Organize a Suit Drive

1. Obtain the necessary approval from your company (or organization) to conduct the suit drive.

 

2. Choose the dates for your Suit Drive. Do you want all items brought to you on one day or over a period of time? This may depend on your available resources for storing, sorting and delivering the donated items.

 

3. Recruit friends and co-workers to help you. Don’t try do it all yourself!

 

4. Decide when and where you will accept donated items. You will need a location that is protected from the weather and one that can be locked when unattended.

 

5. Determine a budget for your event. Some typical costs may include posters and/or balloons to promote the event, donation bins for collecting items, delivery services, etc.

 

6. Be prepared to collect monetary donations during your event. Many donors will want to make a financial contribution when they drop off suits. This is also a great way for men to get involved!

 

7. Decide how you will promote your Suit Drive. Let people know about the event at least 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the Suit Drive. This will give potential donors plenty of time to sort through their closets, dry clean items as needed and have them ready for the event.

 

8. Be sure to provide guidelines for the donations you will accept.

 

9. When the Suit Drive is finished, gather your volunteers and sort through the donated items. Look for items that are inappropriate for interviewing as well as items that are damaged or noticeably worn. Place these items in a separate stack to be donated to an A&A partner agency that welcomes non-interview clothing.

 

10. Make sure the remaining items are on hangers (hopefully, your donors will have already taken care of this according to the donation guidelines).

 

11. Develop a plan for delivering the donated items to A&A. This is often done in personal vehicles, but could be arranged through a moving or delivery service if needed. Whatever you decide, call Evelyn at the A&A office to schedule a delivery time (214-630-1667).

 

12. Sit back and relax! Your generosity will impact hundreds of women seeking self-sufficiency. On behalf of these women and the staff at A&A – THANK YOU!!

 

 

 

Organize a Suit Drive