GUIDEBOOK & RESOURCESFOR ORGANIZING A PROM

DRESS DRIVE

2010-2011

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2010 Guidebook | 2

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION About DonateMyDress.org 3

DRESS DRIVES Ways to Support DMD Members 4 Option 1: Drop Off a Dress 4 Option 2: Collect Dresses 4 Option 3: Donate Time 4 Start Your Own Organization 5-7 Becoming a 501(c)3 8 Joining the DonateMyDress.org Network 9 APPENDIX: TOOLS AND RESOURCES Overview 10 Flyer Template 11 Press Release Template 12 Letter from Ashley Greene 13 Sponsorship Letter Example 14 Fundraising Event Example 15 Contact Form 16-17

CONTACT How to Reach DonateMyDress.org 18

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INTRODUCTION

DonateMyDress.org is the first national campaign designed to encourage girls around the country to donate their prom and special occasion dresses to those who cannot afford the costly experience of going to their prom, sweet 16, quinceaera, or formal. The site features a directory of local dress drive organizations across the U.S. that enables girls to easily find where in their local markets they can donate or receive a dress.

DonateMyDress.org thrives on the dedication of volunteers who run dress drives nationwide. They work tirelessly to see that every girl in need receives the dress of her dreams, and they empower her to feel more glamorous and confident than ever before. The campaign also grows with the generosity of our corporate sponsors and individual donors, who are stylish women of all ages, as well as celebrities.

DonateMyDress.org guides girls to take action, while linking them to the prom beauty and fashion resources on seventeen.com that will get them ready for their big night. DonateMyDress.org originated at Hearst Magazines and lives within the Hearst Teen Network, which is one of the top 10 ranked entertainment news Web sites, and one of the top 5 teen networks, according to ComScore Media Metrix.

We are committed to raising awareness of dress donation while helping finance the drives operational costs through our Purple Dress Awards, which are grants funded by proceeds from our annual celebrity dress auction and corporate partnerships.

If you are interested in joining the cause or starting a dress drive organization of your own, this guidebook will get you started!

Tammy Tibbetts, Editor

2010 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR MEMBERS

Option 1: Drop Off a Dress to a Member Organization Identify the organization that will distribute your dress to a girl in need at http://donatemydress.org/donate.html. Visit the organizations Web site or contact the director to find out when and where to drop off your dress.

Option 2: Collect Dresses for a Member Organization Step 1: As with option 1, first identify the organization that will distribute the dresses. Introduce yourself to the chapter director via phone or email. She may send you images or success stories that you can share with your network, to encourage them to donate. Step 2: Decide who could join you in collecting dressesyour classmates? Your dormmates? Your colleagues at the office? Your online social networks, by sending an invitation or posting a note on Facebook? Will you post flyers around your school, residence halls, or office? Will you send a mass email? Or will you simply rely on word of mouth? Its up to you. Regardless of how you make your call to action, remember to: Explain how people should deliver dresses to you Give them a deadline Ask them to dry clean the dress first Step 3: Gather the dresses and deliver them in person or by mail to the DonateMyDress.org chapter.

Option 3: Donate Time Ask the chapter if they need help organizing or staffing dress distribution or fundraising events.

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7 STEPS FOR STARTING A DRESS ORGANIZATION

Are you interested in starting your own organization to collect and distribute prom dresses? You can! Heres your chance to shine as a leader and bring a wonderful service to your community.

STEP 1: Build your team. Set up a meeting with a group of friends who want to help you. If you are a student, also find a mentor a teacher or adult you respect.

STEP 2: Create your image. Choose a name for your organization and design a logo. Launch a Web site or Facebook page.

STEP 3: Figure out your budget. Do you have some cash to cover small costs for flyer print-outs, gas, shipping, banners for event space, etc.? Write a list of needs and costs. Consider whether youll need to fundraise or if you can find local businesses to donate.

STEP 4: Coordinate the collection efforts. Will girls/women drop off their dresses at a school? Or at a community center, local church, or business? Will you accept donations by mail? In what safe place will you store the dresses? (Remember to avoid mildewy basements or places where smokers live.) In what time frame are you collecting the dresses? (Note: You could also accept gently used shoes and accessories.)

Tip for Step 3 Cinderellas Closet of Northern Kentucky says dont forget to budget for these: Garment Racks (approx $70/each 75-100 dresses fit on a rack; make sure theyre commercial grade and at least 6 ft. tall) Hangers (purchase inexpensively from stores going out of business) Plus Size Dresses (partner with a local bridal store to order wholesale)

Tip for Step 4 Fairy Tale Fashions in Aberdeen, Washington recommends looking for help from college sororities.These ladies often go to formals and love philanthropy. Visit hercampus.com or email Stephanie@hercampus.com to connect with some eager collegiettes.

