Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Dignity Matters was created in 2016 to address the lack of access to essential menstrual care and underwear and bras among homeless women and girls in Massachusetts. The need for free menstrual care at shelters, food pantries and schools is overlooked, so Dignity Matters' mission is focused on these necessities. Dignity Matters strives to provide period protection to all Massachusetts women in need to help them restore their dignity, and to remove some of the monthly reoccurring barriers these women face that prevent them from continuing education or work, looking after their families and achieving their other goals. We carry our mission as the available research, data, and our experience and observations at shelters as well as common sense point to the fact that lack of access to reliable, free period protection amongst women it harmful to menstrual health and dignity of women.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Dignity at Schools
"Dignity at Schools" - through this program Dignity Matters supplies menstrual products, sports bras and underwear to over 50 high and middle schools in Greater Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, Lawrence in MA and Concord, Nashua and Hudson in NH. We have formed a partnership with Catie's Closet enabling us to supply these items to school closets (run by Catie’s Closet) so that girls can access them within their school building. Recent US study showed that “nearly one in five American girls have either left school early or missed school entirely because they did not have access to period products”*. Another 2017 New York study also proved that providing free period protection to school-aged girls reduced school absenteeism by 2.4%.* Because of the direct link between the provision of free menstrual care to schoolgirls and an increased school attendance Dignity Matters considers it a priority to continue to grow its “Dignity at Schools “ program.
To further support teen girls and their wellbeing, Dignity Matters supplies all 11 Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston with menstrual products as well as after-school programs in MetroWest. We are currently expanding to program to schools in MetroWest area.
"Dignity at Shelters"
"Dignity at Shelters" Programs supports homeless women at shelters and domestic violence programs with menstrual care and other necessities.
Where we work
External reviews

Goals & Strategy
Learn 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?
In the short term, we strive to provide free tampons, sanitary napkins and underwear to those women and girls who cannot afford or readily access them. Addressing women’s most basic needs is central to improving the quality of their life, which in turn improves the lives of their family and all those around them. Through our current programs at shelters, public schools, food pantries and medical centers for homeless population, Dignity Matters support 2100 women EVERY MONTH with full period protection, as well as required underwear.
Our long term vision is a world where basic feminine hygiene products are available in all public bathrooms, free of charge, just like toilet paper is (and, incidentally, for similar health and cleanliness reasons). Accomplishing this, ideally though legislative changes, would bring us a big step closer to achieving true equality, which is imperative for a fair and sustainable world where everyone can thrive.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
After six years of operations Dignity Matters grew from a small grass-roots organization to the largest reliable provider of period protection and underwear for homeless women in Massachusetts. We currently (2022) serve over 14,000 women each month with all their menstrual needs, as well as underwear and bras to truly provide them with comfort and dignity we all deserve.
To scale up, Dignity Matters went successfully through a strategic shift from predominantly in-kind donations, to a more scalable product purchasing strategy. This higher efficiency model of increased purchases of products directly from a low-cost volume manufacturer quickly enabled us to increase scale of operation by directly delivering the right specification product, straight to the women in most need, with more controlled delivery timing and product batch quantities exactly matching the needs of the shelters, schools, food pantries we support on monthly basis.
We have negotiated extremely low built-to-spec product supply costs and we plan to pursue our strategic shift over the next 3 years to reach over 4,000 women per month (in 2020), 8,000 women monthly in 2021 and 14,000 women in 2022. As of May 2022 we can confirm we achieved the goal and we continue to grow to serve even more women in need.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Dignity Matters is managed by a strong Board of Directors and Advisory Board who work closely together on governance, vision, relationships, advice and funding. Our staffing consists of the Executive Director, Development Director, Foundations Officer, Warehouse Coordinator and Outreach/Volunteers Coordinator. Our mission is also supported by over 100 regular and 500 additional volunteers each year.
Over the last 2 years we also invested heavily in systems and processes to run efficient operation.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In six years Dignity Matters developed 5 programs through which we serve on monthly basis over 14,000 women at:
1) homeless shelters
2) public schools
3) food pantries
5) public colleges and universities
6) textiles program (underwear and bras) for all women we serve
Dignity Matters also organizes bra and underwear fittings (Dignity Beneath the Blouse Program) through which we serve women at shelters in Boston, Cambridge and Metro-West area. During a one half-day bra fitting as many as 150 homeless women can be fitted with new bras.
Dignity Matters parents with over 160 nonprofits EACH MONTH to deliver over 2.4 million free item each year to the community of local women in need.
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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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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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
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Dignity Matters Inc
Board of directorsas of 05/31/2022
Kate Sanetra-Butler
Dignity Matters
Term: 2020 - 2022
Kate Sanetra-Butler
Dignity Matters
Benjamin Kahrl
Dignity Matters
Jennifer Schiller
Dignity Matters
Laurie Mills
Dignity Matters
Corrie Dretler
Dignity Matters
Donna Fernandes
Dignity Matters
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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
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
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/10/2020GuideStar 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 employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- 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.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.