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With Thanksgiving this week, it’s an excellent time for us here at Perkies to reflect on the importance of our commitment to donating 5% of every sale to non-profit organizations. Small business charitable donations make a big difference when enough small businesses participate. Much of this participation has to do with being aware of seamless Shopify integrations, most notably Shopping Gives. When you purchase a Perkies product, at checkout you are given the opportunity to choose between donating to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, HelpHopeLive or the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, or even a special cause of your choice!
Initial Inspiration to Give
The importance of giving back has been ingrained in Rosie as a young child from Rosie’s parents and grandparents. Pursuing a career in this side of business was cemented in Rosie’s mind after she did an internship in the non-profit space the summer before her senior year at Brown University. Through her internship, Rosie realized that no matter where her future career took her, she needed to integrate giving back to the community and positively impacting the lives of others into her mission.
Rosie was inspired by fellow innovator and Brown graduate, Adam Braun, and his non-profit organization, Pencils of Promise, dedicated to advancing education. Pencils of Promise has raised millions of dollars to improve education and build schools for impoverished children worldwide.
Inspired in Countless Ways by Several, Most Notably Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx
In addition to Braun, Rosie was inspired by the philanthropic values of Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. At the inception of Perkies, it didn’t feel right for Rosie’s fledgling business to be disconnected from her passion for finding ways to give back. She realized that her business and passion could co-exist. Countless entrepreneurs, including Blakely, demonstrate that giving back can be integrated into a successful business model and that small business charitable donations can indeed go a long way. So, Rosie started to give back right away!
Deciding to dedicate 5% of every purchase to charity was momentous for a new business fighting to get off the ground. Advisors told her not to give any of her proceeds away at the beginning; she was encouraged to wait until she was making significant amounts of money. Not supporting organizations Rosie cares about didn’t feel right to her. Now, Perkies will forever be a company based on community engagement.
What Organizations Receive Our Small Business Charitable Donations
- HelpHopeLive is near and dear to Rosie’s heart. Rosie’s friend and teammate on the Brown Lacrosse team, Dianne Vitkus, affectionately known as Vitty, sustained a spinal cord injury in the summer of 2020 which left her paralyzed. Vitty is a shining light—she is a constant reminder of strength, perseverance, and the remarkable effects of an undying optimism. HelpHopeLive helped Vitty through her injury; it is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money for the medical expenses that insurance doesn’t cover through crowd-funding.
- The Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s mission is to end breast cancer through funding research on breast cancer and metastatic breast cancer. Two young breast cancer survivors, Alex Whitaker Cheadle and Anna Crollman, have served as a source of inspiration for Perkies. Perkies Petals are perfect for those who have undergone mastectomies and reconstructive surgery.
- Finally, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation is dedicated to supporting members of the LGBTQ+ population by advocating for the advancement of policies advancing LGBTQ+ rights.
Above all, Perkies mission is to inspire women to look and feel their most confident. Rosie hopes that she is showing any woman she encounters that if one has passion, commitment, and dedication, one can start a company! With women like Sara Blakely as Rosie’s role model, she aspires to build Perkies into a retail empire and as it grows, to give, give, give.
Perkies strives to maintain the spirit of generosity emphasized on Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and throughout the year!
About Perkies:
Perkies creates innovative and functional undergarments designed for adventurous, joyful women. Our signature product, the Perkies sticky bra, is the only sticky bra offering replaceable adhesives. Comfortable, flattering, clean, and most importantly, reliable, Perkies is the future of sticky bras. Perkies empowers women everywhere to embrace freedom in fashion and in life. Whenever we get the chance, we give back. We do what we can to inspire this next generation of female entrepreneurs to make change; from clothing to climate, this is the future. This is Perkies, the sticky bra with perks.
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