Top 40 supplier Koozie Group (asi/40480) plans to keep Write on! going.

The Clearwater, FL-headquartered company says it will continue supporting regional chapters of the United Way in Minnesota and Florida in 2023 by donating 5% of writing instrument sales through the end of the year. The giveback program is part of the company’s Keep It. Give It. Initiative and Write on! campaign.

Representatives from Koozie Group’s headquarters in Clearwater, FL, present a donation check to Kari Goetz and Scott Morrison from United Way Suncoast.

Koozie Group has supported the United Way for several years. In 2022, it donated more than $425,000 in products to the organization, including supplies for Hurricane Ian relief, and 1,500 backpacks full of school supplies to chapters near their facilities. Additionally, the supplier recently donated just over $7,300 to both United Way Suncoast in Florida and United Way Goodhue, Wabasha & Pierce Counties in Minnesota. The 2023 giveback will benefit these two chapters as well as United Way Brown County in Minnesota.

“United Way was a natural fit for this giveback,” said Christina Jackson, senior marketing manager with Koozie Group. “Last year, experts reported that only 36% of parents thought they would be able to pay for all of their kids’ back-to-school needs. Given our partnership with the BIC brand and our longstanding leadership in promotional writing instruments, donating a portion of our sales from this category to an organization so strongly tied to education was an easy choice.”

Koozie Group plans to hold backpack-stuffing events this year as well. “Our employees are passionate about supporting education,” said Trisha Joyce, the employee experience and communications specialist at Koozie Group who spearheaded last year’s backpack events.

Distributors who wish to participate in the Write on! program must use the reference code WRITEON23 when placing their orders with Koozie Group. Offers cannot be combined; purchases in Alabama, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Mississippi and South Carolina aren’t eligible.

United Way officials say Koozie Group’s giveback efforts have had a positive impact in the community. “We still marvel over the genuine enthusiasm the teachers and administrators displayed when our education team delivered the backpacks to schools in 2022,” said Jessica Muroff, CEO of United Way Suncoast. “We’re thrilled to connect with our local United Way affiliates in Minnesota and help Koozie Group make a difference in the lives of hundreds of children and families.”

Based on reported 2021 North American promotional product revenue of $300 million, Koozie Group ranked sixth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry.