Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Diapers are a basic need for every baby, but incredibly expensive and not covered by food stamps or other forms of public assistance. Struggling to make ends meet, many low-income families in our community are confronted with the impossible decision of whether to feed their family or diaper their baby. A recent Economic Policy Institute survey showed it takes a salary of over $106,000 per year for a family of four to get by in the DC metro region. Yet, 98% of families receiving products from Greater DC Diaper Bank have incomes below $50,000; nearly 80% of those families have an annual income below $20,000. We believe that the stress of parenting an infant is hard enough without having to wonder where your baby’s next diaper is going to come from.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Diaper Distribution
We distribute more than 500,000 diapers each month to 70 partner organizations working with families in poverty across the region. Our partners use diapers as part of their ongoing comprehensive support of these families.
The Nursery Project
After hearing from our partners about the need for quality baby gear for the families they serve, we launched The Nursery Project in 2017. We use our connections to manufacturers, grants and financial donations to bring in these necessities (e.g., car seat, baby carrier, stroller) and distribute them through our robust partner network.
The Baby Pantry
While diapers and wipes are always our most needed items, our families often struggle with other essentials to help their families thrive. The Baby Pantry, begun in July 2014, is a registered food pantry through Montgomery County, Maryland that provides food, formula, breastfeeding supplies, bottles, pacifiers, adult hygiene items, baby hygiene items, adult diapers, tampons, pads, and potty training supplies to families in need.
The Monthly
Families who receive our diapers tell us they have gone without buying period products in order to purchase food or other basic needs. It means using toilet paper, fast food napkins, socks, paper towels from public restrooms, or using the same tampon for too long. We can do better than this. Period.
Emergency Assistance
In January 2019 we went outside our normal distribution model to directly support the families impacted by the government shutdown. In 2020, we launched Diaper Need Hubs to provide a one-stop shop for essentials to families in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Where we work
Awards
Washingtonian of the Year 2019
Washingtonian
CNN Heroes 2016
CNN
Woman of Worth 2014
L'Oreal
Champion of Care 2014
Johnson & Johnson
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Parents, Families, Infants and toddlers, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Diaper Distribution
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of families served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, Families, Parents, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Diaper Distribution
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of program sites
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Parents, Infants and toddlers, Caregivers, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Diaper Distribution
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We work with local social service organizations to distribute our diapers and other baby supplies, using our products to connect clients to the broader support systems offered by those partners.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Diaper Distribution
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Volunteers play a critical role in our work by sorting, counting, and bundling diapers; building shelves; helping with communications; hosting diaper drives; and providing other support to our team.
Number of new donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
As our work and reach has grown over the past few years, so has our base of support from within and outside the DC metro area.
Number of grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Diaper Distribution
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
GDCDB seeks funding each year from both local and national funders and has been fortunate to grow our community of support significantly in the past several years.
Estimated dollar value of food donations distributed to community feedings programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Parents, Low-income people, Infants and toddlers, Caregivers
Related Program
Diaper Distribution
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Through our Baby Pantry program, we distribute formula and baby food (and other infant essentials) to our community partners.
Estimated dollar value of clothing and household goods donations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Parents, Caregivers, Low-income people, Infants and toddlers
Related Program
Diaper Distribution
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Diaper distribution is our core activity; we also distribute hundreds of bundles of baby gear (car seat, carrier, stroller, etc.) to families each year.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Greater DC Diaper Bank (GDCDB) was founded in 2010 to support the ever-growing number of vulnerable families raising infants and toddlers in the Washington, DC region. We work each year toward three primary organizational objectives: 1) improve the physical and mental health of babies and parents living in poverty; 2) build the capacity of social service agencies to support these low-income families; and 3) educate the broader community about the impact of poverty on families in the DC area.
We believe that no one should ever have to make the choice between food or diapers, but also that diapers are only the beginning of what struggling families need: these families often need comprehensive social services that address a range of issues from food and diapers to medical and mental health. That’s why we partner with organizations across the region that offer whole family care.
We believe collaboration is essential for systemic change, and a key part of our mission is to support partners in accomplishing theirs. Our partners use our products in a range of ways, including attracting new moms and dads, retaining existing clients, and as incentives to attend classes and programs. In 2020, 70% of Community Partners reported that without GDCDB products their organization would not be able to serve clients as effectively; 98% of our Community Partners indicated that offering GDCDB products helps build trust with clients.
In the fall of 2020, we began a strategic planning process that will help us establish appropriate focus and goals for the coming years, building on our recent warehouse expansion and the exponential we saw in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
GDCDB secures, stocks, and supplies the reliable source of diapers and baby care items that families need. In collaboration with our partner network, we execute the following programs:
• Diaper Collection and Distribution: GDCDB leverages our extensive network to secure diapers from multiple sources: in-kind donations from families and corporations and discounted purchases from wholesalers. We stock and bundle these diapers in our warehouse with the support of volunteers, distributing over 500,000 diapers each month through a network of over 70 partners.
