June 1, 2000 | Read Time: 1 minute
A new online service allows non-profit organizations to buy products — anything from diapers to office supplies — at discounted prices.
Purchasing Services Agency is a non-profit group in San Francisco that negotiates discounted prices on goods and services for its member organizations. It was founded by Jerry Shapiro, former president of an automotive-parts-distribution company.
Initially the organization offered its service only to charities in the San Francisco area. But, with support from the Koret Foundation and the United Way of the Bay Area, both in San Francisco, the group was able to develop a Web site, which will allow the organization to expand its membership nationwide.
For an annual fee that ranges from $100 to $450, depending on the size of an organization’s budget, member charities can buy products at discounted prices from 27 national vendors and 25 regional vendors in northern California.
The group now has 150 member organizations, and Mr. Shapiro predicts that it will have more than 2,000 by the end of the year.
Mr. Shapiro thought of the idea for the agency while working as director of the kosher-nutrition program for the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco. He noticed that the center was paying too much for products and services, and began to negotiate better prices with the vendors. He then went back to school for a certificate in non-profit management and formed the group in 1998.
To get there: Go to http://www.psagency.org.
