Angie May
Afastore.net director
May 2013 – It’s no secret that reality television has made extreme couponing all the rage. The frenzy surrounding couponing websites, social media pages and blogs has surged into a viral mania.
It takes dedication and skill to navigate the couponing world, but the opportunity to save money is limitless. For Heather Bonner, using her couponing superpowers to benefit her own family turned into an opportunity to serve others in her community.
“I started praying about how to help, further than just cutting my own coupons and donating a few items to the co-op,” said Bonner. “I really feel like it was a calling and a vision to do something bigger than that.” In March 2010, Bonner launched Clipping for a Cause, a non-profit ministry that combined two of her passions: couponing and helping those in need.
Starting with her local church, Bonner asked members of the congregation to donate the coupon inserts from their Sunday papers. The next step was to meet at the church on Wednesday nights to clip the coupons.
“The first few Wednesdays I was just going by myself,” Bonner said. “Something just kept telling me, ‘Even if it’s just you going in that room by yourself to clip coupons and get a few more extra things than what you yourself would be able to get, just keep sticking with it.’”
But Bonner wasn’t alone for long. Currently, a group meets to clip, another team shops and another delivers through organizations in the community.
One of the keys to the success of the ministry is a good relationship with local store management.
“It’s absolutely essential to build that relationship but it may take some time,” said Bonner. Unfortunately, reality television has distorted the image of couponing. Even though the items she purchases are donated, the intent of the ministry is not to clear the shelves of a grocery store just because there are coupons. By calling ahead and communicating with the store management, integrity and mutual respect have been built. “Now they know us on a first name basis and they know that most of us in the ministry have small children,” said Bonner. “We can just place an order with them each week, they call us when it’s at customer service, we give them the coupons; they scan them and give us the new total.”
As far as what coupons are utilized, there isn’t a coupon this group can’t use … especially if the item is free in the end. “Our motto,” shares Bonner is, “If it is free, there is someone out there that needs it.”
By taking scissors to coupons, the needs of thousands are being met each week. To date, Clipping for a Cause has saved $37,312.10 and only spent $6,513.32 out of pocket. Since March 2010, over 57,174 total items have been donated to local charities.
Since its launch, Clipping for a Cause has become an official non-profit organization with eight chapters in four states. Beyond couponing, Clipping for a Cause organizes food drives in local communities to benefit as many people as possible. Information about starting a local chapter can be found at clippingforacause.blogspot.com.
“If there is a will, there is a way,” Bonner said. “I think a lot of people shy away from starting a chapter because they think small numbers don’t make a difference. If you are passionate and happy about it, then it rubs off. It’s contagious.” 