• The Baby Pantry: GDCDB stocks formula, wipes, baby food, and often-overlooked hygiene and personal care products for babies and adults, distributing $30,000 worth of items each month.
• The Nursery Project: Launched in October 2017, this program promotes safe sleep, safe play, and safe travel by distributing bundles of baby gear through our existing network of community partners. To date, we have distributed $301,446 worth of products.
• The Monthly: Like diapers, period products are necessary, expensive, not covered by public assistance, and rarely provided by social service agencies in a systematic manner. Since the program’s start in November 2016, we have distributed over 1,049,542 period products through our partners.
• Emergency Assistance: In January 2019 we went outside our normal distribution model to directly support the families impacted by the government shutdown. In 2020, we launched Diaper Need Hubs to provide a one-stop shop for essentials to families in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, GDCDB brings in more than 1,000 community members to volunteer at our warehouse each year in tasks ranging from stocking and inventory to communications and shelving construction. GDCDB volunteers are essential to our operations and each trip to our warehouse educates them about the issues so many of our neighbors face and fosters a passion for working to address the underlying challenges creating such poverty and inequity in our community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We partner with 75+ social service agencies to distribute our diapers efficiently and to the families most in need; these partners use our products as gateway resources to more deeply and consistently engage clients with the other support services they offer, easing the burden of poverty in critical ways. In 2019, we served more than 10,000 families with 2 million diapers. As the COVID pandemic crippled our local economy and thrust families into new or intensified economic uncertainty, our model proved to be flexible, scalable, and responsive in critical ways: in 2020, we distributed 7 million diapers to 25,000 families, and in 2021 that number grew to 9.5 million diapers to 30,000 families.
GDCDB also raises community awareness of the needs of our region’s most vulnerable children. We take pride in being a family-friendly space, with a child play space, a nursing chair, a highchair, and—of course—a changing table. Through our innovative Ambassador program, 200 volunteers open up their homes and businesses as designated diaper drop-off locations around the region, making it easy for families to donate and allowing our Ambassadors to serve as our voice in their neighborhoods. Finally, we leverage our technical expertise in diaper need to advocate for low-income families in local and national press and among regional policymakers.
None of our work would be possible without generous support from individuals, businesses, and foundations. In 2019, we surpassed $1 million in financial contributions for the first time. We have had record-setting fundraising years in 2020 and 2021 through community crisis giving and generous support from new donors. At the beginning of 2021 we hired a Development Director to further expand our fundraising capacity.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since our early days as a tenant of the Capitol Area Food Bank we have grown exponentially in response to the needs from our partners and the larger DC area community. The following milestones represent that steady and thoughtful growth over the past 8 years:
• 2013: Established our own warehouse.
• 2014: Started a Montgomery County, Maryland-certified food pantry to distribute formula, baby food, wipes, and critical hygiene items for both babies and caregivers.
• 2015: Hired our first paid staff.
• 2016: Launched The Monthly to provide much in-demand period products.
• 2017: Began the Nursery Project, supplying baby gear for safe sleep, safe travel, and safe play.
• 2019: Piloted emergency response services to help families affected by the January government shutdown; expanded warehouse space by 50%.
• 2020: Marked our 10th anniversary; scaled diaper distribution 200% in a matter of weeks to support families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 2021: Opened an additional 2500 square foot warehouse space dedicated to our Baby and Essentials Pantry to allow partners expanded access to necessary items. Reached our highest distribution year to date with 9.5 million diapers.
Since 2010, we have distributed 24 million diapers and enough formula to fill 270,000 8oz bottles, and more than a $2 million worth of other hygiene items.
Our primary goal for 2021 and beyond is to expand our presence across the region so we can reach more families in need. Last year, our partner survey provided data that will help determine where beneficiaries reside and where there are gaps in coverage. We learned where we could be doing more, particularly in Northern Virginia and Prince George’s County, and we are using our survey data to conduct targeted outreach to recruit new partners to fill those gaps.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
We serve low-income families in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
When we launched The Baby Pantry in 2014, we provided just a few extra baby basics to supplement our diaper distribution: wipes, formula, bottles, pacifiers, etc. Based on feedback from our clients and community partners, we expanded the variety of products offered several years ago. Now, community partners are able to offer breastfeeding supplies, tampons, pads, baby food, potty training supplies, and other essential - and expensive - to their clients.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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GREATER DC DIAPER BANK
Board of directorsas of 01/31/2023
Nicole Kaeding
Amazon
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/17/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.