Why Do it? Consider the contribution you can and will make - not only to the women and children who will receive your gift, but also to everyone you involve in your project.
I've never done a project before...can I do this? Anyone with an interest in this project can create it! We are here to make it FUN and EASY for you to do something awesome for others.
How to get started? Consider how you'd like your project to look. You can do it on your own - gathering supplies and making one or more purses to donate OR you can do it in a group or team. This can be a lot of FUN and very effective. Doing it in a group can make it easier for you to make an even bigger impact. Consider a club, a team, classmates, community group, church group, family, coworkers, etc.
Identifying a Beneficiary There are many ways to distribute Purposeful Purses. One of the simplest is to assemble a purse with supplies and give it to a homeless woman who is asking for money in your area. Another is to contact a local women's transitional housing service or a local women's shelter. In Googling "Women's Transitional Housing" we were able to find numerous groups in our local area. Reach out to one of your neighborhood organizations to see if they would like to be the beneficiary of your project. You can ask how many purses they need to determine how many you need to gather.
Check on Donated Items - Important Once you've identified a beneficiary, share your checklist of donated items with your group to ensure they can take everything on your checklist. If not, work with your group to revise your checklist UP FRONT before collecting donations.
Set a Goal Once you know where you are going to be donating purses, you can set a GOAL of how many you want to create and share that goal with your community to motivate them to make donations and support you meeting the goal!
Get the Word Out! Share your project with your social network, workplace, local businesses - even local radio stations, blogs and media can help you generate awareness and donations for your project. We've provided materials in our Project Kit including the donation checklist and a flyer template you can use to customize information about your project including dates, who will be getting the donated purses, etc. Be creative and share your project with others - you never know who might have a closet full of purses for you!
What kind of items do I need? Use the donation checklist in our Purposeful Purses Project Kit, found on the project page. This checklist has all you need to know to gather up and create your Purposeful Purse. You can share this with others via email and printed flyers. Consider asking local businesses to donate. The flyer provides details on the items needed and the CONDITION of the items. The CONDITION is very important to make sure they can be accepted at the organization you have selected as the beneficiary of your project.
Here's an idea for donations... You might ask your company to share the project and raise donations. The idea is to leverage those around you to bring a community together making this project FUN and EASY for you as a leader.
How to Collect Donations There are many ways you can collect donations. If you are asking for donations from coworkers, you might want to ask permission to place a collection bin somewhere in your company offices. If you're working in your church, ask to place a collection box there. If you're rallying your neighborhood, go to your local community center and ask if you can place collection there. You can also designate team members to collect donations or act as dropoff points. You will find a flyer template you can CUSTOMIZE to your project needs along with THANK YOU notes that can be sent to those who donate.
How to prepare Purposeful Purses Here's where things can get really fun! Have a PURSE STUFFING Party and invite your friends, colleagues, team members, those who donated purses, etc. Again, it's helpful to have a team of helpers to make it fun and easy to complete the project. This project is about fun and community so make it a fun process of creating these purses for women and children in need.
Notes to Recipients One of the special parts of this project is enclosing a note to the woman who will be receiving your gift. Included in our kit is a template for a note you can easily print, cut out, sign your first name to and enclose in the purse. In your kit you will find a template you can print to easily create these notes. We encourage you to do this and send your own message to a woman who could use kind words.
Questions & Help Reach out to the Purposeful Purses Community - our community leaders can help answer questions and share ideas that can help you make your project successful!