One of the key aims of communitybuyer.org is to assist voluntary and community organisations in making decisions and more informed choices when purchasing more specialist products or services.
Purchasing advice is therefore a library of information and guidance provided by NICVA and others on: what you need to think about and how best to purchase specific products and services.
As a supplier: This is another opportunity to advertise, free of charge as well as raise your profile on the site. Do remember when you are posting guidance to add your company logo and keep you instructions/guidance clear and concise to suit all potential customers.
In any review of the needs of the voluntary and community sector, access to finance ranks high on the list.
There are a growing number of choices open to trustees, directors and management committee members now in the space between grants and commercial finance. This brief guide will help you navigate among these options.
Graphic design is the art of developing ideas. Graphic design combines the creativity of fine art with the results-focused concepts of marketing to create effective communication materials. Whether convincing the public to support a social issue, helping a business attract clients, or simply teaching employees how to operate new computer software, when done effectively, every aspect of the design is calculated to achieve that goal.
The relationships that exist between organisations and their suppliers represent an area that is often overlooked and undervalued, especially during a recession.
It is vitally important to implement procurement policies in a fair and equitable manner. Equally it's really important to establish positive personal and professional relationships and clear communications with your suppliers and their staff.
In any organisation there are three things that make a difference to how low energy and how sustainable a building is:
1. The building itself (insulation and energy efficient equipment)
2. The way the building is managed (providing recycling, being maintained well)
3. Behaviour of the building users. Even if a building is low energy and has lots of environmental facilities, if people are not interested in the impacts of their actions on the environment and leave for instance the lights, monitors and copiers on all night, it could waste a lot of energy.
Not sure if the activities carried out by your organisation can obtain insurance cover? Have a look at the NICVA/Marsh insurance scheme Traffic Lights guide.
Ramps permit wheelchair/powerchair/scooter users, as well as people pushing rollators or other wheeled objects, to more easily access their home, a building or a vehicle.
Ramps come in a number of varieties each intended for a different purpose.
When buying software it is important to tell the supplier what type of organisation you are voluntary sector/charity etc, as there may be extra discounts or special offers available.
Broadband has become an increasingly more popular method of connecting to the internet than the traditional 'dial up' methods of the past. The benefits of broadband include a much faster speed (up to 40 times), not having to dial up and being able to use your telephone line at the same time as being connected to the internet.
1. Ensure they are accredited by a reputable coaching organisation such as the International Coach Federation (world class)
2. Is their experience appropriate i.e what type of coaching do they offer (business/leadership/life/personal), what type of clients have they coached?
3. Ask for a trial session to ensure a good match between coach and client.
4. Talk to at least 2 coaches before making your decision.
Hi Frances,I hope your keeping really well and the start to the new year has been good to you, i have been asked recently and over the past number of years [12!!] a number of questions about promotional products, how they work and even if they do work so i thought i would put my thoughts in a short newsletter hopefully it will be informative. The first thing i remember being told by the renowned promotional speaker Cliff Quicksell was the story of The Cereal maker Kelloggs
Before the Great Depression, the company Post dominated the packaged cereal market. Predictably like many companies, Post cut way back on advertising and promotions while Kellogg's doubled its marketing budget. By 1933, even as the economy plummeted, Kellogg's profits had risen almost 30 percent and afterwards became the industry's dominant player. In downturns customers and clients look to companies who are strong visually or giving the impression they are strong by keeping in touch with their customers and are scared off by companies who go silent for fear they are in trouble, these times like now are an ideal opportunity for particuarly smaller players to gain significant market share with simple regular targetted marketing.
Now, I'm not telling you to spend your cash like it's going out of fashion you still have to be smart about where you spend your marketing pounds. Your specific plan will depend on your target market and your unique objectives. During down times, you should generally focus on measurable, direct-impact marketing media - the stuff that will bring in actual sales now.
I am often asked to comment on how cost effective promotional products are. Clearly, much depends on finding the right product for your business - and one best suited to the area in which you do business. However, consider an advert in a trade magazine or directory that can cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds, yet potentially only be seen by very few of your target audience. If they do not use the directory to look for your service, they will never see your message, whereas a well chosen promotional product can reach most of your target audience - and on a regular basis! simple things like putting a calendar onto a mug or a desk pad can keep your details in front of your customer all year long, always remember the customers perception, a cheap pen giveaway is good for getting your name out there but if you were to spend just £5-£10 on a quality parker pen that they would definately use for instance for say your top 30-50 customers, those customers could be worth several thousands or tens of thousands of pounds a year to you in business, spend £10 get £3,000 in business i know what i would do.
Of course there are many different items available to suit for many different companies, make sure you ask questions of your promotional merchandise supplier and tell them what you want to achieve with your promotion, a good one can guide you through the process and offer alternatives which are not always more expensive but that suit your needs more.In finishing i have copied below a snippet from a major survey carried out in 2004 i hope it will go some way to show you why i believe in my industry so much and why we come to work every day with a smile on our faces.
A 2004 study by L.J. Market Research clearly demonstrates that promotional products offer you advantages that may not be available in other media such as:
High Recall. Customers will remember your organization long after they've received your promotional product.
Repeated Exposure. You'll make a lasting impression because of the length of time the promotional item is kept.
Favorable Impression. Customers who receive promotional items come away with a measurably more favorable impression of your organization resulting in an increased propensity to do business with you
