�28/1/05 - Charity begins with...3rd ForceBuying.com

Scottish�charities and voluntary organisations�can now save�significant money on their essential purchases such as office equipment, stationery, insurance, telephone calls and literally dozens of other categories.

Recently launched jointly by SCVO and internet gateway Workwithus.org, the buying and selling platform is called www.3rdForceBuying.com.

Essentially it is an interactive 'yellow pages' style A-Z directory. Some of the deals are exclusively for SCVO members whilst others are for the entire voluntary sector. All deals and services are clearly marked with appropriate icons.

Voluntary organisations throughout Scotland are already making major savings - for example, Inverness-based arts promoters Hi Arts who are SCVO members were able to buy Windows 2003 Server for �70 rather than the list price of �500.