Our Story

They say “Necessity is the Mother of Invention.” But in the case of Thinkbin calendars, it was Mothers who invented a necessity.

The Thinkbin Family Calendar is the brainchild of Susan Anderson and Claudia Browne, two multi-tasking mothers of three who created the first Thinkbin Family Calendar to solve their own scheduling dilemmas. Unable to find a calendar that was attractive and capable of organizing their busy family schedules, the two set out to create an innovative wall calendar that would help solve one of the biggest challenges facing families today—getting organized!

Browne, a graphic designer, and Anderson, a marketing professional, left the work force years earlier to raise families. They called upon these skills and combined them with years of personal experience as “Family Managers” to create and launch Thinkbin in 2000.

The mission, from the start, has been to provide parents of school-aged children with quality products that will help them overcome the organizing, scheduling and planning challenges common to most busy families.

THE CALENDARS

The original Deluxe Large Thinkbin Family Calendar was introduced in 2000 and continues to grow in popularity with sales doubling each year. A smaller, compact version was introduced in 2003 and is ideal for smaller spaces. Designed to help parents get organized for the entire school year at once, the Thinkbin Family Calendar provides ample room for tracking the appointments and activities of multiple family members in an easy-to-read, attractive format beginning each year in August.

CHARITABLE GIVING

Since its inception, Thinkbin has committed a portion of its direct sales to a different charity each year. The beneficiary for the 2006/ 2007 calendar is the Platelet Disorder Support Association (PDSA). Past beneficiaries have included the PDSA, as well as The Valerie Fund for Children with Cancer and Blood Disorders and the Wellness Community of Central New Jersey.

HELPING SCHOOLS & NON-PROFITS

In addition to offering calendars for purchase direct from Thinkbin (online and mail order) Thinkbin has a fund raising program designed for schools and non-profits interested in raising extra money for their organizations.

RECOGNITIONS

• Nominated by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Raritan Valley Community College for the SBA’s 2003 New Jersey Small Business Persons of the Year Award
• Fall 2002 graduates of the Entrepreneurial Training Institute (ETI), an 8-week program offered by the New Jersey Development Authority for Small Businesses, Minorities' and Women's Enterprises (NJDA) through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA).