Toy Solicitations
TIA periodically solicits toy donations from our members for a
variety of purposes throughout the year. We are very grateful to
our member companies for their generosity in providing toys for these
various needs.
Toy Industry Foundation
TIF has a robust and successful Toy Bank program that gathers and
distributes over $6 million worth of toys to needy children throughout
the year. Companies contribute toys on an on-going basis and the
majority of these donations are distributed to legitimate
children’s charities for us by Kids In Distressed Situations
(K.I.D.S.), which maintains a list of qualified recipients (confirmation
of 501(c)3 philanthropic status is required).
In some cases, TIF solicits toy donations in connection with specific
events scheduled with its partnership programs, such as the Boys &
Girls Clubs events at U.S. military bases. For more information
about upcoming TIF events and solicitations, contact tifinfo@toyindustryfoundation.org.
The Foundation scrupulously avoids making toy donations that might be
misconstrued and jeopardize TIF’s own 501(c)(3) status. For
this reason, certain requests will be coordinated directly by TIA.
TIA External Affairs
TIA’s External Affairs team often receives requests from
legislators/policymakers for toy donations for various charities or
events. Requests for legitimate children’s charities in a
legislator’s district or that are otherwise supported by the
policymaker are typically referred to K.I.D.S. for fulfillment.
Less frequently (usually two or three times per year and often around
the holidays), requests for toys to distribute at a local event may be
received from a key legislator … but there is very little notice
and no time to work through the K.I.D.S process. In these rare
cases, we may reach out with a special solicitation.
In addition, TIA’s External Affairs team participates
throughout the year in events and conferences to raise the visibility of
the toy industry among state and federal legislators. Toy
giveaways at these events have opened the door for great discussions of
our key issues and the industry’s leadership in toy safety,
philanthropy, “green chemistry” and more.
Our new approach is to solicit members for a single donation of
500-1000 toys that can be used for last-minute legislative charity
donations at the end of the year as well as for conferences such as:
- TIA’s
Annual California Toy Day (April)
- The National Conference of State Legislators – Legislative
Summit (August)
- The Council of State Governments – Annual Meeting (July)
- The State Government Affairs Council – Leader Policy
Conference (March)
- And special requests from groups like the California and Texas State
Societies for events such as the “Picnic on the Potomac” and
the Father's Day Picnic
To learn more contact govtaffairs@toyassociation.org.
Toy Promotion Opportunities
TIA’s Communications team works with PR agencies and TIA member
companies throughout the year to promote trends and products and also to
promote the toy industry at large.
For promotional purposes, only when a product suggested by a company
is accepted for use in a specific ToyInfo.org video is a sample
requested. No more than ten (10) products per year will be
accepted by an individual company during a calendar year.
Periodically, TIA will also participate in events to promote the toy
industry. When TIA participates as a sponsor or otherwise has an
opportunity to distribute materials, we may solicit toys to include with
other Association materials. Examples of recent events –
some organized in conjunction with the External Affairs team –
include:
- World Standards Day – Standards for a Safer World (October
2011)
- International Consumer Product Health & Safety Organization
(February)
- Sandbox Summit at MIT (April)
- Big City Moms "Biggest Baby Shower Event” (May)
To learn more contact Adrienne Appell.
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