Wearable Hope Makes Philanthropy Stylish

One of the most beautiful things about our city is its charitable spirit. A recent Greenlights study revealed that the Austin area has more non-profits than any other major city in the southwest United States, 4,000 in Travis County alone.

No matter your passion, there’s a non-profit dedicated to supporting a cause you care about. But beyond volunteering, how do you show your support for the charitable organizations working to better our city? Austin-based Wearable Hope makes raising awareness as easy as getting dressed in the morning.

Wearable Hope’s Mission

Founded in October 2013, Wearable Hope was born out of a desire to use original graphic designs and printing expertise to give back to the community.

Every week, new t-shirt designs are released in support of a different non-profit, Wearable Hope’s “Partner of the Week.” For every t-shirt sold, Wearable Hope donates $10 to the partner of the week. After the week is over, the shirts remain available for purchase on WearableHope.com, which allows supporters to continue giving to a cause even after the campaign is over.

Wearable Hope will partner with any non-profit that’s a good fit for the organization, no matter their size. In fact, Chelsea Woodhead, Director of Culture and Communications, tells me the biggest surprise since their launch “has been watching the smaller organizations sell just as many – if not more – shirts than the larger organizations.”

One of their most successful campaigns has been on behalf of Snack Pak 4 Kids, an organization that fills backpacks with kid-friendly snacks each Friday of the school year to prevent kids from going hungry over the weekend. In one week, Wearable Hope’s Snack Pak 4 Kids campaign raised $2,500, thanks to an active supporter base and the non-profit’s efforts to spread the word.

Show Your Support

Beyond donating funds to a cause you care about, you’re continually raising awareness every time you put on one of Wearable Hope’s t-shirts. You’ll want to wear it often, too. The shirts are modern and fresh, and each one is designed specifically for the partner of the week.

The designers at Wearable Hope aim to “create a shirt anyone would want” and develop “a more creative take on the work the organization does, to drive awareness in a unique way.” Pretty awesome. Past campaigns include Austin favorites like Austin Pets Alive!, Ballet Austin, HOPE Farmer’s Market, and Caritas of Austin. Shirts for all of these and other Austin-based campaigns are still available through the Shop Past Campaigns tab on Wearable Hope’s website.

New Ventures

Recently, Wearable Hope teamed up with Blue Avocado, an Austin-headquartered company that produces reusable shopping bags, lunch systems, and other items aimed at reducing waste and preserving our natural resources.

Through this partnership, Wearable Hope has launched its Banner Bag Collection, which features totes and messenger bags made from excess vinyl banner waste from BuildASign.com (founded by the same folks as Wearable Hope). Each bag is manufactured by Open Arms, an organization that employs women refugee war survivors.

See for yourself what Wearable Hope has to offer. Check out their latest campaign at WearableHope.com, or find them on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, or Instagram.

Special thanks to Lauren Munguia and Chelsea Woodhead for educating me on what Wearable Hope is all about. 

 

@samwchampion asks:

What’s your favorite Wearable Hope design?

 

All photos courtesy of Wearable Hope.