, Marily McKinney, purchasing manager
of PARC, called Renfrow for assistance in buying a popular
hydraulic standing frame needed for one of it clients.
CharityWorks saved PARC $1,001.00 by negotiating and buying this
item directly from the manufacturer. |
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The
savings were dramatic.--the standard retail price for the item was
$2,695.00. PARC, one of our favorite local charities, saw in
this single negotiation savings that stretched their charitable
dollars remarkably.
For Brian Aungst of Time Warner
Communications, Chris Renfrow helped by acquiring gifts for
school-aged children during the holidays. Chris was able to
secure the gifts selected for much less than Time Warner could have
done on their own. These are only two of many negotiations
that Renfrow and CharityWorks have made for charitable
organizations in our community. These savings make a real
difference in how far our charitable dollars go and extend the
reach of those dollars into our community by improving the spending
practices and leveraging donor-vendor relationships.
From my point of view, Charity Works, Inc. is a fabulous organization.
They offer significant savings on a broad range of goods and
services that are used by nonprofits organizations and agencies.
Their mission to help those who help others is working by extending
the charitable work donations and contributions.
Remember that their purchasing consultation and management advisory
services are free.
If you know of charitable organizations that
can benefit by saving money on goods and services, contact Charity Works, Inc. I am sure you and the charity of interest will
find the service and the savings well worth the time it takes to
contact CharityWorks.
For more information on how CharityWorks can
work for you or your favorite charity, contact CharityWorks at
915 Chestnut Street, Clearwater, Florida
33756. Phone: 727-447-2064, Toll Free 877-728-3294, Fax
727-447-1892.
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New Models of Philanthropy
By Linda Becnel
Reprinted
with Permission
Tampa Bay Magazine: Millennial Edition, 2000
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Challenges and Solutions
When Barbara Green administrator of the
Homeless Emergency Project, Inc. in Clearwater, Florida, wanted to
purchase kitchen appliances for her nonprofit organization's new
tenant buildings, she had limited funds. Though she had raised
money from loyal contributors, vendors were not aggressively
seeking the organization’s business; not even willing to offer a
respectable discount for the cause it serves in the community. She
needed help.
Then, when Green heard about Charity Works, Inc., a public charity that supports charitable nonprofit
organizations, she called. "CharityWorks delivered more than we
expected," Green said. CharityWorks negotiated with both
manufacturers and retailers, securing much lower prices. As a
result, the Homeless Emergency Project got its much-needed quality
appliances, the vendors were lauded for their contributions, and
the donors were pleased that Green had obtained the most value for
their money.
Winning Strategies
This win-win-win story is a product of the
creative thinker behind CharityWorks. Chris R. Renfrow, president
and CEO, combines a strong professional business background with the
ability to look beyond convention to discover imaginative, cost effective
ways to generate community support. Renfrow is a CPA and certified fraud
examiner with purchasing and contract management experience. Based on an
extensive healthcare career, he learned that vendors are willing to
extend nonprofit organizations a variety of non-cash resources like
discounts of 40-50% and more.
The ability to negotiate winning contracts
beneficial to charities comes from the application of a fundamental
negotiating strategy most people overlook. Generally, this strategy
works best for large corporations and government agencies. Renfrow
says his success in helping charities is due to a vendor’s
willingness to recognize "donors" as their company’s best customer.
After all, he says, "People who give money to nonprofit
organizations either individually or through various corporations,
government agencies, churches, etc. are the customers that vendors
should be concerned about."
Incorporating the Vision
After realizing the significant advantages
this MFC status could mean to the whole nonprofit sector, Renfrow
and his colleagues began educating those involved in the supply
channel philanthropy process—donors, vendors and nonprofits. And in
1996, to further this vision, they formed Charity Works, Inc. as a
Florida-based, nonprofit corporation to promote charitable giving
and acquire all types of goods and services needed to help others.
Renfrow strongly believes both cash and non-cash assistance are
abundantly available from people and their businesses, if you know
how to ask for them.
How the Process Works
First, CharityWorks assesses its nonprofit
clients' needs through an innovative program called the Charitable
Alliance Network (CAN). Next, CharityWorks identifies willing
businesses that are qualified to fill these needs for goods and
services. Finally, CharityWorks encourages these businesses to
participate in the program by extending sound offers to nonprofits.
Usually, offers range from no cost (i.e. donation) to the lowest
prices businesses regularly extend to their most-favored customers,
such as state and government agencies. |
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Consequently, a classic double-win situation
results. Businesses achieve recognition for assisting charities and
in ways that hadn’t occurred to them before such as through the
sales process. Most importantly, vital nonprofit agencies get
first-hand, quality products they need for less, thus better
utilizing their donors' dollars. Beyond these immediate benefits,
once formed, these alliances continue to benefit participants as
their needs and goals continue to grow and change.
One such business that participates in the CAN
program is a prominent, nationwide office supply company with
headquarters in Florida. By understanding the value of the CAN
program, its Business Services Division provides its deepest
discounts to the Alliance for Children & Families, a group of
nonprofit agencies that serve children and families throughout the
U. S. and Canada. Since this organization represents over 400
member agencies and is growing, CharityWorks has made it possible
for each agency to benefit collectively from this strategic
partnership.
