Fair Trade Product Real Growth: Global Retail Sales Increase 15%

Here is an inspiring and satisfying fact for all fair trade consumers: retail sales globally of fair trade products—from jewelry to clothes to purses/accessories and more—grew over the past year by 15%. And this is no small number. Sales of fair trade crops and goods reached $7.3 billion in 2013, so this increase is very significant. It means that working men and women in developing economy countries are earning more for themselves and their communities, and more people are being hired. We at SFAC are proud to be a part of this growth. We deeply appreciate our customers who make all of this possible with their purchases and socially conscious commitment. Our sales are in the USA and Canada and it is the US which has led the world in increased fair trade purchasing. There are many more growth initiatives in place to boost fair trade awareness and purchasing for 2014.

One of the hottest items in the fair trade products world are purses and handbags. Fair trade eco friendly purses handbags (including tote bags) is surpassing jewelry in terms of online searches and purchases. The selection of purse items has grown enormously for fair trade and friendly to the environment. If you’re thinking you need a new purse or handbag for yourself or as a gift for someone, please visit our excellent, fashion-savvy collection. We believe we’ve found the best of the best. We feature many styles and sizes, crafted from a range of natural materials. Please visit our purse collection here. 

How long are your arms?

Long enough to feed a child, pet a dog, hug a loved one, and plant a tree. What if I told you your arms were long enough to also make a difference halfway around the world?

As you may know, we have just embarked on a 45-day Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to expand our operation. We are excited to announce that in just over a week we have raised just over $10,000 of our $50,000 goal!

As a non-profit with no paid employees, this money will enable us to pay for new inventory, update our marketing materials, hire a professional photographer and graphic artists, expand our reach through public relations, and finance our first paid employee to assist me. All of these expenditures are vital to the growth of our business, so we can continue to help communities both abroad and at home. 

Please help us expand our outreach by sharing our campaign link - http://igg.me/at/shoppingforachange - with your network. We could not have gotten this far without your support, and we hope you will consider a donation of any amount to enable us to continue empowering others and transforming lives. 

When you go Shopping for a Change®, you help improve the lives of disadvantaged artisans around the world, mostly woman, by creating steady employment for them. In turn, you enable them to put food on their tables, a roof over their family’s heads, and afford them the ability to educate their children, including the girls.

Thank you for your support!
Stacey

Where Has the Time "Gone, Gone" & How Do We "Go, Go" Forward?

It seems like just yesterday that I was attending my son’s high school graduation, then immediately sending him off to Camp Newman to be a counselor and song leader for 8 weeks. It was now his turn to help create a fantastically memorable summer for children, as so many counselors had done for him over the years, and at a place that had become his second home.

During his absence this summer I was hard at work with the support of our Shopping for a Change® interns: six incredible high school juniors and seniors who volunteered their time learning about what we do, and how to help make a difference in the world 

Our first two weeks were spent behind the scenes in photo shoots and editing images for the newest version of our website (if you haven’t checked it out yet, click here to do so).

The next six weeks were spent developing our first crowdfunding campaign. In case you’re not familiar with this newer term, crowd·fund·ing (ˈkroudˌfəndiNG/) is by definition, the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. We created ours on a website called Indiegogo.com.

Beginning Friday September 5th, we will launch our 45-day Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to expand our operation. As you may know, we currently operate as an all-volunteer organization, with no paid employees. I handle all of the roles and tasks associated with running a small business and generally have very little outside help. 

It thrills us to say that in the four years since our launch, we have grown from partnering with 11 artisan groups in Africa and South America to over 40 artisan groups spanning 4 continents and 28 countries. That’s over 25,000 lives that we have touched! Our business has tripled, indicating that people are excited by the way our organization enables them to help both at home and abroad.

Our goal is to raise $50,000 through this Indiegogo campaign. With this money, we will be able to update our marketing materials, pay for new inventory, hire a professional photographer and graphic artists, expand our reach through public relations, and finance our first paid employee to assist me. All of these expenditures are vital to the growth of our business, so we can continue our important work. 

We invite you to watch our video on our campaign page, learn more about our Indiegogo campaign by going to http://igg.me/at/shoppingforachange, and explore the wonderful perks we have put together (thank you gifts in exchange for your tax deductible donations). We could not have gotten this far without your support and we hope you will consider a donation of any amount to enable us to continue empowering others and transforming lives. 

