• Inclusion BC is a federation of 75 members from across BC that provide services to peoplewith developmental disabilities and their families

• 12 of Inclusion BC’s members signed on to launch the Clothes Drop initiative in the Springand Summer of 2015 deploying 90 bins. In January 2016, 44 more bins were ordered

• These bins are located in Salmon Arm, Powell River, Nanaimo and across the LowerMainland and Fraser Valley. Our next targeted areas are Vancouver Island and the Okanagan

• Inclusion BC manages the overall program framework, the partnership with Value Village andprovides strong and consistent provincial brand and communications

• We recognize Value Village on the bin because they supplement the cost of its production and shipping for us

• The Inclusion BC phone number is the contact number displayed on the bin because we arethe manager and business hub for the enterprise.

Clothes Drop Bin Program

• Clothes Drop is an exciting opportunity to financially sustain our work, share our messagesand build new relationships with corporations, local stores, school districts, a diverse agedemographic and other community groups

• Clothing donations can be gathered in the community through a variety of channels:• Donation Bins (placed in strategic locations within the community)• Attended Donation Stations (a dedicated space within a facility for a larger donation

point – operates like a storefront with someone as a greeter – should include a drive-thru option)

• Community Partnerships/Clothing Drives (ex: “dollars for donations” with schools or acompany doing a staff clothing drive event for you)

• On-site Donations (a “Community Donation Centre” located at a Value Village)• Pick-up/Collection (via cold calls or established connections with stratas/storage

companies/disposal companies)

The purpose of this presentation is to help members reach out to, and secure, bin hosts.

• Bin specs and logistics

• Where we are now

• Tools for success

• Securing bin placement• Public property• Private property

• Public perception

• Benefits to hosting a bin

• Success stories

What’s in this presentation

• A bin costs $1,400. This includes: metal bin, graphic wrap and paint, locking system and shipping.• Once you have completed a bin order form and submitted it to Inclusion BC, expect 4-6 weeks for

delivery.• Bins are manufactured and wrapped in Ontario. They are shipped to Delta where they can

be picked up or delivery can be arranged to specific addresses.• Large bins are 52” wide, 41.5” deep, and 72” tall (4.5 ft. W x 3.4 ft. D x 6 ft. H). They weigh

380 pounds and are generally moved by a pump jack or a folk lift. These large bins can hold 550 pounds. Value Village buys clothes for $0.38 per pound. That translates to $209 for every full bin. A well-located bin will generate 350-500 pounds of clothes per week.

• Small indoor bins are 39” wide, 24” deep, 61.5” tall and weigh 190lbs and holds 12 bags of clothing.

• Agencies are responsible for the insurance and maintenance of bins out in the community. Liability Risk insurance protects the agency against injury to others while using (or abusing) bins. This can be arranged through your existing insurance broker and will likely be covered under existing liability insurance for your agency or will require a rider (and possibly additional premium) to add it to your existing policy.

Bin Specs & Logistics

Member Story:Richmond Society for Community LivingThe bin at the Vancity branch in Richmond is one of RSCL’s most successful placements. Before the branch opened, Vancity was already an existing community partner, donor and funder of the Richmond Association. The new Vancity location offered an opportunity for the bank to support RSCL in a new way, by hosting a Clothes Drop bin. When Lisa from RSCL met with Sanjeet, the branch manager from Vancity, she introduced the organization and talked about their work in the community. Sanjeetenthusiastically agreed to host a bin on the property and worked hard on behalf of RSCL to convince the property owner to host a bin. Sanjeet is now on the RSCL Board of Directors.

“This isn’t just about real estate for a bin, it’s about building, maintaining and leveraging community relationships.” Lisa Cowell, RSCL.

Leveraging organizational

community relationships

Program Status

• Bins that have been placed are filling up fast – members who have adopted the programand found bin hosts are seeing a quick return on investment.

• Inclusion BC is working on a municipal, provincial and national level to buildrelationships with provincial-based businesses and organizations.

• While we’ve seen some success, there have also been challenges. In somecommunities, people perceive bins as more of a nuisance than a benefit. This issomething we need to change through communications and relationship building.

