Let’s Get Together and #makeforgood

We are so excited to announce #makeforgood, a project powered by Australian sellers (you!) and in partnership with Plan International to change the world for girls. Jennie Smith, Etsy Australia’s Seller Development Manager, explains how you can get involved.

 

Etsy is filled with creative entrepreneurs who pursue their passions, work for themselves and define success of their own terms.

 

Individually their businesses may be small, but together they offer the promise of a more values-led, people-centred approach to life, business and the broader economy.

 

Did you know that over 90% of Australian Etsy sellers are female? And that many are young women, or women at home with children? Many sellers have never sold their goods online until they open their first Etsy shop.

 

By making it easy to buy and sell goods, Etsy makes entrepreneurship lower-risk and accessible for these populations.

 

But it’s not as easy for all women around the world to start their own business. In many developing countries, women are unlikely to secure a bank loan. Girls are unlikely to be given the same access to education as their male counterparts, and they’re often subject to gender based violence, child marriage, and are more likely to suffer from poor health and nutrition.

 

Plan International’s Because I Am A Girl campaign is aiming to break down these barriers and change the world for girls. They believe that if they can help break down the barriers that prevent millions of girls around the world from gaining the education and skills they need to move from poverty to opportunity, that girls really will be able to transform the world for the better.

 

Etsy’s community of Australian sellers care about girls’ rights and have decided to get together to support Plan’s Because I Am A Girl campaign in their work to change the world for girls.

 

All Australian Etsy sellers are invited to join the #makeforgood campaign to help provide a silver lining for girls living in poverty.

Baby Jives Co

 

What’s involved?

We are inviting sellers to create a product inspired by the theme ‘silver linings for girls’.

Think splashes of silver, clouds, hearts and anything else that represents your own reflection of this theme. You can develop an entirely new product or you can make tweaks to an existing product to reflect the theme.

 

Those who wish to participate will pledge to donate a minimum of 20% of the sale price of their #makeforgood product/s to Plan’s Because I Am A Girl campaign.

 

What kind of a difference can we make?

We have the opportunity to make a real difference. Our initial pledge is to raise AU$20,000 to change the lives of 150 young women through grants to start their own microenterprises. As more sellers come on board we’ll have a better idea of what we can achieve as a community, which will be shared before the October 11 launch date.

 

Here’s the story of Nipa, one young woman whose life was transformed when she received a business grant from Plan International.

How will Etsy support this initiative?

Etsy will be donating commission on #makeforgood products to the Because I Am A Girl campaign (up to a value of $300,000 gross sales).

 

We will also be launching a marketing and PR campaign in order to drive traffic and sales to your #makeforgood products.

 

During this year’s Christmas marketing campaign, Etsy will encourage shoppers to consider gifts with meaning and highlight #makeforgood products alongside our usual gifting suggestions.

Plan International will also be promoting the collection to their loyal followers.

 

There’s also a very special opportunity for one fundraiser who makes a big impact.

Plan is offering a once in a lifetime opportunity for one fundraiser and a friend to travel to Cambodia to see first hand the work Plan are doing to help lift girls out of poverty. You will have the chance to visit a remote community and participate in a Skills Exchange Program with the local women.

We will provide more information and selection criteria as we draw closer to the launch of the campaign.

 

What’s Next?

1. If you’re not already an Etsy seller, you can open a shop at any time in order to participate. Head to www.etsy.com/promotions and enter the code MAKEFORGOOD to have the listing fees waived on your first 20 items
2. Register your interest now! Fill out this form so we can keep you up to date with the campaign’s progress via email
3. Start designing/making your #makeforgood product/s. Remember to reflect the theme ‘Silver Linings for Girls’
4. Plan to have your products ready for sale by early October. We are launching the collection on October 11, International Day of The Girl and will be promoting it until December 24, so if you can, make sure you have enough stock to last through the entire period
5. Join an Etsy Team like BrisStyle. Team Captains will be your primary contact and source of information throughout this campaign. #makeforgood is very much a community driven initiative and teams will help to share information, answer questions and encourage participants along the way. You can join a location or interest based team. Join more than one if you like!

The following teams will be driving this initiative:
BrisStyle
Makers and Designers (MAD) Australia
Stay at Home Mums Australia & New Zealand
Australian Wandarrah
Dust
Etsy Adelaide
Western Australia Street Team
Sydney Made
Melbourne Etsy Street Team
Etsy Goldies

Cleanse with Benefits

Let’s get together and #makeforgood!
Ready to get started? Register your interest, join a team and start creating! Keep us updated as you develop your products via social media using the hashtag #makeforgood and tagging @etsyau and @plan_Australia and #BrisStyle (if you are a BrisStyle member we'd love to support you along the way)

Post edited from original post on Etsy https://blog.etsy.com/au/2015/09/04/lets-get-together-and-makeforgood/