Thunder Bay Information Technology Solutions TBayIT - A Guide to Information Technology for Non-Profits

Order Donated Software

The concept of donated software is unheard of for many organizations and yet is easily available if you do some searching and apply in the right places. Many mainstream software titles are available through donated software distributers. Although donated, there is typically still a small admin fee you have to pay on the items - but this admin fee is still significantly less than that of the discounted or regular prices.

TechSoup Stock
TechSoup Stock is probably the best place to find donated software for Canadian non-profits because of their wide selection and ease of ordering. Products on this site include big titles like Microsoft Office 2003 Professional for a mere $20 us and Norton Antivirus 2006 with 10 licenses for $35 us. Compared to even charitable discounts, you are guaranteed to save a small fortune. But do remember, there are usually limitations to how often you can order (for example only once every two years from Microsoft) - so when you do buy try to pick up as many products from that manufacturer as you think you may need.

To use TechSoup Stock you will have to register on their website then fax an application to them. This initial process may take some time to process, but once registered you can purchase their products online thereafter.
• Click here to visit TechSoup Stock

Gifts In Kind
Gifts In Kinds carries some software products but also has a wide variety of other items available at significantly discounted prices. Software titles on Gifts In Kind include many from Adobe including Acrobat and PhotoShop.
• Click here to visit GiftsInKind.org

Use your Charitable Discount

Whenever you can, make sure the company you are purchasing from knows you are a non-profit. Many can offer discounts and have specific pricing for non-profit organizations. Local computer company NCIL (Northern Computer Innovations Limited) carries many Microsoft open-licensed products and will assist you in making sure you receive a discount whenever applicable. DELL has specific non-profit reps that can often give you better deals than prices shown in their flyers and on their website. You will need to give your charitable number to these companies so if necessary they can verify that you actually are a non-profit organization.

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