Tip for Step 2 Its cute to have team shirts like LAs Prom Closet

WINNER!

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STARTING YOUR OWN ORGANIZATION, CONT.

Some girls are shy about accepting a donated dress. They may not want others to know that they are struggling to afford prom. Staffing events with older women and teachers, rather than fellow students, is a good idea. If you are a student, help a township where you dont know the girls. Dress distribution events should feel like fairy tales and be fun!

STEP 5: Plan how you will distribute the dresses. Once youve got your donated dresses, how and when will you distribute them to girls? Some organizations gather the girls in financial need at school, at the end of the day or on the weekend. Others borrow space at the YMCA, church, a community center, a firehouse, a bridal dress store, local college campus, office building, etc. Larger chapters have secured donated retail space in a mall. Some chapters give away dresses only during prom season, while others operate year-round to help with dresses for homecoming and other special events. Each chapter puts its own twist on events, and you can check out DonateMyDress.orgs Photo Gallery or our members Web sites for some ideas.

Visit our members at: http://donatemydress.org/donate.html

Tip for Step 5 Fairy Tale Fashions in Aberdeen, Washington allows any girl to bring in two dresses to trade for any dress. This helps keep the inventory filled up and promotes recycling!

Inspiration From Our Members! ***

Just an FYI...

Operation Glass Slipper (MN)Partners with a local store, dry cleaners, and dentist office for year-round drop offs.

Abbys Closet (OR)Hosts an annual gown giveaway during a weekend in April, with the help of a Student Advisory Panel.

Princess Project (CA)Recommends having donation guidelines (i.e. only accept dresses made after 2002 that are dry cleaned)

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STARTING YOUR OWN ORGANIZATION, CONT.

If youre taking pictures or inviting local media to cover the event, its a good idea to have participants sign a form granting permission to use their photos and testimonials in your materials and on your Web site to support the cause. When they know that sharing their story will help more girls by bringing more donors to the cause, theyre usually happy to cooperate.

STEP 6: Consider extra enrichment.Some organizations go above and beyond distributing dressesthey turn their event into a full day of beauty and inspiration! If you have enough volunteers and resources, you can also host workshops where you give girls manicures, teach them how to style their hair, give a dance lesson, or have an empowerment session where they talk about reaching goals after graduation.

STEP 7: Publicize.Think of ways to promote your drive and the distribution event. Create flyers to post in high-trafficked areas like the supermarket, advertise in the local or high school newspaper and church bulletins, ask the local radio station to announce, message friends on Facebook, etc.

DAY OF EVENT: HAVE FUN!After, dont forget to send thank you notes to your supporters. You can send a press release and photos to local media. Share your success with the DonateMyDress.org network, too!

Tip for Step 6

Host a Dream Mapping Workshop, like WorkingWardrobes in California does. Girls cut out pictures that inspire them from magazines and create vision boards of their future, and then they share their dreams with the group.

Just an FYI...

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BECOMING A 501(c)3

If you become a bigger organization and wish to do more fundraising, it is worthwhile to look into getting 501(c)3 status, which means you are a charitable organization and thereby tax-exempt. Your donors can then make tax-free contributions. Consult an accountant, lawyer, or http://www.irs.gov. Each year, you will have to file a form that reports your expenditures and funds raised.

Cinderellas Closet of Northern Kentucky We are a ministry of our church. Its a great option if you dont have the capacity or the knowledge to set up a 501(c)3 organization on your own (churches are automatically exempt from taxation). Being a ministry gives you a instant support from both an administrative and volunteer standpoint. It also normally provides a place to set up your giveaway events churches are normally empty on Friday night and Saturdays.

Member Spotlight: The Couture Girls Closet

WINNER!

Tax-exempt chapters are eligible to apply for our Awards, which give you grant money to support your events and growth. The Couture Girls Closet won a Purple Dress Award in 2009.

How The Couture Girls Closet Started: In 2008, Nicole MacKellar (pictured above) was reading TeenPROM, where she saw mention of DonateMyDress.org. She showed it to her mom, Tracy, and they were inspired to start The Couture Girls Closet.

How Far Theyve Come in One Year: They filed for 501(c)3 status, held a prom dress drive and event, hosted a prom for a special needs school, and in October 2009 they opened a boutique for girls to borrow dresses from year round.

Tip

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JOINING THE DONATEMYDRESS.ORG

NETWORK

DonateMyDress.org is here to help you grow and serve your community! Heres how we can work together:

1. Connect our social media pages to yours so we can promote your events: - Follow us on twitter.com/donatemydress - Friend us on myspace.com/donatemydress - Fan us on facebook.com/donatemydress - Post your member of DonateMyDress.org badge on your site and materials - Embed a I donated a dress badge on your MySpace page, blog, etc. E-mail donatemydress@hearst.com to receive one!

