4 Ways to Give Back that Make a Big Impact
There are so many ways to give back in Tampa Bay!
Happy Giving Tuesday, babes! I wanted to take a moment to share 4 ways to give back and some helpful details about 6 amazing, Tampa Bay-based non-profits that are empowering women & girls in our community. The less time you have to hunt around for the details you need to help women in your community get closer to living a creative, fulfilled life that they love, the better, right?!
4 Ways to Give Back and Make a Big Impact:
1 // Donate your time.
Volunteer for a shift at one of the non-profit’s upcoming fundraisers— there’s always something coming up! You can also offer to teach a skill-building class or workshop. Many non-profits offer programming to those they’re helping and everything from art to resume writing would be so helpful.
2 // Donate money.
If you don’t have much time but you have some funds you’d like to donate, go for it! Money isn’t the only way to show your support, but if you’ve got it, the non-profit can definitely use it. Even if it’s $25 or $5— seriously, every bit counts and will help.
3 // Host a donation drive.
Did you know that there are items that non-profits always seem to be out of? It’s true! Depending on the organization, there are things they work hard to keep supplied but due to high volume they struggle to keep up. For The Spring it’s hairbrushes and combs. For Dress For Success it’s women’s professional clothing. For The Centre For Girls, it’s the snack cupboard. Consider hosting a donation drive for a specific item or type of clothing and the non-profit you’re donating to will be so grateful. Who knew that something like cleaning out your closet could be so helpful to some else?!
4 // Social media.
Yes! Social media can make a big impact because oftentimes a non-profits resources are limited and they don’t have the budget or time to reach as many people in the community as possible. When you post on Facebook or Instagram, it highlights not just what you’re doing to give back (hosting a donation drive, volunteering, etc.), but also the mission & needs of a local non-profit to your network of friends & coworkers. You’re giving that non-profit a voice and you never know who might see the message— it could end up being the spark you need to get more people involved in your volunteer or donation drive efforts. Be sure to let people know what you’re up to and how they can get involved, too.
Take a peek at the details below & if you have any other questions, feel free to drop them in the comments and even reach out to the non-profit you’re interested in helping. This is by no means a list of the only ways to get involved— this is just a short list to show how & where you awesome positive energy can be of the utmost help to a non-profit whose mission you’re passionate about. Thanks for being interested in giving back & stay boss. xx
-G
Our second Babe Crafted Member Volunteer Day of 2018. We tidied up a communal kitchen at CASA and learned more about their mission. Photo by Jessica Fredericks Photography.
1011 1st Avenue N. St. Petersburg, FL 33706
727-828-1233
CASA is Pinellas County’s largest domestic violence resource & shelter for women and families. They have a 100+ bed shelter (the shelter is GPS protected — the address above is for their thrift shop) and offer resources like a 24-hour hotline and emergency shelter, non-residential programs such as support groups for economic empowerment and legal advocacy, Child Protective Investigative Team support, community and corporate training, and the CASA Peacemakers anti-bullying and healthy relationship school curriculum.
Ways to help:
- Shop in the thrift store on 1st Avenue from Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM as well as Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM.
- Drop off donations such as clothing, furniture, household items to the thrift store Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM and on Saturday from 10 AM to 3 PM.
- Host a benefit event on behalf of CASA.
- Host a donation drive and/or pick up some things on your weekly stop at the grocery store that CASA needs on a regular basis, you can check out their Wish List.
- Volunteer! If interested in volunteering, get in touch with Volunteer Coordinator Kelly Steele at KSteele@casa-stpete.org.
We hosted a donation drive for Dress For Success at a Boss Babe Club community event for women entrepreneurs at Kendra Scott in 2017. Our team is posing with Judy Bensinger, Vice President of the Board of Directors of DFS. Photo by The Dashing Ginger.
1705 N. Howard Avenue Tampa, FL 33607
813-259-1876
Dress For Success was founded in 1997 and is now located in 150 cities and 30 countries! We have a Dress For Success location located in Tampa Bay on N. Howard Avenue. Dress For Success strives to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. DFS works with women in the community on a referral basis. Women are referred for DFS from agencies that provide job training & employment services, including domestic violence shelters. Some of the services DFS provides include suiting for interviews, employment retention, and job training. DFS is known for their suiting. Once a woman has an outfit that makes her feel confident, she’s much more likely to land the job. If she gets the job, she can come back to DFS and pick out a whole week’s worth of clothing to have. Confidence is priceless.
Ways to help:
- Drop off gently used professional clothing as well as shoes, handbags, and accessories at their boutique located on N. Howard. Their office hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 AM to 4 PM and Saturday from 10 AM to 1 PM (closed on Friday & Sunday).
- Host a donation drive! Your friends and coworkers most likely have clothing and accessories they no longer need and would love to donate for a good cause.
- Make a tax deductible donation on their website.
- Volunteer! To get involved with sponsorship or volunteer opportunities at DFS fundraising events, including their annual sale, contact Towera Loper at admin@dfstampabay.org.
