CLOTHES TO KIDS OF DENVER

We strive to provide a minimum of 10% more wardrobes annually, while ensuring that at least 90% of students receive a full wardrobe (all 21 non-optional pieces). In addition to reaching as many students as possible, CTKD also strives to make a positive impact on each individual student it serves, providing him or her with a high level of service and the opportunity to select clothing in a dignified environment. This note from a Denver Human Services caseworker illustrates our impact:

"I just returned from a home visit with a single mother who is living with two girls, ages 8 and 10, in transitional housing for homeless families. They had come from shopping at Clothes To Kids that morning, and the girls were so proud of their new clothes that they spent the next hour modeling each outfit from their new wardrobe. Their mother said that she has not seen her girls this happy in a very long time and became tearful as she told me how grateful she was that they had new clothes for school. There may not be a way to measure the far-reaching impact that you have on the children who shop at CTK but individually each of the children you serve feels cared about by their community. They receive so much more than some clothes for school. Thank you!

The ultimate goal of Clothes To Kids is to help pave a path for academic success for students from low-income or in-crisis families. While clothing is a basic need for everyone, for children and teens, it is much more. Research shows that children who wear clothes that make them feel like they 'fit in', perform better academically than those who don't. By creating a welcoming, store-like environment where students in need choose the outfits they want, CTKD aims to enhance each shopper's sense of dignity. Our hope is that when students feel comfortable and confident in the classroom, they will better be able to focus on their studies and fit in with their peers. Without CTKD, thousands of Denver children would go without school clothing and basics each year.

2021 GOALS:
* Provide at least 10,500 wardrobes to eligible students in 2022 (14.8 percent more than in 2021, 48.5 percent more than in 2020). Please note this may be adjusted if we need to extend our current COVID-19 safety measures (increased time between appointments, capacity limits and social distancing) into the second half of the year.
* Promote our newly suspended referral requirement and expand outreach efforts across the 11 counties we serve by personally contacting the principal from each of the nearly 1,000 schools in our service area with information about how students can access the program.
* Assist with the fire recovery effort in Boulder County by offering drop-in service to impacted families through May 2022 and keeping in regular contact with school leaders and administrators in both the St. Vrain and Boulder Valley school districts.
* Use results from the 2021 customer survey to update our volunteer orientation and training materials.

The strategies Clothes To Kids will take to achieve the goals detailed above include:

1) Maintain a wide selection of inventory. Clothes To Kids' stock comes from individuals, community clothing drives, retail stores and clothing manufacturers. Clothes To Kids purchases or encourages donations of new socks and underwear, as well as clothing and shoe sizes that are in short supply.

2) Continue volunteer recruitment. With only six paid staff (4.75 FTE), CTKD is heavily reliant on volunteers, who complete a majority of the front-line work of the organization. Volunteers currently serve an average of 940 hours per month and, as of December 2019, have provided 77,055 hours of service since 2008.

3) Plan and implement systematic outreach to eligible students throughout the Denver Metro Area, especially in school districts where 50% or more of students qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch.

In 2015, Clothes To Kids in collaboration with Social Venture Partners (a nonprofit focused on building nonprofit capacity) administered Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) to identify organizational strengths/opportunities and facilitate development of annual objectives. Areas of strength included Clothes To Kids' clearly defined mission, close alignment between mission and programs and high level of volunteer engagement.

Clothes To Kids is in a position to maintain its growth and meet its goals:

1) Clothes To Kids is well-regarded in the community and has built a strong reputation among hundreds of schools, agencies, shelters, hospitals/clinics and faith communities throughout Metro Denver, which have come to rely on Clothes To Kids to meet the clothing needs of students living in poverty or experiencing crisis. In 2016, CTKD administered a survey designed to collect data about customer satisfaction and the impact that school-appropriate clothing has on school performance and attendance. Results were generally favorable, with 87.3% of clients reporting that CTKD was “Better Than" or “The Best" when compared to other clothing resources.

2) Demand for services has steadily increased since Clothes To Kids was founded in 2008, creating the need to move to a larger space in 2010. This space was remodeled in 2014, which increased the amount of room available for shoppers by 81%. Expansion has allowed the shop to extend its hours of operation and schedule more appointments, and there are still many opportunities to maximize our current space by opening longer hours.

3) Clothes To Kids has a stable, fast-growing volunteer force, which is important because the organization relies on volunteers to complete a majority of the front line work of the organization. Volunteers donated a total of 11,280 hours of service in 2019.

4) Strong partnerships with fellow non-profit organizations, such as I Support the Girls Denver, the Sock It To ‘Em Sock Campaign and the Denver Public Schools Pupil Assistance Fund give Clothes To Kids access to free or deeply discounted new clothing, coats, shoes and undergarments.

5) Clothes To Kids is in strong position financially, thanks to the community's support of our mission. 91% of total organizational expenses are program related.

Accomplishments:

* Clothes To Kids has increased the number of wardrobes distributed between 3 and 43% each year since the organization was founded in 2008.

* The Clothes To Kids volunteer force has grown from 40 regularly serving individuals in 2014 to more than 200 at present (2020).

* Despite our rapid growth, our staff and volunteers have maintained a fun and dignified shopping experience by emphasizing excellent customer service and creating a retail-like, boutique environment. In 2016, CTKD administered a survey designed to collect data about customer satisfaction and the impact that school-appropriate clothing has on school performance and attendance. Results were generally very favorable, with 87.3% of clients reporting that CTKD was “Better Than" or “The Best" when compared to other clothing resources. The highlight of the surveys was the comments section, where clients made hundreds of positive comments about CTKD's shopping environment, clothing, volunteers and staff:
- “They are good and patient with you so you can pick anything you like and if you don't find what you need, they go above and beyond to make sure you find it. They help us every year when money gets tight."
- “Very friendly staff. They make you feel like they genuinely care!"
- “Variety, plus they have everything well organized by sizes. Everyone is so nice, patient and helpful."
- “The staff are very welcoming. Found clothes that fit for each of my children. Everything is organized."
- “I like to shop at Clothes To Kids because they help me make sure my kids have clothes for school and church. They know how to organize their stuff and help to understand how to do shopping."
- “The atmosphere and the quality of clothes make the kids feel more like the other kids and get new things. And it frees up money for groceries."

Things to Accomplish Next:
* Continue year-over-year growth in the number of shoppers served.
* Build a staffing plan that will allow Clothes To Kids to meet growth and volunteer recruitment/retention goals.
* Responsibly invest in marketing efforts related to outreach for both referring agencies/clients and supporters/donors.