[memcom] March 2004 - Important News from DiscounTech

[Roberta L. Dougherty]

 Update to all USPS Members on techsoup and getting computer programs for
you. 

This month, we have 2 important updates to our product philanthropy service
that we would like to share, as well as some news on upcoming new products. 

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DISCOUNTECH IS NOW TECHSOUP STOCK
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Why a name change, you ask? The more nonprofits used our service, the
clearer it became to us that we needed a name that conveyed its true
philanthropic nature. We have been working behind the scenes for months to
find a new name for our product philanthropy service. 

"TechSoup Stock" is the name we chose. We hope that it will make nonprofits
more aware that our service is a part of TechSoup.org, a trusted technology
resource for the sector. The name TechSoup.org is synonymous with
"nonprofit." We hope the name change helps people understand that our
product distribution is a philanthropic service in support of nonprofits,
and is not a commercial enterprise. We also hope the name conveys that
nonprofits have access to over 10,000 pages of TechSoup.org content when
they use TechSoup Stock. This support makes acquiring, implementing, and
using technology products easier. And no other product distribution service
provides this added value to nonprofits like yours -- nonprofits seeking
affordable technology to better serve their communities.

Please take a moment to visit TechSoup Stock online and check out its new
colors, the new logo and tagline! 
http://www.techsoup.org/stock.cfm?id=1253

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REVISION TO MICROSOFT SOFTWARE DONATION PROGRAM RULE LIMITS
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In January of this year, we communicated with you that Microsoft relaxed
their program restrictions to allow each organization to order donated
software once a year vs. once every two years. The ability to order once a
year was important to the nonprofits served through this program and we were
glad to be able to implement this change. 

Effective 3/8/04, Microsoft has revised the restrictions a little further: 6
title, 50 license limits will run as two year limits, even though
organizations can order once each year. This means that an order made the
first year and an order made the second year, if totaled, will need to be no
more than 6 titles, 50 licenses each. 

This is the only new change to the program. The program still offers 35
Microsoft tiles, including popular office suites and server products, and
administrative fees that compare to about 4% of the retail value of the
products. 

We will be updating the rules in further detail on our web site in the next
couple of weeks. In the meantime, if you have questions about this change,
please contact us by email at MSDP@techsoup.org.

To learn more about the Microsoft Software Donation program, please visit:
http://www.techsoup.org/stock.cfm?id=1255

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NEW PRODUCT DONATIONS COMING SOON
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In March and April, some of our longstanding technology partners are
generously expanding their product offerings. Here's a sample of what's to
come very soon:

* Intuit Quicken accounting software in a range of titles and user
configurations. For organizations that conduct financial training programs,
you may obtain copies of Quicken to distribute to your clients at the
conclusion of trainings. Check online at www.techsoup.org/stock later this
week for details and eligibility guidelines.

* Desktop versions of anti-virus software titles from Symantec, including
Norton AntiVirus 2004, Norton SystemWorks 2004, Norton Internet Security
2004, and Norton Personal Firewall 2004 for both Windows and MAC. Please
check online for details in early April.

You can find the TechSoup Stock catalog of currently available offerings at:
http://www.techsoup.org/stock.cfm?id=1253

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SPREAD THE WORD TO YOUR NONPROFIT COLLEAGUES
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Help nonprofits access donated and discounted technology products in a
supportive environment created exclusively for the sector. Click here for an
easy way to tell other nonprofits about TechSoup Stock.
http://www.techsoup.org/stock.cfm?id=1254

This service is possible thanks to the generosity of our donating technology
partners, and the support of organizations like yours. In coming months, we
will continue to add new products and vendors to TechSoup Stock. We also
plan to overhaul our back-end systems to improve customer service and
functionality on our web site, including up-to-date order status information
and better access to our customer service team.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to serving you
again soon.

Regards,

Rebecca Masisak
General Manager and Director, TechSoup Stock www.techsoup.org/stock

TechSoup Stock, Bringing Technology Donations to Nonprofits

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Click on the link below for an easy way to tell your nonprofit friends and
colleagues about TechSoup Stock's monthly email updates.

http://ga0.org/join-forward.html?domain=discountech&r=K7aBPU118aOC

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for TechSoup
Stock Update at:

http://ga0.org/discountech/join.html?r=K7aBPU118aOCE

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If you would like to unsubscribe from TechSoup Stock Update, you can respond
to this email with "REMOVE" as the subject, or you can visit your
subscription management page at:
http://ga0.org/discountech/smp.tcl?nkey=kebi3n20jwetwk

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