We appreciate your support and encourage you to share this blog post with your friends and family!

Warm wishes,

Stacey

Shopping for a Change^® is a registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Updates from the Amazon!

In early January of this year, SFAC collaborated with the Faire Collection (formerly the Andean Collection), and put half of the net proceeds from our 2013 sales to good use.  After working together for months, a plan was made and in the middle of May, our program began.  The Ecuadorian artisan groups of Nueva Esperanza, San Pedro, and San Francisco excitedly completed 16 hours of workshops, with a total of 22 families participating.  Each family was able to learn, both in the classroom and the soil, proper building and planting techniques, and the importance of a balanced diet, with the goal of owning their own healthy, sustainable farms.  With a little help, these people who are part of the Kichwa Tribe in the Ecuadorian Amazon are overcoming malnourishment, one lesson at a time.

Families learn the principles of permaculture and discuss the importance of a balanced diet, with emphasis on fruits and vegetables.

Women receive practical, hands-on experience in soil quality testing, soil composition, and setting up garden beds for proper drainage and pest control.

Families take notes on the valuable information they received, ready to implement it into their daily lives.

Shopping for a Change® Partners with Pebble to Build New Preschools in Bangladesh

Part of Shopping for a Change’s mission is to fund community improvement projects throughout the world in our artisans’ communities with a focus on clean water, health-care and education. When you shop with us, your purchases this year will support two new preschools for artisan families working with our partner, Pebble Child. Pebble provides work for  6,800 disadvantaged women throughout 65 rural places throughout Bangladesh. Forty children, ages 3-6 whose mother’s handcraft Pebble’s adorable handknit toys and apparel, will be chosen to attend these two new schools in Sirajgonj and Mouliribazar, free of charge.

Primary school in Bangladesh begins for boys and girls when they are around six years old.The ability to attend one of our new preschools will help these bright young minds get a jump start on their ABCs and numbers, putting them ahead of their peers when they begin primary school. The preschools will be on site of where the mothers will be working, alleviating pressure for mothers who want to care of their children and also do a good job at work. At other workshop locations which already have preschools, the mothers’ income has grown because of the greater focus they mothers wield knowing their children are safe.

Your purchases at Shopping for a Change are invaluable because half of the net proceeds from sales during 2014 will fund this project. When you shop with us you provide employment to the artisans, will help fund these new preschools and will support the U.S. based nonprofit organization of your choice. Go Shopping for a Change.

5 Powerful Reasons for Fair Trade Clothing/Accessories

For our Shopping for a Change friends, here are 5 quick talking points on how fair trade is the powerful purchasing and ethical model to continue following.

1. Fair Trade helps farmers and workers earn a living by allocating more of your money to where it’s most needed.
2. Fair Trade supports women through equal pay and equal rights while providing healthcare and business opportunities.
3. Environmental Fair Trade standards are strict; farmers must set targets and track progress in reducing water, waste and energy usage.
4. Fair trade offers a supportive work environment where employees are fairly compensated, creating a high satisfaction and low turnover rate.
5. Fair trade certified products are readily available online and in stores near you.

Shopping for a Change offers exquisite, environmentally friendly accessories.  This summer, shop our handmade, special occasion items for you or someone you love. SFAC fair trade artisans specialize in the use of natural, sustainable materials.  You will find gorgeous one-of-a-kind purses, scarves and belts crafted from the finest alpaca, cashmere, linen, cotton, and wool. Artisans employ a variety of techniques from knitting, to leather & metal smithing–making your purchase unique. Vintage fabrics, netting and pop-tops are among the recycled materials used in our original collections. At Shopping for a Change, you can feel good about your accessory purchase without sacrificing beauty or ethics.

Independence Day Takes On New Meaning For Me

So many people are suffering around the world today.  They lack many of the things that we often take for granted: a hot shower and clean water to drink, a bounty of food at our holiday BBQs, time off from schools where even the girls receive an education, and SO importantly the freedom we have here in the United States. Though people in the US often like to find things wrong with our government, our communities or their lives, we are truly blessed to have the FREEDOM and INDEPENDENCE that others lack in many countries around the world. Let’s truly CELEBRATE what we are blessed to have this holiday weekend, and wish/hope/pray that others who are without may someday, sooner rather than later, experience the same. May you have a safe and enjoyable 4^th of July weekend!

~Stacey, founder of Shopping for a Change®