• The plan is to have a provincial launch that includes a press release that will cultivate media on the value of this program, these programs, content that will benefit the entire supply sector.

Tools for Success• We’ve developed a wide range of support materials and resources that will help

you roll-out a successful campaign in your community:

• Alliance brochure (a leave-behind information piece for potential bin hosts)

• FAQ for potential bin hosts

• Marketing toolkit and materials (located on the portal for download orprinting)

• Inclusion BC staff resources:• Scott Hughes, Clothes Drop Manager• Lucia Haggart, Alliance Manager• Other Inclusion BC staff support: Amy Nugent, Danielle Kelliher and

Faith Bodnar

We’ve developed a list of questions potential bin hosts may ask. Being prepared to answer questions with key messages and program benefits will help in securing bin locations. For example:

• Q: Why should I be part of this?A: By adopting this program you are standing with us as we provide support,education and advocacy where and when it’s needed for people with developmentaldisabilities, demonstrating that you support a local charity, and you are helping todeliver social benefits to the people and community you live in. This is an easy andeffective way to give back and be part of your community. You offer a service andsupply a service that creates jobs and generate income for people withdevelopmental disabilities

• Q: What will it cost me?A: There is no cost for the placement or management of the bin. Inclusion BC acceptsfull responsibility for the maintenance of the bin. We keep it clean. If there is aproblem with uncleanliness, we will move it at your request. Try it out!

Tools for Success: FAQ

Tools for Success: Marketing

Placing the BinsIn this section:

• Placing bins on public property

• Placing bins on private property

• Reaching out, initiating contact

• Getting the whole team on board

• Top Prospect Tracking List

• Public perception• Making our communities better places to live• Environmental benefits• Helping your organization do good work

• The business benefits

Placing Bins on Public Property • Municipal policies on bin placements vary across the province.

• Some cities ban clothing bins on public property and other municipalities havecreated strict criteria to guide the placement of donation bins. Some are adoptinga permit program. As well, others have implemented moratoriums on any newbins.

• If you’re placing bins on city property, find out what your municipality's policy isand work within its criteria.

• When you find a location that meets the criteria, pop into surroundingbusiness that may be affected by it. Tell them about Clothes Drop, givethem your card, and let them know to call you if there is any problem.

• Some of our members have been successful in placing bins on school property,parks, recreation sites, and community centres, with permission from the schooland city administration.

Placing Bins on Private Property

• Relationships are key to finding bin locations on private property. Yourorganization, staff members, and people you support are an important part of thecommunity and provide valuable services and culture.

• The most successful bin placements have come from personal relationships.

• Who does your organization do business with? Who are your vendors?

• Do you partner with any other non-profit organizations in the community?

• Do an internal survey and see where you spend the most money. Approach thosebusinesses and give them the opportunity to cultivate the relationship.

Reaching out & Initiating Contact

• Brainstorm with your team and make a top prospect contact list.

• Who do you have relationships with? Think of both personal and business relationships.

• Think of places that are an ideal bin location for you. Go reach that.

• It is ideal to have bins placed at locations where landowners, managers or neighbours arereceptive to it. This may not always be possible, but it will save you time not having to movethe bins and helps ensure positive public reception to the project.

• Map out your area – it is efficient to have bins placed strategically on a route that makessense for your driver(s) – densely populated places also give brand recognisability,developing trust.

• Yes, bins alongside other bins fill up. There is strength and convenience in numbers.

• Think about associated costs. What are you putting in and what are you making? Plan asix-month cost recoup time.

Get the Whole Team on Board

• It is important to promote the initiative to your internal staff team, as well as to thegeneral public.

• Include your Board of Director.

• For certain asks, gets your Executive Director to do it.

• You could hold a company clothes drive competition and talk about the initiative atthe start of the celebration.

• Remind your team of the benefits of Clothes Drop and ask them to think about goodbin locations.

• The winner of the clothes drive or the successful bin location tip wins a ValueVillage discount card.

