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What is Scrip?
How does each purchase earn funds for your organization and how much can my organization earn?
How does a Scrip program work?
What are the fees and how much does our organization have to pay to start?
Are there any requirements (minimum or maximum) or other rules regarding our NOSA order?
Does the family need to have school aged (or any) children to participate?
Why do merchants participate in the scrip program?
Our families may use credit cards for cash back, airline miles or other inducements, how is scrip a better deal?
Why doesn't my school sell scrip?
Can our families sell the scrip they buy to others?
Can our families use scrip to pay store charge card balances and what does a family do for card balance inquiries?
How do you order from NOSA?
Are there any restrictions on using scrip?
How do we get our order from NOSA?
What about merchants not currently offered by NOSA?
What makes NOSA different from other scrip suppliers?
Will NOSA meet with our group explain scrip programs, provide support, order forms, rules, software, etc.?
How do we pay NOSA? Can we pay by check or ACH?
Is NOSA the only scrip supplier?  How do you pick a scrip supplier?
How can we find out more?


What is Scrip?
Scrip is a term, having a military origin, which means "substitute money". When a family purchases scrip, they are purchasing negotiable gift certificates that are used just like cash. National and local merchants issue the scrip (identical in form to their gift certificates) where many families already shop. These merchants want to support not for profit organizations and, in return, ask you to support them by pre-paying for these gift certificates which allow you to shop at their stores. Families can use these gift certificates to purchase everyday expenses like food, gas, clothing and other essentials. With every purchase families are earning “Free Money" -- Money for family spending, which is going to be spent anyway, just done a little differently.


How does each purchase earn funds for your organization? and...
NOSA buys the gift certificates at a discount (which varies by merchant) then it sells them to its member organizations who, in turn, sell them to their member families at full price.

...how much can my organization earn?

How does a Scrip program work?
Any non-profit organization can begin a scrip program to raise funds for their organization (general fundraising) or their families (tuition assistance).  Your organization will have its participants order the scrip they want, paying full price for the certificates.  The difference between the merchant's discount and the face value generates the general fundraising/tuition assistance.  You can call NOSA for information on software programs, spreadsheets and other ideas on easing the amount of work needed to compile this information
What are the fees and how much does our organization have to pay to start?
There are no fees to enroll. NOSA charges only a small delivery and/or locker fee.  This fee will vary on depending upon your geographic proximity to Toledo and your EBE/Non-EBE status (please ask for details). 

Are there any requirements (minimum or maximum) or other rules regarding our NOSA order?
There are a few requirements for all NOSA customers that are on this website but there are no minimum or maximum order requirements (again this may impact your EBE/Non-EBE status-please ask for details).  Your organization can order as regular (like on weekly basis) or sporadic as needed.

Does the family need to have school aged (or any) children to participate?
Usually not, younger families can start generating tuition assistance immediately and "roll over" their tuition assistance each year (without interest) until they need it to pay tuition. The tuition assistance designation sheet will have, as one of its choices, an option to "roll over" the tuition assistance to the following year. Also, grandparents, relatives or any family can start an account with a scrip organization, generate tuition assistance and then designate any family and school to receive the tuition assistance that they have generated.

Why do merchants participate in the scrip program?
A combination of goodwill, competition, profit margin, no credit card transaction fees, time value of money and risk of loss motivates these merchants. These merchants exchange that 2-24% they are sacrificing in profits for the goodwill and patronage given them by the member families. However, each merchant does a financial equation. That is, most likely their profit margin can absorb the amount they are donating to the member families. Further, they are getting their cash up front and thus getting "time value" on their money while they most likely will not have to honor the gift certificates until months after they are purchased. Further, there is no 3-5% credit card fee on gift certificate purchases so the merchant saves that cost. Also, they are getting a "goodwill" leg up on the competition that is not participating in the scrip program. Finally, the risk of loss has been transferred to the consumer or bearer of the gift certificate. If the certificate is lost the merchant still keeps the money it was paid ("benefit of loss"). So in reality a participating merchant has as many benefits as its organizations.

Our families may use credit cards for cash back, airline miles or other inducements, how is scrip a better deal?
This one is easy. Scrip, by far, is a better value for your spending dollar than Discover card cash back bonus or any airline credit card you can use. Take for instance the 1% cash back bonus of Discover. If a member family spends $20,000.00 annually in Discover card purchases on its anniversary date the family will get a check for $200. If, however, that family made those same purchases (to the extent it can) with scrip that family will have made an average of 5% and will have generated $1,000.00 in tuition assistance. As to any airline card, other than Southwest Airlines, it takes at least 24,000 miles, (or $24,000 charged dollars) to get even one contiguous United States round-trip ticket (during off-peak travel season). That same $24,000.00 in expenditures translates into $1,200.00 in tuition assistance. That is more than enough to purchase several round-trip airline tickets.

Why doesn't my school sell scrip?
Many schools don’t have scrip programs. NOSA has learned that most schools’ concerns range from the fear that their families won’t participate to the apprehension that an already over-burdened school staff will not be able to handle the additional work a scrip program brings. One school even went so far as to state that "Our families won’t take out as many loans from local credit unions or participate in school provided financing." These are unfounded fears. Clearly, successfully managing a scrip program requires time and effort. NOSA can help your group successfully set up and run an effective and efficient scrip program.

Can our families sell the scrip they buy to others?
Member families are encouraged to sell scrip to whomever they can. Relatives, friends and co-workers can all help your organization generate more revenue buy purchasing scrip through your organization’s families.

