Turning a $200 Seed Investment into a $500+ Charitable Impact
Context
In my first semester of graduate school, a professor assigned us to random groups and told us we had to create a side hustle. This had to be executed along our other classes, assignments, and differing schedules. My group got together, told each other our names, and got started ideating. We found that we all valued mental health and arts and crafts… but how could we possibly overlap the two?
Deliverables
Social posts, website, compelling final business pitch, expansion idea, in person sales events
My Role
Cross-Functional Leadership: Navigated conflicting schedules and diverse passions of a newly formed team to align on a singular brand vision.
Project Management, Operations & Logistics: Managed the end-to-end project lifecycle, including financial tracking, supply chain (prototyping durable goods), and legal compliance for VCU campus tabling.
Market Research & Strategy: Spearheaded a consumer preference survey; utilized data-driven insights (e.g., the 41% charity-incentive stat) to pivot product design and pricing strategy.
Stakeholder Management: Acted as the primary liaison between the "agency" (the team), the "client" (Mental Health Virginia), and the "regulatory body" (professor).
Research
My strategist and I created a survey and conducted interviews with peers. We asked consumers what mattered most when purchasing jewelry.
Our survey showed the most important factors are that the product is durable and long lasting, affordable, and unique. It also showed that almost half of respondents would be more likely to buy jewelry if the proceeds went to charity, and were more likely to buy if it included an uplifting message.
This information helped define how we proceeded with supply chain and operations. We made sure the bracelets were secure, affordable, and unique.
We created jewelry that featured messages encouraging hope and healing, and emphasized to all customers that proceeds go to Mental Health Virginia.
To keep it simple…
-
Mental health stigma in high-stress academic environments and a lack of accessible resources.
-
A diverse, cross-functional team of strangers with a $50/person budget and 16 weeks to launch a fully functional business.
-
Build a brand from scratch that facilitates conversation.
Mental Health Virginia is the oldest mental health advocacy organization in the state. Their mission is to increase public awareness, decrease stigma and keep mental health issues on the forefront of our minds in both everyday life and in legislative agendas.
We felt they were best to partner with because of their mission, deep community trust, and clear communication on where donated funds would go.
Social Media
Bracelets and Sales
Project Summary
Verve is a handmade bracelet company that is designed to uplift others and encourage conversations about mental health within the greater Richmond community. Each bespoke bracelet features a card with uplifting messages to encourage the consumer and those they care about. 100% of our profits are proudly donated to Mental Health Virginia.
We made a goal to raise $500 to donate to Mental Health Virginia, which is the amount that sends one crime trauma survivor to a two-day recovery and resilience program.
With our ambitious goal, we had to hit the ground running with bracelet making. I started testing materials for longevity, size, and consumer interest. After about a week, I made sure everyone on the team had proper materials to start their bracelet making process.
We got our messages through to our classmates and the Richmond community through our Instagram page. We used it to post about our sales, fun and mental health forward content. I made us a content calendar to store our Instagram posts and schedule them each week.
We spent a lot of our time making and perfecting our bracelets. I product tested each one for longevity and quality before we started and made sure everyone had matching V charms (for Verve) and their corresponding specialty charm. Each one was thoughtfully handmade and unique. Each charm represented a different feeling and had an uplifting message on every card.
Outcome
This project proved that even with a limited budget and a team of strangers, clear communication and data-backed strategy can turn a classroom requirement into a community-wide conversation.
We were overwhelmed with the support received from our community and couldn't have been happier about the outcome of this project. Verve has inspired me to continue advocating for organizations that inspire me.
Mental Health Virginia reached out to my group and thanked us personally for our large donation, saying that we had helped change someone's life. I felt extremely fulfilled knowing that I had been a part of something that made a difference; we made people smile, strengthened our community, and changed someone’s life.
Elise Tanenbaum - Creative Brand Manager
Kathleen Firment - Strategist
Sara Cole - Experience Designer
Eliza Fry - Art Director
Diana DeGroot - Copywriter
