Partnerships & Events: Recap of Spring 2019
Our mission is to embolden students, entrepreneurs, and local organizations through sustainable apparel, but we often ask ourselves:
What does social good mean to us? How can we further our impact beyond our immediate surroundings?
In addition to providing ethically-sourced clothing on our online website and launching our first-ever Local Impact Project, we have made meaningful partnerships with various student organizations and nonprofit organizations throughout the semester of Spring 2019 that we would love to share!
Donations
One of the main goals for the Social Good department in terms of partnerships is to provide 40 to 60 percent of the profits from our sales events to organizations that are socially and sustainably driven. With that being said, we were able to make donations to three different local organizations, each unique and impactful in their respective fields.
- Women Organized to Make Abuse Nonexistent, Inc. (W.O.M.A.N., Inc.): Based in San Francisco, W.O.M.A.N., Inc. is a community-based organization that supports survivors of domestic violence in their healing process through resources, including but not limited to a 24-hour support line, individual and family therapy, and community education. Proceeds were donated from our first sales event of the semester in February 2019.
- OWN IT: Founded in 2014, OWN IT is a national organization that hosts annual summits to provide young women with opportunities to learn and connect with female leaders in a variety of fields and positions, as well as to allow established women to share their own experiences with future leaders. OWN IT at Cal held its first day-long summit Spring 2019. Proceeds were donated from our International Women’s Day Sales Event in March 2019.
- The National Alliance on Mental Illness in San Francisco (NAMI SF): As a part of nonprofit national NAMI organization, NAMI SF seeks to support people with mental illnesses through a Helpline and support groups, educate the general public with the goal of ending the stigma associated with mental illness, and advocate for improved mental health services across the nation. To bring awareness of Mental Health Month, proceeds were donated from our Subtle Berkeley Traits Sales Events in May 2019.
Partnerships
As a student-run enterprise, we understand the impact other student organizations and businesses have on our communities. We constantly look for creative ways to foster partnerships and host engaging events for students to get involved.
- “Make Your Own T-Shirt Totebags” Event (EthiCAL x ReUSE): We collaborated with ReUSE, a campus not-for-profit thrift store run by student volunteers, to shed light on the benefits of recycling old clothing, instead of accumulating more waste. In the event, participants were asked to bring their own t-shirts or buy one from ReUSE for a dollar in order to make their own reusable totebags, while we provided a demonstration with thorough instructions.
- “Nood Food Calendar” Event (EthiCAL x Yerba and Berkeley Student Food Collective): In light of the release of the annual Nood Food Calendar by the Berkeley Student Food Collective, a student-run nonprofit grocery market, we promoted the product throughout our social media platforms. During one of our pick-up days on Sproul, we also distributed flyers promoting the Calendar and partnered with Yerba Mate to provide our customers with FREE Yerba beverages!
- “Lofi and Chill Sales Event” (EthiCAL x 1951): In our partnership with 1951 Coffee Company, a nonprofit coffee organization that offers job training and employment to refugees and asylees, customers were given coupons that may be used at the 1951 Coffee Kiosk.
- “Connect x Impact: A Conscious Networking Panel” (EthiCAL x Association for Socially Responsible Business): We partnered with the Association for Socially Responsible Business, UC Berkeley’s first corporate social responsibility based undergraduate organization, to help promote its bi-annual impact-minded networking panel through our social media platforms. It was by far the largest undergraduate social impact panel on campus.
- “Spring into Action Sales Event” (EthiCAL x Factory Farming Awareness Coalition”: To bring awareness about the unethical realities of factory farming, we partnered with the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition in one of our sales events. As customers came by our table on Sproul to pick up their orders, they were able to leave more informed about the harmful effects of intensive factory farming and with their free vegan treats!
Community Service
We have participated in multiple volunteer efforts in our local community. As advocates of social justice, we believe that helping others and witnessing the changes we’re making in our communities first-hand allow us to gain new perspectives that may not be provided in our immediate environment.
The Berkeley Coffee Project, an Anti-Trafficking Coalition initiative to promote ethical sourcing in the coffee industry by fighting against labor rights violations, hosted the Coffee Festival by partnering with local roasteries and cafes. We aided this effort by working as volunteers, passing out flyers to promote the event and assisting the Coffee Project staff with their overall functions.
In March, we had the opportunity to volunteer at the Berkeley Drop-In Center, a multi-purpose community center for mental health clients, through the bi-annual Berkeley project.
We also conducted volunteering efforts at the Berkeley Food and Housing, an organization that provides food, housing, and other support services to homeless individuals and families.
Thoughout May and April, all members participated in the Local Impact Project, an initiative run by the Social Good department to get members involved in their communities in fields ranging from sustainable clothing to deforestation.
Whether it be through donations, partnerships, and community service, we constantly strive to commit to our mission of emboldening students, entrepreneurs, and local organizations. If you would like to partner or work with us, feel free to reach out to us via outreach.ethicalapparel@gmail.com.
Author: Amy Oh | Team: Social Good
