Spend and save
Howard Lake | 21 January 1999 | News
The Internet has for some time enabled suppliers to offer certain goods and services at a discount. At the same time, consortia of organisations can often negotiate reductions in prices for their members. These two trends have prompted NCVO to team up with Internet purchasing pioneers The Cost Reduction Partnership to help charities save money on essential goods and services by buying over the Internet.
The Internet has for some time enabled suppliers to offer certain goods and services at a discount. At the same time, consortia of organisations can often negotiate reductions in prices for their members. These two trends have prompted NCVO to team up with Internet purchasing pioneers The Cost Reduction Partnership to help charities save money on essential goods and services by buying over the Internet. Special rates have been negotiated with suppliers who will be offering reductions on a wide variety of products and services. These include computer software, telecoms products, books, utilities, stationery and recruitment advertising. In addition a considerable range of other products and services are in the pipeline, including financial services, transport, catering and building services.
According to Ben Kernighan, NCVO’s Business Development Manager, e-commerce will help charities make their income go further: with income to the sector falling, charities have to work harder to make their money go further. Shopping over the Internet offers valuable savings and helps fundraising income stretch further.
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And our research shows that the majority of voluntary organisations either already have Internet access or are planning to go on-line soon. More and more of them will be using the Net to shop and the buy.co development helps bring the voluntary sector firmly into the e-commerce market place.
The site combines on screen catalogues, quotation systems, savings calculators and product advice. Buyers can place orders, open accounts and change suppliers all without leaving their PC. Typical savings include up to 22% on electricity prices, up to 66% on telecom bills, and up to 50% on the recommended retail price of Microsoft software.
The site has been tested successfully by NCVO and four UK charities. One of those users, David King, Director of Finance at the Imperial Cancer Research Campaign, said: we have been trialling the site for nine months now and it has saved us money on what we buy.
The service is only available to NCVO members or other voluntary sector organisations. Some products are available only to NCVO members.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.