A holiday community event for women entrepreneurs at Strands of Sunshine in 2017. We raised funds for Girls Rock Camp's 2018 camp season and highlighted their mission. Photo by Jessica Fredericks Photography.
Girls Rock Camp St. Pete started in 2015. It’s part of an international group called The Girls Rock Camp Alliance, a network of youth-centered arts and social justice organizations. The Girls Rock Camp Alliance provides resources and space for community building. Each chapter gets girls together to learn about music, form a band, and then play at a showcase. It builds confidence and provides girls with positive mentorship experiences and lasting friendships.
Ways to help:
- Sponsor their summer showcase on July 21 by attending the event, donating a raffle item, or being a sponsor with your business. Details on the upcoming showcase as well as sponsorship opportunities are on their website.
- Volunteer! You don’t have to be a musician in order to be of great help to GRC. They’re looking for all kinds of support, such as counselors, coaches, and women that have found a way to rock one way or another. If you’re interested in volunteering or sponsoring, send a message in the contact form on their website.
The Centre For Girls' Programming Director, Sartura Shuman-Smith sharing all about C4G's mission and programming at a Boss Babe Club Halloween party for women entrepreneurs at Valhalla Resale in 2017. Photo by The Dashing Ginger.
105 W. Sligh Avenue Tampa, FL 33604
813-231-3404
The Centre For Girls is located in Seminole Heights and offers after school programming as well as summer camp to girls aged 5 to 14 from all over Tampa. It’s operated by The Helen Gordon Davis Centre For Women and introduces girls to lots of diverse programming, including music production, STEM, arts, and so much more. C4G’s programming is very hands on and they inspire all girls to be confident, respect others, love themselves, appreciate diversity, to name a few.
Ways to help:
- Donate snacks! They’re always working to keep their snack cupboard full and could use non-perishable goods as well as a gift card to Sam’s Club or Publix.
- Sponsor a Young Riser. Each month, one middle school girl from C4G’s program is chosen to be the Young Riser of the Month. Types of Riser gifts include art supplies, gift cards, and outdoor equipment.
- Host a benefit event or raffle to raise funds for unique programming at C4G.
- Volunteer to teach a workshop or class to the girls at C4G! If you’re interested in sponsoring a program or volunteering, contact Sartura Shuman-Smith at ssmith@thecentre.org.
We partnered again with Kendra Scott to raise awareness & resources for a non-profit that’s empowering women! We worked with The Spring of Tampa Bay to create a buy one, gift one promotion and were able to gift 10 pieces of jewelry from Kendra Scott and collect over 100 hairbrushes & combs for women and girls staying at The Spring! Photo by The Dashing Ginger.
211 N. Willow Avenue Tampa, FL 33606
813-247-7233
The mission of The Spring of Tampa Bay, Inc. is to prevent domestic violence, protect victims, and promote change in the lives of families and communities. The Spring was founded in 1977 and has provided sanctuary and services to more than 60,000 abused adults and their children. They are one of the largest domestic violence centers in Florida and have services such as a 24-hour crisis hotline, a 128 bed emergency shelter, outreach services, safety planning, and more.
Ways to help:
- Shop in their thrift store and even donate items at the Willow Avenue location Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM (closed on Saturday & Sunday).
- Make a tax deductible donation on their website.
- Host a benefit event. If you’re interested in hosting an event on behalf of The Spring, contact Amanda Puccinelli at apuccinelli@thespring.org.
- Host a donation drive and/or pick up some things on your weekly stop at the grocery store that The Spring needs on a regular basis, you can check out their Wish List.
- Volunteer! If you’re interested in getting involved by way of volunteering, get in touch by sending an email to volunteer@thespring.org.
We hosted an album listening party for women entrepreneurs at Daddy Kool Records in 2017. We raised funds and awareness for Trusting The Process. Photo by Caitlyn Connolly of Live.Sweat.Sleep.Repeat.
Trusting The Process is a St. Pete-based non-profit that helps to build confidence and change perceptions on our homeless community with help and support from volunteers. TTP was created in 2016 to help empower women who are transitioning out of homelessness by setting up events that provide them with a haircut, makeup, and clothing they feel confident in.
Ways to help:
- Donate gently used clothing, accessories, children/teen clothing, and plus size clothing at their drop off location Salon Tru, located at 3801 Park Street North, Suite 2 St. Petersburg, FL 33709 from Tuesday through Thursday at 9 AM to 9 PM and Friday through Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM (closed Sunday and Monday).
- Make a tax deductible donation on their website.
- Volunteer at a future transformation event. For details on future events and volunteer dates, email Alexia Perry at trustingtheprocessfl@gmail.com.
Original Photo by Jessica Fredericks Photography
For more information on Babe Crafted, our membership for women entrepreneurs & community leaders in Tampa Bay, please click here. We highlight a non-profit that empowers women & girls every quarter with a Volunteer Day, donation drive, & more. We are lucky to have the support & resources to lift one another up, but not every woman is so lucky. We try to bridge this gap in every way we can. Philanthropy is very important to us & is reflected in the programming we offer to our community as well al our annual members.
Let us know what you plan to do for Giving Tuesday and thank you for checking this post out!
