Did you know that hundreds of local nonprofit organizations sell goods and services to the public and for-profit businesses? It’s true, yet few people know about it because nonprofits rarely have any money budgeted for marketing or advertising. Relying exclusively on word of mouth means that nonprofits rarely meet their market potential.
Rachelle Jervis, president and CEO of Executive Service Corps (ESC), identified that need and with the help of ESC consultant Ron Tevonian created ShopCharities.org. “At Executive Service Corps we have been making nonprofits successful since 1978,” she says. “ShopCharities.org is a simple online tool to search for goods and services provided by nonprofits in Chicago.”
Chicagoans can easily search by cause, good or service, and/or ability to make a purchase online. “I wish ShopCharities.org had been available when my dad was alive,” says RJ Young, ShopCharities.org customer and ESC consultant. “I would have purchased from the Lighthouse. He needed technology for reading because he was virtually blind.”
Providing earned income to nonprofit organizations helps them become more financially stable and can even fulfill their mission. “We provide quality assurance and testing services to companies,” says Brenda Weitzberg, founder and executive director of Aspiritech. “The more clients that find us through ShopCharities.org, the more jobs we can provide to adults with autism.”
More from Make It Better:
