The Power of Collaboration

“Once you know, you can't unknow it."

We hear this frequently at FTG as people discover the realities of trafficking and find themselves forever changed, wanting to do something.

While Free The Girls has become well known for accepting donated bras and turning those bras into inventory for sex trafficking survivors to sell, the reality is it takes both bras and bucks to make it all work. We have lingerie partners (who we love!) but we have even more collaborators who have invested in FTG in ways that continue to surprise and inspire us.

These investments have made a lasting impact, funding reintegration services for survivors, and allowing our organization to evolve and thrive. In the spirit of collaboration (co-labor being the idea!) it’s important to Free The Girls that we go beyond simply offering investment opportunities for brands. We design custom collaborations by providing trafficking education to employees and students, speakers for events, presentations for employees, volunteer opportunities, reports on impact, and much more!

Here are some highlights of those collaborations!
Maybe they will inspire you, too.

Businesses

LR International saw the first CNN Freedom Stories videos (which aired over a decade ago!) and felt compelled to reach out to offer their expertise in shipping and logistics. We knew nothing about either! But we had bras to send overseas and since then, the folks at LR have become our dear friends and have provided invaluable shipping advice and free bra storage at their facility near Chicago.

Hanesbrands had the vision to make their nationwide network of Hanes stores official Free The Girls drop-off locations, and they did it with style! By creating their own branded drop-off bins, they made bra collecting look beautiful! This large-scale expansion of our list of official drop-off locations made it easier for those wanting to donate a handful of bras to find a location close to home.

Large corporations often have internal employee networks, resource groups, and other safe and welcoming spaces for their employees.  Thanks to Zoom we have staff who can meet virtually with these groups, wherever they’re located.  A grant from the employees of Palo Alto Networks funded our Costa Rican Inheritance project and Equinix employees donated bras and bucks!

Organizations

A 3-year grant from FAWCO (Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas) was a critical investment into our early organizational infrastructure. The FAWCO grant provided funding for salaries and we were able to move from a volunteer led organization into the stability of a small paid staff.

Service clubs such as Soroptimist International, Zonta International, Rotary International, and others have offered a foundation of ongoing support. Through the work of their local clubs, they have collected not just bras, but bucks, and have fundraised for FTG in their local communities. In turn, we’ve crafted presentations to share with their membership about the realities of trafficking (what we call HT101) and the Free The Girls programs of economic empowerment for trafficking survivors.

Bands

Yep, you read that right.Good Life Foundation, the nonprofit of the band OneRepublic, has promoted and fundraised in support of FTG, including creating a video giveaway.One in An ARMY, the fan collective of K-pop band, BTS, used their collective power for global good and honored us by making Free The Girls the recipient of a fundraiser for Jimin’s birthday. ARMY facilitated the gift of a month’s worth of micro donations from fans living in 50+ countries around the globe!

Web3 Partners

The Web 3 community are active partners in our work to reimagine a better world. From cryptocurrency donations, to social impact NFTS, we have found ready collaborators in these emerging spaces. Royal Dreads, a social impact community minting NFTS to promote diversity and social justice have invited us in as presenters in Twitter Spaces, hosted fundraising events on our behalf, and connected us with the larger Web 3 community to do human trafficking awareness events.

Churches

Duneland Community Church in Chesterton, Indiana is the main collection site and the “bra church” where 2 million bras have been processed! DCC has offered space, modified their building to accommodate our needs, and welcomed volunteers to “packing parties” to process incoming bra donations. DCC has created and nurtured a community that cares deeply about fighting human trafficking.

Real Life Community Church, in Portage Indiana, is a local church that embraces community and embodies mission. Real Life sends volunteers, allows us to share our message, and has made us the recipient of their special Christmas offering.

An 8-week Bible study curriculum about justice and human trafficking created by Free The Girls can be shared with those wanting to engage more deeply in social justice. We also speak at churches and have hosted church and missionary groups as bra packing volunteers.

Lingerie Partners

We have lots of fabulous bra inventory donors, so we’ll mention a few who exemplify a spirit of generosity and “going deeper.” Kindred Bravely regularly donates bra inventory and bucks and we keep their employees in the know with virtual and in-person impact presentations. During a season when we desperately needed new inventory, brands like Title Nine and Harper Wilde rose to the occasion and they’ve also created fun promotions to help spur donations and create awareness. Adore Me regularly shares video content on their social media stories.

Lastly, the Aerie Real FoundationTM  has invested in Free The Girls by sponsoring a 2020 shipment to El Salvador and recently awarded FTG with a signature grant! This grant will provide much needed upgrades to Free The Girls bra processing and donation management systems as well as help get inventory into the hands of women and invest into our unique, trauma informed, healing centered job skills training programs. Aerie locations in North America are official drop-off locations.

What are your brand’s unique strengths? What’s your vision for creating global change?

We’d love to hear your ideas! Let’s brainstorm what a collaboration with your brand and FTG might look like as we work together to provide a more hopeful future for trafficking survivors.