Clothesline for Arlington Kids
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
The Clothesline for Arlington Kids
We provide a bright and welcoming space where low-income families in Arlington, VA can come twice per year to choose a full wardrobe of clothing for each of their qualifying school-aged children - completely free-of-charge. Wardrobes include 5 tops, 4 bottoms, new underwear and socks. As available, we also provide a winter jacket, dresses or formal wear, pajamas, shoes, swimwear and accessories. We are supported by the generous clothing and financial donations of the community.
Where we work
External reviews

Our Sustainable Development Goals
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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?
Our mission is to collect new and clean, gently used quality clothing from the Arlington (VA) community and distribute it free of charge to low-income school-aged children in a welcoming retail-like store. Over 8,000 kids in the Arlington schools receive free or reduced-price meals, or nearly 1/3 of the students in the County. We aim to provide those children high quality clothing that allows them to feel comfortable in the classroom and focus on schoolwork. Likewise, we also provide a local resource for families that want to donate their quality gently- used clothing to be re-used within the community.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
With the generous donation of new and gently used clothing from Arlington residents and businesses, The Clothesline provides a welcoming, fun, retail-like environment for low-income families to shop for and select a season’s worth of quality clothing twice a year (summer and winter) – completely free of charge. Clients choose a week’s worth of clothing for each of their school-aged children, including: 5 tops, 4 pants/skirts, 5 new underwear and socks, 2 dresses or formal-wear, coats, pajamas, bras, shoes, and accessories. We aim to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for low income families to get the clothes their kids need to feel comfortable at school.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Clothesline is a volunteer run organization, led by our two founders. Ellen Moy is the proud mother of two children in the Arlington schools and has long experience in clothing retail operations. Benjamin Sessions has worked for over 20 years in finance, helping to build and grow businesses. The Clothesline’s activities are made possible through the invaluable support of over 100 volunteers that help process clothing donations, work with clients, and assist in administrative tasks. We work closely with social services agencies in Arlington County as well as social workers at Arlington Public Schools to ensure that families in need are directed to our store. In a similar fashion, we also work with local PTAs, youth organizations, and local businesses to source high quality clothing for donation to The Clothesline.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Clothesline started operations and served its first clients in August 2018. Since then, we have delivered nearly 1,700 full wardrobes of clothing to 950 school children in Arlington – totaling over 43,000 items of clothing given away. Over this initial period, we have built relationships with social services partners in the community and established ourselves as the donation destination for quality children’s clothing in Arlington. Looking forward to 2020, The Clothesline hopes to deliver over 1,400 wardrobes to families in Arlington. We also will work to deepen our connections in the community as a key part of the network of social services.
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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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, 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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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, 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, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
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
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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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.
Clothesline for Arlington Kids
Board of directorsas of 07/26/2023
Ellen Moy
Clothesline for Arlington Kids
Benjamin Sessions
Clothesline for Arlington Kids
Robert Deily
Network for Good DAF
Erin Fuller
MCI USA
Stuart Barkoff
GEF Capital Partnres
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 ? Not applicable -
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? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
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
No data
Disability
No data