You may have noticed that in February and March, I decided to donate a portion of sales to specific organizations. You may have been wondering why. What started as a simple way to highlight and donate during Black History Month has turned into something more. I talk a lot about causes that are important to me. I’m a huge advocate of empowering ALL women (including trans women), and especially, women of color. I’ve made it my mission to put my money where my mouth is. For 2021, I’m going to donate to organizations that are furthering causes that are important to me.
One of the first things you learn in business school is to keep your religion and politics out of business. But I don’t think the world subscribes to that anymore. More and more small and large businesses are letting their customers know where they stand on social issues. As a small business, I literally am my brand. And you’ll notice, I don’t shy away from talking about racism and white supremacy and my support for women who look like me.
I talk about being married to a Black man and raising an Afro-Latino son in a world that doesn’t love Black men. I surround myself with women who are breaking barriers in their family histories every day. On The Swirl & Sip Podcast, we highlight how to support black and brown businesses, disparities in healthcare for black and brown women, and why teaching our histories is important.
Since my business is intricately linked with me, it only made sense to donate through my business as well. If you didn’t know, I’m a small business in the literal sense. I am the only person behind Creations By Sasha. I don’t have employees or a team. Every order that goes out, is packed by me. I’m the accountant, social media manager, operations manager, and everything else behind my brand. It’s been my baby for ten years and I’m always dreaming of new ways to grow. To be completely transparent, I barely make a profit from my business. Some years, I break even and others I’m losing money. But I continue with it because I love what I do and I love being able to reach more women.
My goal has always been to empower women to pursue their passions and remind themselves just how powerful women are! The decision to donate a portion of my sales to women serving organizations impacts my business in a big way. But it’s important for me to do it anyway because my purpose is bigger than any money-making endeavor. So for the rest of 2021, I’ll be donating 15% of all sales to a different organization (listed below). These organizations serve to uplift women in marginalized communities or advance women in areas where we don’t have a voice.
If you know of an organization that I should donate to, let me know! I’m already building my donation calendar for 2022. It is my hope that you’ll feel even more inspired to hit “add to cart” in the shop. Your purchase is helping to support organizations that are doing the work to help all women succeed!
February: Landlove Foundation
Loveland Therapy Fund recipients will have access to comprehensive lists of mental health professionals across the country providing high quality, culturally competent services to Black women and girls. Black women and girls deserve access to healing, and that healing will impact generations.
March: She Should Run
In order to reach equal representation in our lifetime, we need to build a Community of women who are curious about the possibilities of public leadership.
April – Invest In Girls
Only 12% of girls feel confident making personal financial decisions. Invest In Girls is ushering in the first generation of financially literate girls and increasing the number of women working in finance.
May – Asian American Feminist Collective
We engage in intersectional feminist politics grounded within our communities, including those whose backgrounds encompass East, Southeast, and South Asian, Pacific Islander, multi-ethnic and diasporic Asian identities. Through public events and resources, we seek to provide spaces for identity exploration, political education, community building, and advocacy.
June – Family Equality
Family Equality’s mission is to advance legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change.
July – SeekHer Foundation
SeekHer Foundation amplifies awareness through social impact initiatives and awards training scholarships to emerging leaders who are bridging mental health gaps for women in their local communities.
August – WISE – Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality & Equality
WISE envisions a world in which Muslim women leaders are instrumental in creating a peaceful and prosperous world anchored in gender equality and human dignity. WISE promotes Muslim women leaders who are on the frontlines advocating for women’s rights, religious pluralism, and peacebuilding. We offer creative solutions to persistent societal issues by amplifying women’s voices at all levels of political, economic, religious, and social discourse.
September – TransLatin@ Coalition
The TransLatin@ Coalition was founded by a group of Transgender and Gender nonconforming and Intersex (TGI) immigrant women in Los Angeles, California, as a grassroots response to address the specific needs of TGI Latin@ immigrants who live in the United States.
October – Women of Color in the Arts
Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA) is dedicated to creating racial and cultural equity in the performing arts field, by promoting professional opportunities for arts administrators and providing a platform to give voice and visibility to women of color.
November – Warrior Women Project
The Warrior Women Project is building a comprehensive, community-based archive of oral history interviews with key organizers and activists of the Red Power Movement of the 1970s into modern Indigenous struggles. The ultimate goal of the Warrior Women Project Archive is to not only record these histories, but to make them accessible to those who need it most—the frontline communities, organizers on the ground, and educators working toward decolonization and anti-racism in the classroom.
December – Step Up
Step Up propels girls living or going to school in under-resourced communities to fulfill their potential by empowering them to become confident, college-bound, career-focused, and ready to join the next generation of professional women.
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