This year, nonprofit organizations throughout the United States will receive millions of dollars' worth of new supplies, at a fraction of their retail cost. This merchandise is business overstocks--slow sellers, discontinued models, and undamaged returns, which companies donate in exchange for a federal income tax deduction.

More than $125 million in goods will flow into the Galesburg, Illinois warehouse of the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, or NAEIR. This not-for-profit distributor makes these products available through catalogs, monthly fliers, and a web shopping site. Recipient groups pay dues ranging from $475 to $575, plus shipping and handling, but the merchandise itself is free. NAEIR says its members receive an average of $12,000 worth of supplies a year, roughly a 10-1 return on their investment.

For free information on this 25 year-old program, call the nonprofit National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources: 1-800-562-0955.