Funds2Orgs, the U.S.-based shoe drivie fundraising enterprise founded by Wayne Elsey, announced the launch of a niche initiative geared toward athletic footwear.
The new subsidiary, Sneakers4Funds, will focus on athletic shoe fundraising for schools, PTA/PTO organizations and sport teams. Schools and organizations collect gently worn, used and new athletic footwear. In exchange for the shoes, Sneakers4Funds works with sponsoring partners across the U.S. to helps them raise money.
The footwear collected during Sneakers4Funds athletic shoe drives become inventory for micro-entrepreneurs in 25 developing countries who earn a living by repairing, cleaning and selling the shoes in their local communities at a fraction of the original price.
In a statement, Elsey said, “Due to the incredible amount of experience we have working with schools and school groups across the country, we are excellently positioned to serve this market very well. Our experience shows us that educational institutions and youth groups can do very well in fundraising by gathering gently worn, used and new athletic shoes.”
To celebrate the launch, Sneakers4Funds created the “30-Day Strive4Good Challenge.” Schools and organization that agree to hold an athletic shoe drive can nearly double the money Sneakers4Funds will pay them for the athletic footwear they collection.