GivingTuesday!

A little under 10 years ago, the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in NYC started the GivingTuesday initiative, which later led to its founding as an independent nonprofit. According to the organization, GivingTuesday is more than just one day of the year designated for doing good — it is a “global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.” 

Here at ready dress go, we are redesigning business clothes, and the process of shopping for them, to empower young women as they dress to enter the workforce. But, after a few months of building out our company, we realized that at our current price point we could not be a brand for ALL young women. This inspired our idea for The Blazer Fund, a way for individuals, such as yourself, to sponsor outfits for women who cannot afford to purchase their own professional clothing! 

This GivingTuesday, Jessica and I are extremely excited to announce our partnership with Girls Inc., a national nonprofit inspiring all girls to be “strong, smart, and bold.” Here in Nashville, Girls Inc. works to provide mentors, programming, a positive environment, and other resources to underprivileged girls in the area. We were humbled to learn about Girls Inc. through their influential presence in Nashville. After speaking with members of their leadership team, we are thrilled to be partnering with an organization that is making such a positive difference in our community.

Their pre-professional cohort is made up of 15 high school girls from Nashville who are starting to think about what they might want to do in the real world as they start their journey as young professionals. As part of this group, Girls Inc. organizes workshops that include developing career interests, building resumes, and practicing interview skills. As a partner of Girls Inc., ready dress go will be co-hosting and leading professional events, and mentoring the women in the cohort. We are excited to announce that following the workshops, each girl will be able to take home brand new ready dress go clothing! 

Taking the first steps in becoming a professional woman can be exciting, but also nerve-wracking and stressful -- especially if one doesn’t feel comfortable and empowered in her outfit. Here at ready dress go, we have always believed that the first step in building a young woman’s inner-confidence is the act of getting dressed in the morning, whether it’s before a big interview or first day at a new job. The power in putting on an outfit that was designed to make you feel empowered is a feeling that we believe all women should experience. Currently, we have enough in the Blazer Fund -- raised by our generous community of support -- to gift each girl an Everyday Tank from our capsule collection. With an additional $750 in sponsorships, we would be able to donate RDG Blazers instead of the Tanks. With an additional $1,800, each student would be able to receive both a Tank and a Blazer. 

On this GivingTuesday, we encourage each and every one of our readers to consider donating to the fund so we can really make an impact on the professional futures of these 15 incredible young women. Thank you in advance!