Philanthropy Friday: Dress for Success Columbus

A $5,000 inheritance can make a big difference. That’s how Dress for Success got its start. In 1996, Nancy Lublin received that inheritance from her great-grandfather and wanted to use it to make a difference in her community by helping women with new beginnings. She took the money and opened the first Dress for Success in the basement of a church and immediately made a positive impact on the community. Since that time, the organization has grown to over 86 affiliates in both the United States and Europe. While Dress for Success is a national organization, each affiliate is self-sustaining and responsible for raising its own funds, creating community awareness and securing support to keep the agency operational.

Dress for Success Columbus opened its doors in early 2007 serving its first client in February. The Columbus office emerged as a result of the Cleveland affiliate regularly receiving calls from service agents and women residing in central Ohio who needed Dress for Success services. That year, they served 200 women and over 500 in 2008. This September, Dress for Success Columbus assisted their 1,000th woman! They are on track for more than 100% growth again in 2009.

More Than Just Suits

Passionate about empowering the amazing women of Central Ohio, Dress for Success Columbus promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

Many think of Dress for Success Columbus as simply suits and helping women get dressed, but they do so much more. Their current call to action is to change the public perception of thinking that they are only about the dressing program and have the community fully understand that they are truly a workforce readiness and employment retention agency.

There are three foundations of Dress for Success that directly serves Columbus clients:

• Dressing – Empowerment Interview and Employment Suiting – women are referred to Dress for Success Columbus and initially receive an Interview Suiting, which is head-to-toe professional dressing complete with accessories, cosmetics and personal care products. Once they have a job, they receive a weeks worth of workplace appropriate attire, accessories and personal care products.
• Career Center – Workforce Readiness and HR Consultation – women are introduced to the Career Center, equipped with 8 computers with self-led software tutorials, printer, fax access and a clean, professional working environment. They schedule appointments with HR professionals to discuss their career path, review their resume and discuss interview soft skill techniques.
• Professional Women’s Group (PWG) – Employment Retention – Once women are employed, they are encouraged to join this peer-to-peer mentoring group that meets once a month. Workshops are presented based on Financial Literacy, Professional Growth and Personal Development and assist women’s transition from dependence on government assistance and programs to financial independence.

Services are free of charge to every woman they serve. In order to qualify for a referral to Dress for Success Columbus, a woman needs to be 125% of the poverty level. Women are referred by social service agencies that work with women who are disadvantaged, unemployed but job ready and in need of the Career Center and Suiting Program services. View referral information and a list of social service agency partners.

Ways You Can Help

There are so many ways people can help Dress for Success Columbus. Women can be personal shoppers and help clients select the perfect outfit for their upcoming interview, sort and merchandise clothes in the dressing boutique, volunteer at special events, volunteer your services to be a social media chairperson, as well as offer administrative assistance. The Career Center and Professional Women’s Group are looking for professionals who are interested in working with women one-on-one to determine their career path and a plan to continually succeed in work and in life. Learn about their volunteer opportunities.

Gently used professional attire for women, both appropriate for interviews and the workplace, is always welcome. Donations are accepted on Friday’s between 10AM and 4 PM at 1260 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43201. There is a strong need for plus-size professional wear and they could also use accessories, scarves, jewelry, shoes, handbags.

Dress for Success Columbus is continually in need of funds. On-line donations can be made through Network for Good.

Individuals or organizations can also participate in the ‘Dress Down to Help a Woman Dress Up’ campaign. Just pay $5 to wear jeans for a day and donate the to Dress for Success Columbus.

If you are you a young executive consider getting involved with Y.E.S. – Young Executives for Success. This is a group of young professionals that are guided by Dress for Success; however, they plan and execute their own events and fundraisers. Their sole beneficiary is Dress for Success, and the work they do in the community is crucial to motivating volunteers and getting the message out to a demographic that is very serious about philanthropy. Y.E.S. official launch celebration is October 2nd at Barrio. They have a lot of exciting initiatives planned for 2010. For additional information, send an email to Dress for Success.

For more information about Dress for Success Columbus visit their website.

Read a touching behind the scenes story about Dress for Success Columbus and see their wish list here.

Philanthropy Friday is a feature article by Michele Savoldi that will highlight a Columbus area non-profit organization every other week.