What is Gifts in-kind program?
Launched by United Way Ottawa in 2001, The Gifts in kind (GIK) program is a platform/bridge between diverse donors and non-profit sector for in-kind donations in Ottawa. Since 2001, this city-wide initiative allows companies, private donors, governmental agencies, and community organizations to provide various in kind donations such as tickets to recreational and cultural events, surplus office supplies/equipment, furniture, new clothing, medical equipment and much more to 186 non-profit organizations.
In 2011, the program expansion led to a transfer at the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre from where it continues to operate with the support of United Way Ottawa.
The Need
In kind donations represents 15 – 30% of non-profit organizations revenues. For many of our recipients agencies, lack of resources is an ongoing challenge that prevent them from achieving their goals, fulfilling their mission and respond to the increase needs of their communities.
However, half of these organizations would not have accessed to in kind donation offers without a centralize platform like the Gifts in kind. By receiving the donations, the recipient’s agencies are able to share the items with their clients or redirect their budgets from financing goods to focus on providing improved services that directly benefit their clients.
Impact
Annually, our partners agencies across Ottawa received 1200 000 dollars’ worth in- kind donations through the Gifts in-Kind program.
Thorough the coordination of in kind donation GIK strengthens internal agency capacity and programmatic capacity, makes a difference in priority neighbourhoods, the lives of people who live there, and the social services and community agencies which serve them.
With a simple donation process, GIK impacts also goes beyond the share of unwanted product/goods. By offering a viable alternative to landfill disposal of unwanted goods and product, GIK helps reducing ecological footprint trough recycling and have helped many business achieved their product philanthropy and volunteerism goals while helping the most vulnerable population.
How Random Hack of Kindness Can Help
The Gifts in-Kind program has limited operating budget and resources to develop online tools for program efficiency and web presence.
RHOK could assist the program overcome one of these challenge by:
- Developing an app on our website to capture data on the use of donations by the agencies. This data will be used to capture and measure the program social and environmental impacts that will be post online. It will also help inform donors, sponsors and stakeholders and create awareness about the importance of in-Kind donation in Ottawa.
- Developing a custom web application for donations offers and requests on our new webpage. For now the only ways, donors and recipients agencies can reach the program is by emails and phones calls. A system which is time consuming and not always efficient.