For the Girls, Inc DBA I Support the Girls

I Support the Girls (ISTG) is a unique organization. With only two full-time staff and six to eight part-time staff, our impact is and reach is unparalleled. Volunteers in five countries and 32 states are the foundation of the Affiliate Network, our flagship program. The challenge is always balancing growth and capacity. With the Elevate Prize funding ISTG could better grow our professional team to match the output, better leverage our following on social media, increase our capacity to implement new and existing programs, support our incredible long-term, dedicated volunteers with much needed resources like storage space, and increase our own storage capacity in a sustainable manner. These additions would mean an increase in the amount of product we could receive, distribute, and therefore exponentially intensify our impact. With our current staffing structure, there are many items on the to-do list that are perpetually waitlisted due to existing capacity. ISTG faces the common nonprofit chicken and egg dilemma of structural growth versus financial growth. Funds are necessary to support new positions, and those new positions in turn are necessary to raise the funds.

Six years ago, I heard the words ‘homeless women need bras’, which spurred a Facebook post to collect bras and menstrual products, which resulted in almost 8,000 products in three weeks. That moment turned into a movement as my story was shared, and others began to hear the call to collect and distribute bras, pads, and tampons. Now, we are more than 60 volunteers worldwide who have collectively donated more than 14 million products to 3,000 social service organizations. ISTG has collaborated with over 500 companies, large and small, to ensure pallets of donated product are distributed nationwide. I envision a world where period products are provided freely. Where lack of underwear and bras are not deterrents to daily activities. In the meantime, ISTG will continue to grow and develop new programming to meet identified needs. In the last year we have launched two new programs, with another coming in June, that address pandemic exacerbated needs for specific populations. Survivors of domestic violence, menopausal folks, and trans/nonbinary folx are able to request personalized kits that remove worrying about period poverty and access to other essential items from their plates for a time, allowing them to focus on more important concerns.

Period poverty is when a person cannot access menstrual hygiene products due to financial constraints. Awareness around period poverty has recently become more mainstream, but the issue is perennial. Around 26% of people are currently menstruating, and as of 2019, over 500 million women and girls lack the ability to safely manage their menstrual cycles, meaning 6% of the world’s population is experiencing period poverty. In the US, 1 in 9 women are defined as living in poverty. Inability to afford appropriate undergarments can affect one’s health. An ill-fitting bra can result in back pain, and lack of clean underwear can lead to reproductive and urinary tract infections.

These issues are exacerbated by cyclical poverty and systemic racism, preventing access and opportunity. The pandemic has increased need exponentially, turning ISTG’s former donors into recipients. Starting in April 2020, the requests for products rose by 35% from the previous year. ISTG started providing direct-to-individual programming with customized boxes for unique populations, including survivors of domestic violence, menopausal folks, and trans/nonbinary people in response to COVID-10 service pauses and closures. ISTG is a nimble, fast-moving organization that is able to pivot and respond to identified needs in an effective and time-sensitive manner.

While the premise seems simple, ISTG’s ability to leverage corporate partnerships and individual donations to meet the needs of more than 3,000 social service organizations is innovative. As are the products that are offered. Most social service organizations do not have line items in their budgets for these essential items, nor do they want to use their capital with donors to request them. The relief is palpable when we drop off thousands of tampons at a shelter, or hundreds of pads to a school counselor. Our direct to requestor programs, D.A.S.H., Flash, and Slash Kits at the moment, provide relief and supplies in a discreet and targeted way that meets unmet needs. There are no other organizations doing this work in this way. ISTG also advocates for period equity on a state and national level. Our volunteers are also unique in their level of involvement and dedication. Many have been working with ISTG for more than five years, and distribute hundreds of thousands of products in their local communities from their garage or basement. We do not recruit Affiliates. They come to us, and complete a process to ensure high quality, engaged volunteers.

ISTG was accidentally conceived from a social media post that raised awareness around the issue of period poverty and a lack of bras and underwear in the homeless community. Since then, we have realized that the problem is pervasive in so many communities. While it may seem inconsequential at first glance, access to these products makes in immense difference in the individual lives of the folks who benefit. Not missing school or work due to your period; not getting an infection due to improper menstrual hygiene product use; not experiencing back pain due to lack of a bra or just one that does not fit well; having clean underwear to put on while you wash a dirty pair. While not quantifiable, these impacts are meaningful to individuals. ISTG has now helped manage 742,000 periods, provided more than 1 million bras, 270,000 pairs of underwear, and over 1.6 million toiletries. We are working to streamline our ability to accept large, palletized corporate donations and distribute them nationwide. 

In addition to our work in the US, Affiliate Directors in Australia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Germany, and Canada are supported through our Affiliate Network, proving it is replicable worldwide.