Listen to this articleFunds2Orgs is the leading shoe drive fundraising company in North America. They work with thousands of partners, including nonprofits, for-profit businesses, schools, sports teams, etc. helping them raise money by collecting gently worn, used and new shoes. The company provides a unique fundraiser where their partners don’t have to ask anyone for money and also issues a check for the shoes collected. Once they receive the footwear, it’s consolidated at their warehouse with those of other partners, and they ship the shoes to micro-entrepreneurs (small business owners) around the world who need an economic opportunity out of poverty. Small business owners end up selling the shoes in their local communities for a profit.
To find out more we interviewed Wayne Elsey, the Founder & CEO of Funds2Orgs:
Q: How did Funds2Orgs start? What’s your story?
A: During the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, I was the president of an international shoe manufacturing company. I saw the devastation and was just as horrified and upset by it as everyone else was at the time. Candidly, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do something. So, I led an effort to ship over a quarter million shoes to people and families affected by this natural disaster. You have to remember millions had lost everything they had in their lives, including friends and families. They were starting over, and many people take it for granted, but shoes are necessary and essential for people so they can work, go to school, etc.
A short time after that, I quit my job as a globe-trotting senior executive, and I started a nonprofit. During my time as the founder and CEO, my team and I helped countless people by providing them with over 20 million pairs of shoes, which including people affected by Hurricane Katrina.
By the time I left the organization, I had realized that there was a real need for hundreds of thousands of organizations looking to raise money. And that’s how Funds2Orgs was born. I created a for-profit social enterprise that would help organizations, groups and even families raise much-needed funds.
I also understood that families in developing nations need more than a hand-out. They need a hand-up. They need economic work opportunities. We partner with micro-enterprises in commerce, which helps them create their own paths out of poverty. And, finally, because gently worn, used and new shoes are given to shoe drive fundraisers, this perfectly good footwear is repurposed. In other words, the shoes are given a new life in another country.
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Q: You’ve recently launched the 3.0 version of your shoe drive fundraising site; could you tell us something more?
A: Now that we’ve become the leading shoe drive fundraising company in the nation, we’re not finished. We want to be a resource for organizations and people interested in raising money for their group and also awareness.
One of the things I’m most proud of is that we’ve created a Free Learning Center. We’re working on adding to it information anyone can use regarding best practices, strategies, tips, and ideas to help them grow and develop on topics spanning from leadership, to marketing (especially digital and social media), to fundraising.
Of course, my team and I are pleased that we can provide our partners and the public with a fresh and seamless website that provides them with an easy way to understand the “Who, What, When, Where and Why” of what we do. But, we’re even more excited that we have the chance to demonstrate the team’s knowledge and provide anyone a great value add through the Learning Center.
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Q: What makes Funds2Orgs a good choice?
A: Well, of course, I’m biased, but we’re a good choice because we’re the best at what we do. Period. We dominate the industry. So, if you’re looking to raise money uniquely and creatively, we’re the first place you should look.
You don’t have to take my word for it. The Better Business Bureau accredits us, and we have an exceptional rating. I think the reason why is simple. We have a culture in the company of going above and beyond. We provide everything our partners need and then we work to give them more. We realize that their success is our success and so we give them everything we know that they will need for fundraising success.
I will add that we have an excellent team. Our team is on the phones every day speaking to our partners and doing everything they can to support those who work with us. What I mean is that we provide exceptional customer service and personalized service. I think that dedication to customer support is one of the ingredients to our success.
Q: What are your plans?
A: Our intentions are robust and vast in scope. 1) We want to continue to be the industry leader in shoe drive fundraising. We will continue to maintain our market position by further refining our business strategy and processes while continuing to enhance our client experiences. 2) We retain our focus on developing strategic opportunities to strengthen our brand further. 3) We’re now looking to become to go to resource for nonprofits and others interested in social good to learn, grow and do more. We have spent extensive resources to build out our Learning Center on Funds2Orgs with relevant content that speaks to the pain points of nonprofits, schools and civic groups.
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