Top Prospect Tracking List

Organization Status Next Step Responsibility Due By

Save-on-Foods Call made Book meeting

Joe November 15

Making Your List & Initiating Contact• Initial contact can be done in person, through an email, or a phone call if there is already a

relationship in place.

• Follow-up in person or with a phone call if you have not heard back – the goal is to set up apersonal meeting.

Phone Script:

• Hi, my name is ______. I’m from _________, and we’ve launched a clothing donationprogram in the community.

1. And we thought your business might benefit from hosting a bin.2. Our organization support people with developmental disabilities and we…3. The money this initiative generates funds on programs and services.4. Could we come over and say hello and explain the opportunity?

• We then use that money to fund our community programs and services, like _________.We are looking for locations for our donation bins. Are you available to sit down and discussthis more?

Member Story:Langley Association for Community Living

While LACL has worked hard to find bin locations in Langley, most of their success has been with donation pick ups. They first approached a storage company that they had an existing relationship with, to place a bin at their location. The company did not want a bin but agreed to give LACL the abandoned items from storage units. LACL has since approached other storage companies and strata's, arranging to pick up their goods. They next plan on approaching garage sale hosts, either in person or via Craigslist, offering to pick up their left-over items.

Success with pick-ups.

• Many members of the community see the bins more of a nuisance than a benefit.This is something that we need to change. The most important way to do this isthrough relationship building and person-to-person contact. We want to give you thetools to do that.

• There are issues with public perception that are both a public (city’s) and private(business and residential). Inclusion BC will be educating, advocating and changingpublic perceptions on the presence of bins in community to municipalities and cities.

• Many people don’t like clothing bins for aesthetic reasons. But when we see bins, wesee a sustainable community; one that care about inclusion, diversity, andcompassion.

• Information in this presentation and the alliance toolkit will assist you in improving thepublic perception of clothing bins.

Public Perception

Helps your organization do good work in the community:

• Your organization plays an important role in the community. Describe clearly andsuccinctly to bin hosts what your organization does – your mission, programs andservices, who you help and how the local community as a whole benefits.

• Clothes Drop provides long-term sustainability independent from Governmentfunding.

• On average, for a bin that is well-placed, weekly volumes range from 300-400pounds of clothes. This equates to 20 bags of clothes, which results inapproximately $175 for the member agency (per week).As the program ramps up and more bins are placed, this will increase.

• Provides employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilitiessupported by your organization.

Making Our Communities Better Places To Live

Environmental impact

• The average Canadian disposes 7kg of textile waste per year. Through textiles form a smallpercentage of the landfill, even natural fibres can take a century to decompose. Textile in landfillsare also highly toxic, polluting the air and groundwater.

• It is widely-estimated that our landfills will be at capacity in 20 years.• Clothing donation bins across Canada prevent more than 650 million pounds of goods from

reaching landfills annually.• This is the equivalent in weight to more than 3,000 Boeing 737 airplanes or 100,000

elephants.• Donated products that don’t end up being sold are recycled or donated. Internationally, giving

second-hand items a new life outside of a landfill.• In the rare case when products aren’t found a new purpose, Value Village works with waste

management companies to responsibly dispose of them.• Value Village is one of the largest textile recyclers in the world.

Most municipalities are committed to environmental sustainability, building it into their mission, goals and strategic plans.

Making Our Communities Better Places To Live

The business benefits.

• Clothes Drop has the potential to benefit different businesses, organizations or land-owners in many different ways.

• Get to know the business and listen to their needs, then respond with how the bin program could benefit their business.

• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): the voluntary activities undertaken by an organization to operate in a socially and environmentally sustainable manner.

• As we saw in earlier slides, Clothes Drop appeals to both the social and environmental CSR priorities of a company.

• Increase in foot traffic: A Clothes Drop bin will increase foot traffic to a business’ location. As businesses start to lost Gen X and Gen Y shoppers to online purchasing, having a clothing bin is an easy way to bring that demographic to the business. (This age group is the largest bin donor demographic.)

• Public acknowledgement: Some businesses may be interested in public acknowledgement on social media or on your website. They may also be interested in partnering with you in a community event or sponsoring your work.

Making Our Communities Better Places To Live

Thank You