Can our families use scrip to pay store charge card balances and what does a family do for card balance inquiries?
Some merchants (J.C. Penney, Anderson's & Kohl’s) do allow families to do this under the following conditions: That the family make its payment at the store, not by mail; and, if the entire balance is not paid the family is still required to send in (the mail) the minimum monthly payment. Other merchants absolutely forbid payments in this manner. Make sure you check with your merchant before making a large purchase on a store card anticipating generating a large amount of tuition assistance paying off the store charge with scrip. One way to circumvent a store’s "no scrip on store charges" policy is to speak with the store manager before making a large purchase. Tell her that you have enough in gift certificates to make this purchase but you don’t have them with you. Ask if you can purchase the large item with a credit card and come back a week later with the gift certificates, get your credit card credited and pay with the gift certificates. Chances are the store manager will agree because she wants a sale and a credit card sale costs them 3-5% on each sale and gift certificates do not (they may not realize you get tuition assistance). Again the best policy is always ask...the worst they can say is no.

For Card Balance Inquiries and when your families' gift card states it has a “zero balance” or “not activated”, please follow these steps: 1. Call the 1-800 # on the back of the card. 2. After you have listened to the balance, if it states the card is $0, stay on the line to speak to a customer service representative. 3. Ask the representative for a history of the card. They can tell you the activation date and when or where (if) it was used. Only after you have followed these steps and are still experiencing a problem with the card, please e-mail NOSA with the serial number of the card.  Any questions, after that, just ask.

How do you order from NOSA?
Simple just order online at our website www.nosa.us  or e-mail us at nwoscrip@gmail.com.  Order forms, FAQ packs and sample rules are available for downloading on this website.  If you can't find them or have difficulty locating them, just e-mail us and we will gladly send them to you.

Are there any restrictions on using scrip?
Visit our website www.nosa.us and click on "merchant info". This provides you all the information about each of the scrip sold by NOSA.  And, again, If you can't find them or have difficulty locating them, just e-mail us at nwoscrip@gmail.com  and we will gladly send them to you.

How do we get our order from NOSA?
We will ship it to you direct the next day for a delivery fee, if your order was in by 12 NOON, or you can pick it up in your own private secure pick-up box at our scrip distribution center. NOSA charges only a small delivery and/or locker fee.  This fee will vary on depending upon your geographic proximity to Toledo and your EBE/Non-EBE status (please ask for details).  The locker allows you to have convenient access to your order, quicker access to back ordered items, and a cost effective way to receive your scrip orders.

What about merchants not currently offered by NOSA?
Well give us a shout!  We will follow up on any new merchant that is suggested by NOSA’s organizations or their member families.  Sometimes the merchant's scrip will not be purchased in sufficient volume to justify their participation in a scrip program.  However, we will at least make the inquiries.  Let us know as much as you can about the merchant (address, phone, fax, e-mail, website, contact person, etc.).

What makes NOSA different from other scrip suppliers?
There are two reasons: NOSA is located in Northwest, Ohio, so we are able to offer you local merchants that don’t do business in other parts of the country. NOSA works with your scrip administrators/coordinators in person to help them every step of the way: analyzing the organization’s potential for a successful program, helping to get the members of the organization interested in having a scrip program, presenting the program to the membership, signing up participants, providing the appropriate software to meet your scrip accounting needs, putting together record keeping, accounting, and ordering methods, and more! We are available to help you or give you ideas.

Will NOSA meet with our group, explain scrip programs, provide support, order forms, rules, software, etc?
Absolutely!  We give "soup to nuts" service at NOSA.  Additionally, because we actually run the largest scrip program in northwest Ohio (the WTPSPA) we know just how labor intensive running a scrip program can be.  Also, our innovative thinking in streamlining both the order and distributing procedures puts us in the unique position to advise your group on the easiest, most convenient and efficient ways to run your group's scrip program. We are the owners of Scrip 2000 the Ultimate Scrip Tracking Software used across the country, and since 2008 iScrip: the latest and newest technologically advanced software is now available for scrip program administrators.  At NOSA our goal is to assist your organization in setting up and running an efficient and successful fundraising scrip program.

How do we pay NOSA? Can we pay by check or ACH?
Yes, payments can be made via check when picking up your order or by an Automated Clearing House Debit.  Click here for the ACH enrollment forms.

Is NOSA the only scrip supplier?  How to pick a scrip supplier?
No there are several other scrip suppliers located across the country. Organizations are encouraged to find out all that they can about a scrip supplier before selecting one of more suppliers. Coordinators should compare the merchants offered for those that will suit your locations needs, compare the percentages of the scrip that will meet these needs, the delivery times and fees for the delivery, how does the delivery schedule effect your deadlines to sort the scrip and get it to your members quickly (especially during the holidays when they need it most), backorder history, check to see if there are any requirements that the supplier has for an organization to join. After getting these answers evaluate which supplier or suppliers will maximize your organizations fundraising.  However, becoming an EBE customer (ask for details) will get you a reduced locker fee, reduced FedEx shipping, free iScrip and many other benefits.

How can we find out more?
Tour our website for a complete merchant list, merchant information, rules, forms, and contact information. Also, you can E-mail NOSA at nwoscrip@gmail.com for more information.  NOSA was formed and thrives because it’s simple goal is to assist our sister organization the WTPSPA and organizations such as yours. We are here to not only assist in the initial set up but in its day to day or week to week maintenance to ensure a very successful and profitable fund raising program for your organization.  Further, because, unlike many other scrip suppliers, NOSA can help design, provide the appropriate software and implement a rewarding program for your organization. Contact NOSA for help in designing and implementing your group’s scrip program to begin a successful start at raising funds for your organization.

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