Support for education by donating excess inventory

Product philanthropy turns an operational liability into positive social impact

Many schools in the United States are underfunded, with a significant number facing funding gaps that negatively impact student resources and outcomes. On average, American teachers spend between $500 and $900 out of their own families’ budgets to supplement the materials and supplies their students need, according to the National Education Association.  You may know of some businesses in your area who might be willing to donate to help this cause, which is especially dear to your heart.

Manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of school and office supplies may be experiencing fairly tight inventories currently, with a relatively robust inventory-to-sales ratio. But the outlook for 2026 is decidedly mixed, with announced job layoffs already outpacing 2025 and the uncertain tariff landscape.

What will happen with inventories is anyone’s guess. It makes good business sense to be prepared if a company suddenly find itself with too much product and not enough sales, whether that’s because of economic shifts, product discontinuation, or seasonal transitions.

This could be a marriage made in heaven. From notebooks to backpacks to winter coats, if a product is safe, usable, and compliant, there is likely a teacher or school that an distribute it responsibly. And the best way to get them in the right hands is through product philanthropy.

What is product philanthropy?

Product philanthropy is a form of in-kind giving that benefits communities as well as businesses. It helps nonprofit organizations, schools, and churches serve more people  in their communities, while potentially generating a tax deduction for regular C corporations.

There are several product philanthropy organizations in the U.S. These are nonprofits that collect corporate product donations and then turn them over to carefully vetted and qualified 501(3)(c)nonprofits. They do the legwork of making sure that donations are used appropriately and shipping them, taking a huge burden off individual companies.

Benefits of product philanthropy

A single pallet of donated notebooks or art supplies can:

·        Equip under-resourced classrooms

·        Support after-school programs

·        Help teachers avoid paying out-of-pocket

·        Prepare students for academic success

Working with a reputable in-kind donation operation, a company will receive a full accounting of how their donation was used. It also ensures that merchandise doesn’t end up with a liquidator or on the open market where its brand can be diluted.

Another important consideration: Companies that have to meet goals for waste and salvage in order to improve ESG metrics find that product philanthropy keeps their items out of landfills.

In these challenging times, an in-kind donation may benefit the bottom line as well. Section 170(e)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code states that when regular C corporations donate inventory to qualified nonprofits, they can receive a tax deduction equal to up to twice the cost of the donated products. 

For example, if a product costs $10 and retails for $30, the difference is $20. Half of $20 is $10. So, $10 (product cost) plus $10 (half the difference) equals a $20 deduction. As $20 does not exceed twice the product cost, it is an allowable deduction.

Best of all, a company has the satisfaction of knowing it has helped teachers and students have a more successful school year. In addition, the positive PR generated by such generosity can burnish a company’s reputation.

In the school and office supply industry, surplus is inevitable. Back-to-school is compressed. Product cycles are fast. Retail expectations shift quickly. Packaging refreshes happen frequently. If a company you may know is unsure what the future holds for their inventory,  acquaint them with a product philanthropy organization and they can find out how it could be part of a solution.  And, as a counselor, you have done a good thing for kids.

Paula DeJaynes is president of NAEIR (rhymes with “share”), the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, the largest product philanthropy organization in the U.S.  Galesburg, Ill.-based NAEIR (www.naeir.org) has received from more than 8,000 U.S. corporations and redistributed more than $3 billion in products to nonprofits and schools. Paula can be reached at 800-562-0955 or prd@naeir.org.

Stress and counseling awareness go hand in hand

Whether it was intentional or coincidental, April features two “awareness” months that complement each other: Counseling Awareness Month and Stress Awareness Month. The former is a tool to help you cope with the latter.

The way families live today is not the way people used to live. Fifty years ago, a majority of  women were stay-at-home moms whose husbands went off to work in the morning. The most stressful and expensive thing for families was getting enough food on the table.

Today, stress around kids, relationships, housing, education, finances and especially the workplace are inhibiting our ability to function. Everybody’s working, everybody’s raising the kids, everybody’s struggling to meet basic and financial needs. Remote work isn’t the stress-reliever it was promised to be; many of us are working from home and still having to be the primary parent.

Stress Awareness Month has been observed every April since 1992 – not too coincidentally around the time that stay-at-home momness was coming to an end, when a majority of women had entered the workforce. It’s aimed at raising public awareness about the causes, effects and management of modern-day stress.

Chronic stress can negatively affect your mind and body, creating a multitude of unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms. It can disrupt your sleep and impact your appetite. It can also cause tension, leading to muscle pain, headaches and memory issues.

Other mental health conditions that may be linked to stress include anxiety, depression and substance use.

Exercise, adequate sleep and nutrition are three key ways to cope with stress. The natural endorphins that you get from exercise are one of the best stress relievers. A saunter around the block in fresh air is not really exercise because it doesn’t necessarily elevate your heart rate. If you have trouble falling asleep, many apps offer calming music and guided meditations. Some are even free.

But in case you find those strategies aren’t enough, let’s talk about Counseling Awareness Month, which was established in 2002 by the American Counseling Association.

Some families who could benefit from counseling don’t seek it because of the shame and stigma that still surround it, the idea that if you need to talk to someone you’re showing weakness. It’s also common for people suffering from stress to tell themselves, “I don’t need a therapist. I can talk to my spouse or friends.”