2. Receive funding by applying for our annual grants, the Purple Dress Awards, which are supported by proceeds from our celebrity dress auction and corporate partnerships.

3. Ask and answer questions among others interested in dress donation on our Facebook fan pages discussion board, or you can connect specficially with other leaders of DonateMyDress.org in our private ning network (donatemydress.ning.com). Contact donatemydress@hearst.com for an invitation to the network.

4. Share photos from your events and testimonials from dress recipients on DonateMyDress.org by emailing them to donatemydress@hearst.com. Please include captions with photos.

5. If your chapter changes presidents, please update your contact information in the directory by emailing donatemydress@hearst.com.

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APPENDIX: TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Flyer Template You can substitute the name of your organization and the details of your event.

Press Release TemplateYou can fill it in and send to local newspapers and media outlets in your community.

Letter from Ashley Greene This is a special message from our celebrity spokesperson, Ashley Greene, to help you solicit support and donations from your community.

Sponsor Letter Example Template You can send a version of this to potential sponsors for your events.

DonateMyDress.org Contact Form This is the form to fill out to become listed in the DonateMyDress.org directory.

,

PROM Dress Drive!

DONATEMYDRESS.ORG,For more information, please visit

Were collecting dresses to give to girls in need this prom season. Have any in your closet that youll never wear again? Donate!

the national network of prom dress drives.

WHERE:

WHEN:

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LOCAL PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATE

Contact: Hearst Public Relations Local Chapter Name Contact Info Lindsay Galin, 212.649.2145, lgalin@hearst.com

LOCAL CHAPTER NAME PARTNERS WITH DONATEMYDRESS.ORG A National Campaign to Encourage Girls to

Donate Formal Dresses to Those in Need

City, State (Month X, Year) LOCAL CHAPTER NAME has partnered with DonateMyDress.org, the first national campaign to encourage girls around the country to donate their prom and special occasion dresses to those who cannot afford them. DonateMyDress.org is part of the Hearst Digital Medias Teen Network, anchored by the industrys leading teen brand, Seventeen (www.seventeen.com).

DonateMyDress.org features a directory of local dress drive organizations, including LOCAL CHAPTER NAME, enabling girls to easily find out where in their local markets they can donate or receive a dress. In addition, the site contains a guide for starting your own dress drive, a photo gallery of girls donating and receiving dresses, as well as links to content on prom and quinceaera planning, hair and makeup tips, and other worthy causes. With nearly 70 chapters across the country, the DonateMyDress.org network is continually growing, now reaching Canada and the UK. Young celebrities have also gotten involved in DonateMyDress.org, including Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Brittany Snow, who have all donated dresses of their own.

The idea behind DonateMyDress.org completely hits home for me. I grew up with limited funds, so when I saved enough to buy my prom dress, it was a highlight of my teenage life, said Twilight star and DonateMyDress.org spokesperson Ashley Greene. As spokesperson for the site, my goal is to raise awareness for a great cause, one that helps girls have the most special night of their lives.

According to a 2009 Hearst Teen survey, teen girls spent an average of $220 on a prom dress and $893 total on the prom night experience. Prom is a celebration of four years of friendships and hard work in high school, and every girl deserves to attend it looking her best, said Tammy Tibbetts, DonateMyDress.org editor. Through DonateMyDress.org, we can help make every girls dream come true, regardless of her financial situation. QUOTE ABOUT JOINING THE DMD.ORG NETWORK, said SPOKESPERSON NAME FOR LOCAL CHAPTER. QUOTE.

About Hearst Magazines Digital Media Launched in March 2006, Hearst Magazines Digital Media, a unit of Hearst Magazines, is dedicated to creating and implementing the digital online and mobile strategy for Hearsts magazine brands and other sites which serve the companys consumers and audience. The unit has launched or re-launched 18 web sites and nine mobile sites for brands such as Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, and Seventeen, as well as non-magazine brand sites such as TheDailyGreen.com, RealBeauty.com, and MisQuinceMag.com. During this time, Hearst Digital has also acquired the eCrush Network (eCRUSH.com, eSPIN.com), Kaboodle.com, and RealAge.com to round out its growing portfolio of interests for teens and women.

About Local Chapter

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LETTER FROM ASHLEY GREENE

Dear Friends of DonateMyDress.org,

I decided to become the DonateMyDress.org spokesperson because it completely hit home for me. I grew up with limited funds, so when I saved enough to buy my prom dress, it was such a highlight in my teenage life. I went to my high school sweethearts senior prom and had a blast. I felt truly beautiful. Its unrealistic to expect to feel that way all the time, but if there is ever a time to feel perfect, its prom. Prom was such a big deal; you cant quite understand it unless you experience it.

