Posts Tagged ‘dress donations’

NPC: Tell us a little bit
about your organization, The Princess Project. Why was it started?

Melissa Morey: The Princess Project began in February
2002. Laney Whitcanack and Kristin Smith Knutson, co-workers at a San Francisco non-profit,
were talking with a high school student who said she was going to miss prom
because she couldn’t afford a dress. To help the young woman, Knutson and
Whitcanack sent an e-mail to friends asking for dress donations. And they ended
up with more dresses then they knew what to do with! The Princess Project was
born. Knutson and Whitcanack realized there are many girls unable to
attend prom because of the expensive costs of dresses and accessories, while
many of their friends and peers have unused dresses from weddings and parties.
So they decided to match this resource with the need of the girls.

NPC: Who does it serve?

Melissa Morey: The Princess Project serves high school
girls who could not otherwise afford a dress for prom in four California areas – San Francisco,
the East Bay, Silicon Valley and new  last  year, San Diego.
Since The Princess Project began serving Bay Area girls in 2002, over 12 ,000
girls have received dresses and accessories through our giveaway events.

NPC: How long have you been
in operation?

Melissa Morey: 2002 

NPC:  How many people
did you serve your first year? And, this year?

Melissa Morey:

2009 – 3,500

2003 – 600

2002 – 250

 

NPC:  What is your most
difficult challenge as a nonprofit?

Melissa Morey: We're 100% volunteer-run organization
which can be a challenge because we require at least 300 volunteers to
pull off four events each year. Also, we are committed to helping
every girl that comes to one of our giveaway events find a dress, so we always
need to use a portion of our donations to purchase extra dresses in our most
popular sizes, including petite and plus sizes.  

NPC: What was your most
difficult challenge starting out?

Melissa Morey: Probably logistics. We were
pleasantly overwhelmed by the number of dress donations and community support
we received. Time, talent and taffeta were and always have been in high
supply! Luckily our partners and husbands were supportive about
helping us lug dresses into and out of the give-away space at the crack of
dawn. It was an all-hands effort because people were so generous.  

 

NPC: What advice would you
give to someone who wants to start a nonprofit?

Melissa Morey: I would first look around and see if
there are other organizations who are doing similar work – no need to reinvent
the wheel and use resources unnecessarily – there are often awesome ways to do
some "intrapreneurship" within other organizations. If no one is
actively working on your idea, I would get an informal board of advisors
together – to share about your idea, get their thoughts and insights, and help
you get rolling. It's very important to have other people on board for
launching a new idea – folks who share your commitment and enthusiasm.  

 

NPC: How can people get involved?

Melissa Morey: We're 100% volunteer-run organization so
are always looking for volunteers to join our event committees or volunteer
during our dress sorting or give away events. Princess Project
welcomes dresses and all fashionable, clean and stylish jewelry, wraps and
purses for our Giveaway Events. Also, a $25 donation will send one
girl, outfitted in a gown and accessories of her choosing, to prom. You can
find information about volunteer opportunities or making donations to the
organization at www.princessproject.org.

 

NPC: Is there anything else
you’d like to share with our readers?

Melissa Morey: We believe that Prom is
one of the most important events for a high school student - a
rite of passage for every teen that wants to attend. And we're
committed to helping disadvantaged teens who might miss their prom because they
can't afford to buy a dress. The main goal of The Princess Project is to
promote self-confidence and individual beauty. We celebrate all sizes and
shapes of girls, and make a specific point to avoid body imagery that can
promote negative and unrealistic images to girls.

 

*Melissa Morey is a Board Member
of The Prince Project. For more information on how you can get involved, please
visit the website at www.princessproject.org.