And that’s true to a certain extent, but a spouse or best friend may get tired of listening to you and not be able  to offer coping strategies to help you build resilience and overcome stress.

A professional counselor is a neutral third-party who is not emotionally involved with you or your issues. Their only job is to listen to you, without judgement, and help you understand the sources and triggers of your stress. For example, if the source of your stress is job insecurity, a therapist may offer support or ideas about learning new skills or exploring other types of jobs, helping to build your confidence.

Many primary care practices these days have a behavioral health specialist on the staff, making access easier. The specialist may be a licensed clinical social worker (LSCW) or licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC), but typically they hold a master’s degree and are trained to address emotional and psychological challenges.

Counseling can be short term and focused on particular issues, or longer term to address many issues that are working against your positive mental health. You may be referred to a psychiatrist if the counselor believes medication may help.

People minimize it, but stress is a real thing. Everybody has stress of one kind or another. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get help for it. We should become a society that not only supports but also commends others for seeking out support and help.

Bonnie Lane, M.S., is principal consultant with Family Support Services.  She specializes in supporting families whose children or loved ones suffer from severe mental illness or substance use disorder. Contact her at 847-651-1554 or bonnielane@thefamilysupportservices.com.

Supporting Students as They Compare Accelerated and Traditional Programs

Most people understand college to be one particular thing: four years of instruction that prepares you for a hopefully high-paying job.

This has been the traditional route. However, there are now more ways than ever to pursue higher education. As a guidance counselor, your job is to help students find the route that is most likely going to result in their success.

Accelerated programs often enable them to complete their degree not only faster, but for less money.

However, they are also, in many situations, harder to complete. What’s the right fit, how can you tell, and how can you help students identify it? In this article, we answer those questions.

Exploring Accelerated Options

To begin with, what does accelerated mean in the context of college? There are actually a few different ways to increase the velocity of higher education.

Taking college classes in high school is one of the most straightforward and financially beneficial ways to pursue accelerated education because it feels a lot like high school learning, but with the financial benefit of allowing students to complete college credits either for free or at a reduced price. These are effectively honors courses, which means that they will appeal primarily to students with a high aptitude for classroom learning. However, they are generally accessible to students who do reasonably well in school.

These classes can shave an entire year or more off of a person’s college career, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in overall savings. They are generally not very targeted or cohesive.

For example, no college-in-high-school program, no matter how comprehensive, is going to allow a student to knock out a complete freshman curriculum in nursing or education. They are usually more designed to help knock out general education requirements, similar to what a student might do in an associate-level community college curriculum. Regardless, it is a great way to get classes done that everyone needs to take for a much more affordable price.

Other Methods of Accelerated Learning

Beyond what can be done while still in high school, there are many different ways to earn a college degree or a professional certification more quickly than is traditional. ASN programs are a great example. ASNs are associate-level programs that are widely available at many community colleges. They are appealing because they allow students to attain a professional credential at associate-level prices.

There are limitations. ASN recipients are able to work as nurses as soon as they graduate, but their career trajectory is somewhat more limited than that of people with a BSN.

That said, it is a great way to get started in nursing. Students also benefit from being able to complete their BSN later more quickly than is typical and for less money.

Community colleges are actually full of options like this—curricula that allow you to pursue professional careers at a reduced cost and in two years or less.

The caveat is generally that you will enter the workforce with fewer responsibilities and opportunities than you would if you had a full four-year degree. Still, it is a good way to start working quickly and for less money.

And again, all of these routes come with the option of expanding your credentials later on for more money and greater opportunities.

For example, in education, you can earn an associate-level credential that allows you to work as a paraprofessional.

There are also associate-level programs that allow you to do entry-level social work, and so on.

In all cases, associate-level classes are generally easier than bachelor’s-level courses, and they are certainly more affordable.

Who is a Good Fit for Associate-Level Programs?

The answer is nuanced and varied. Here’s the truth: about 40 percent of students who start college don’t finish it. They wind up taking tens of thousands of dollars out in loans and get literally nothing in return.

If you have students who are college-hesitant, directing their attention toward an associate-level program could be beneficial. These programs are short enough to make completion more likely and financially more accessible.

Other Routes

It’s also important to keep in mind that there are other routes to accelerated learning opportunities. These are not necessarily appropriate for high school students to pursue immediately, as most require a bachelor’s degree. Still, it’s useful for high school students to be aware of them because it helps them understand the range of options available long-term.

For example, anyone with a bachelor’s degree can pivot into nursing in about a year through an accelerated program. It’s not easy, but it does provide a relatively fast path into a new and stable career.

When it comes to ABSN vs. BSN considerations, it’s often mostly a matter of keeping one’s options open. Neither path is inherently better than the other.

BSN programs are great for people who know what they want to do at an early age. However, simply by holding a college degree your students will be able to pivot relatively easily into professional careers through accelerated learning modules.

So why is it useful to teach high school students about options they can’t pursue until after earning a college degree?

Because a bachelor’s education opens more doors than many people initially realize. You can earn a degree in one field and later leverage that credential into an entirely different career if you find that your first choice isn’t a good fit. Making the same pivot without a bachelor’s degree typically takes more time and more money.

This isn’t to say that you should advocate for bachelor’s programs for every student. Rather, it’s helpful context. There are many ways to enter the workforce, and students may feel more empowered once they understand the full range of paths available to them.