Improving Relationships and Accountability
with Innovative Models
Since CharityWorks is not by a group
purchasing organization or membership club, Renfrow is careful not
to promote a specific vendor or portfolio of vendors like most
group purchasing organizations do. CharityWorks’ business model is
unlike other purchasing entities and collectives. "We have no
hidden agendas. Our mission is simply helping charities maximize
their funds so they can help others." says Renfrow.
Currently, CharityWorks is building
relationships with segments of Florida’s 13,500 active nonprofit
agencies that serve a wide range of causes. On the fiscal level,
the types of partnerships and cost-effective programs that CharityWorks creates provides an often-overlooked perspective on how to
adequately measure nonprofit accountability.
Providing Free Services
What is the cost for CharityWorks' operations
and services? Neither vendors nor qualified nonprofit agencies pay
any membership fees or charges to participate in the CAN program.
Funding for the organization’s operations and free programs comes
from gifts and grants from donors. CharityWorks also relies on its
corporate partners and volunteers who help to create alliances,
systems and other solutions nonprofit agencies need.
Merging Technology and Philanthropy
How does technology impact philanthropy? As
Renfrow explains, it’s obvious that the Internet is a catalyst for
creating a business-to-business portal for the nonprofit sector.
Working together, the over 700,000 charities in this country
represent an important vertical market to the vendor community.
This is purchasing leverage that could be measurable in billions of
dollars annually. Furthermore, it would provide more assurance to
donors everywhere who want their funds to be spent wisely."
Summary
CharityWorks provides free purchasing
consultation and management advisory services to its nonprofit
clients. Services involve building stronger relationships with all
types of vendors and donors. It’s a much-needed practice that
identifies common interests between philanthropy and business.
Strides in these areas are already occurring, but Renfrow believes
that the approaching millennium holds even greater promise.
For more information on how CharityWorks can
work for you or your favorite charity, contact CharityWorks at
915 Chestnut Street, Clearwater, Florida
33756. Phone: 727-447-2064, Toll Free 877-728-3294, Fax
727-447-1892.
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CharityWorks Increases the Value of Contributions Made
By Joanne
Faruggia Kavanagh
Special to the BLBT All About Town,
page 14
Leader Publications, September 10-16, 1998.
Reprinted with permission January 2000.
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"CharityWorks delivered more than we
expected in both the purchasing assistance provided and
the prices obtained."--Barbara Green, Administrator Homeless
Emergency Project
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Charity Works, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded in 1996,
offers businesses a new perspective on how to support charities.
Have you ever wondered how much value your favorite charity gets
from the money you give them? Let's assume your donation is given
to pay for much-needed items like office supplies, computers,
furniture or kitchen appliances.
Chris Renfrow, president of CharityWorks,
claims the value donors get for their contributions would be
improved significantly and that is why his organization offers
free purchasing consultation services to charitable organizations.
"We work with donors who want to practice
smart giving," he said. "And we work with non-profit organizations
who want their donors' funds to be maximized through the
application of smart purchasing practices."
Renfrow continued, "Purchasing power starts
with customer recognition. Rarely should charitable organizations
have to pay full list price for a vendor's product or service. If
you organization doesn't get the item or service that it needs
donated, then it becomes a matter of what price you should have to
pay. The price you ultimately pay, of course, depends on your
negotiating skills, strategies used and overall experience.
For example, Barbara Green, administrator of
the Homeless Emergency Project, needed appliances for both the new
and existing apartment buildings for the homeless. "We accepted
Mr. Renfrow's offer to secure for us the lowest possible prices on
the kitchen appliances we needed," Green said. CharityWorks
delivered more than we expected in both the purchasing assistance
provided and the prices obtained."
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Based
on a review of the quotations that Green's staff had already
received from several vendors, CharityWorks identified additional
vendors to approach and successfully negotiated favorable prices
from several manufacturers and retailers. "The fact that they appliances were funded by
donors was a key negotiating point for us," said Renfrow. "Vendors
are willing to recognize donors as a special class of customer."
CharityWorks promotes a program called the
charitable Alliance Network (CAN). Vendors who participate in the
program offer favorable prices and terms to participating
charitable organizations. The purpose of the CAN program is to
leverage the purchase power of donors and grant makers and
encourage businesses to expand their own charitable giving through
new and creative strategies that generate value for charitable
organizations.
The Homeless Emergency Project selected two
vendors to supply the kitchen appliances they needed -- the
Whirlpool Corporation, an appliance manufacturer in Knoxville,
Tenn., and Roberds, Inc., a retailer in Tampa. How many other
charities could benefit from preferred prices from these and other
vendors who participate in the CAN program?
To inquire about qualifying for CharityWorks' free purchasing consultation services or to discuss how you
and your company could support the services this organization
provides to other charitable organizations, contact Renfrow at
(727) 447-2064.
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