Ep116: How Soles4Souls Raises Money with Stride Rite, PUMA
Today on CauseTalk Radio, Megan and I talk to Buddy Teaster, CEO of Soles4Souls. Nashville-based Soles4Souls is a global not-for-profit focused on fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty.
Soles4Souls advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners. They distribute those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities.
Soles4Souls is fortunate to have many corporate partners, but the two we discuss today are Stride Rite and PUMA. While both of these companies are known for their outstanding footwear, Buddy and his team know them best for taking bold steps to support Soles4Souls' mission.
On today's show, Megan, Buddy and I discuss:
- The mission of Soles4Souls and how they are solving problems here in the U. S. and abroad.
- How Soles4Souls accomplishes all its work with a 35-person team!
- How Soles4Souls' work differs from TOM's Shoes.
- How Soles4Souls is focused on helping Stride Rite with its business.
- How Stride Rite used marketing smarts, social good and incentives to execute a very successful shoe collection drive.
- The challenge of collecting shoes in-stores, and how PUMA took a different approach.
- How PUMA executed a register program that energized employees and customers and raised six-figures.
- How Soles4Souls is working with non-footwear companies (Buddy uses the example of a collection drive with a tire retailer) and having great success!
- How Soles4Souls plans to double its impact - both in cause marketing and in mission - over the next three years!