As spokesperson for DMD, my goal is to raise awareness for a great cause, one that helps girls have the most special night of their lives. Like Alice Cullen, the character I play in Twilight, I absolutely love dressing friends up in my clothes and I know the importance of a good prom dress. My dress helped to create a night that cannot be replicated. Everyone should be able to have that experience and remember it fondly forever.

My dresses all hold sentimental value, but if donating my dresses can give someone else the same feeling I once had, its completely worth it.

~Ashley Greene

Real Girl Inspiration

I am a girl who is very fortunate. I have grown up in an affluent house on the outskirts of town. I recently went to my cousins house and she was telling me about Ashley Greene and how she works with an organization for donating prom dresses. My cousin, a couple of her friends, and I donated 14 dresses to Abbys Closet in Oregon. We collected them from our moms and sisters and I bought three with my birthday money. I felt so good helping people find a dress for prom. Thank you, DonateMyDress, for helping girls find dresses.

~Emily

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SPONSORSHIP LETTER EXAMPLE

This is an example of a letter that the founder of Operation PROM uses to obtain sponsors, tweaking where needed, depending on the event and needs. You can model your letter after hers.

Operation PROM P.O. Box 924

Bronxville, NY 10708 914-672-3070

www.HelpPROM.org To Whom It May Concern:

Operation PROM was established in 2005 to assist less fortunate students in Westchester County. Our mission is to provide young men and women with the opportunities that others take for granted. The main initiative of Operation PROM is to provide donated prom dresses and tuxedos to these students, many of whom live in shelters and group homes or very low income households. We also reach out to the learning disabled and physically and mentally handicap students.

Operation PROM is an advocate of higher education and promotes academic excellence. For two years, we have awarded two deserving high school seniors with the Operation PROM Leadership Scholarship.

This year, we distributed hundreds of prom dresses to students from Mount Pleasant to Peekskill and New Rochelle to Yonkers, all across Westchester County. Operation PROM is the only organization of its kind in the county and has been featured in The Journal News, The New York Times, and on CBS 2 News.

On October 23rd, 2009, Operation PROM will host its 4th Annual Fundraiser at the Bronxville Womens Club. The event will feature guest speakers, a silent auction, food, and entertainment. Our guests will include teachers, guidance counselors, principals, supporters, and volunteers.

As founder of Operation PROM, I ask that you please join us and become a sponsor. Attached, you will find information regarding sponsorships. I am truly looking forward to a successful event with hopes that you choose to take part in our achievements!

Thank you,

Ms. Noel DAllacco Founder

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FUNDRAISINGEVENT EXAMPLE

If you need to fundraise money to cover the operational costs of your dress organization, you can host an event like Operation PROM has done in the past. Here is what sponsorship opportunities entailed:

Silent Auction Fundraiser

Friday, October 23rd 7:30pm to 10:30pm

Bronxville Womens Club Midland Ave, Bronxville

Sponsorship Opportunities: Bronze $100 1 event ticket and listing in event program

DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 14TH

Silver $250 2 event tickets, event program and Web site listing DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 14TH

Gold $500 2 event tickets, event program, Web site listing, and an exclusive listing in our Journal News and affiliated press advertisements

DEADLINE AUGUST 26TH

Silent Auction Donation Sponsorship level will correlate with the value of the item donated. Item requested by September 30th.

* All sponsors have the opportunity to include giveaways in the guest gift bags, which have been sponsored by Bloomingdales *

A Success! Noel raised more than $5,000 at this event for her dress drive organization, which also has a scholarship fund. Shes pictured here with Miss New York International, Jacqueline Brooks.

Invite your local pageant queen for press and excitement stepping out in style for a good cause is part of her crown!

tip

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LOCAL PARTICIPATION FORM

Please fax the two pages of this completed form to 646-280-4434.

CHARITY INFORMATION

*Charity Name:

*City, State:

Coverage Area:

*Website URL:

*Social Networking or Twitter URLs:

*General Phone Number:

*General Email:

Contact Name:

Contact Phone Number:

Contact Email:

* This information will be posted on DMD.org. Please let us know if there is anything that you do not want posted.

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LOCAL PARTICIPATION FORM, CONT.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Are you a 501(c)3 tax exempt charity? Yes No

Do you collect dress donations on specific dates? If so, on which dates?

Where are the dress drop-off locations?

Who receives your donated dresses?

Do the recipients have to qualify in some way to be eligible for a dress donation? Yes No

What is your average annual quantity of dress donations?

Do you conduct any promotional events? If so, what kinds? Yes No

Do you have any retail partners? If so, who, and what is the nature of their role? Yes No

Would you like to share any photos to post on DonateMyDress.org? If so, please attach as JPEGs. Yes No

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2010 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

CONTACT

For more information about DonateMyDress.org,

contact Tammy Tibbetts:

300 W 57th St. New York, NY 10019

donatemydress@hearst.com