The Suitcase Initiative Incorporated | Application Preview
The Suitcase Initiative Incorporated is applying for government grants to support its mission of providing lightly used luggage to children in foster care. The funds will be utilized for various operational costs, including employee salaries, insurance, marketing, transportation, and office rentals. The organization operates remotely during the week, with staff traveling to engage local businesses and potential donors, while also creating donation initiatives online.
With a current staff of six, including executive roles and plans to add more employees focused on donation drives and social media engagement, The Suitcase Initiative aims to enhance its reach. Their objectives include establishing additional drop-off locations and expanding operations into more states. Within two years, they aspire to increase revenue to $300,000 and achieve annual growth rates of 35% initially, followed by 15% thereafter.
The organization, founded by social workers in 2022 and active in Nashville, Orlando, and Tampa, addresses an urgent need for proper luggage for children in crisis transitions who typically rely on trash bags for their belongings. By fostering partnerships with local nonprofits, The Suitcase Initiative stands out from competitors like Love on Wheels and A Bag of My Own, enhancing community connections and demand for their services.
The board's diverse expertise in social services, coupled with low donor response efforts, positions The Suitcase Initiative as a compelling choice for funding approval. Their established presence and community engagement make them a vital resource for children in foster care, ensuring they feel valued during difficult times.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 881121772
Location: ANTIOCH, TN, United States
Length of Operation: 1-5
Number of Employees: 1-10 Employees
Annual Gross Income: Less than $100k
Annual Gross Expense: $100k to $250k
Open to Loans: NO
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Funding Usage
The capital invested in this organization will cover salaries, insurance, fundraising, marketing, transportation, training and development, storage expenses, and office rentals. Any additional amounts will cover print and office supplies, as well as any other needed items. All employees work remotely during the week and on the weekends. Employees travel into the community to meet with local businesses, non-profits, and potential donors to discuss mutually beneficial decisions such as donations, storage, and marketing. When employees are not driving out to external resources, they are creating donation initiatives and connecting with individuals and businesses online through social media and through emails to gather potential donors or networking opportunities. Luggage donations are dropped off to foster care agencies monthly. The board of directors meets virtually each month as well and travels to conduct in person meetings and team building quarterly. Operational facilities currently include the board members' homes, with plans to open one local office in each of the three locations for additional functional, logistical, and drop off purposes. The Suitcase Initiative has a 6-person staff, including a President, Vice President, Secretarial Coordinator, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, and Registered Agent. The goal is to retain these employees while adding two additional persons who will focus mainly on donation drives per operational state, and one person to handle social media and other online engagements.
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Business Plan
The Suitcase Initiative aims to accomplish the following goals and objectives: to create a steady income of material donations such as suitcases and duffel bags; to expand the business by adding at least three more drop off locations as well as by expanding into at least one more state, as well as by partnering with at least three local nonprofits in each operational area in order to be a strong liaison between the community and children in need; to increase the total revenue to $300,000 within two years with an increase of $100,000 per year afterwards; and to realize an annual growth of approximately 35% after two years and approximately 15% every year thereafter. There is an opportunity to expand through additional drop off locations, such as a historic inn located near Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Other future drop off locations may include churches, schools, or local businesses. There are additional opportunities to create connections within the community through organizations such as the Community Resource Center, in which both donors and other non-profits work together in order to create mutually beneficial agreements that both serve the purpose of the organization and help the community. The Suitcase Initiative provides lightly used luggage to local children experiencing foster care, who would otherwise navigate crisis transitions with a mere trash bag. Founded by a group of social workers in 2022, the nonprofit's vision is to ensure all children feel seen and cared for, creating a positive impact for the futures of local and national communities. The Suitcase Initiative currently operates in Nashville, TN, Orlando, FL, and Tampa, FL. The Suitcase Initiative Inc. provides lightly used duffel bag and suitcase donations to children experiencing crisis transitions in foster care. They accept financial and material donations in order to help this cause. The Suitcase Initiative Inc. does not sell products or have memberships. This organization is donation based and will raise funds through donation drives, galas, and grants. The Suitcase Initiative Incorporated has become an established and successful liaison between foster care organizations and the local community. The board of directors has diverse experiences and backgrounds, as well as a high level of expertise in the social services field. The response effort for donors is low, creating a more desirable initiative for participation. TSII also partners with other nonprofits, making it different than its competitors because of high demand for luggage within the specific non-profits TSII is partnered with.
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Self Identified Competition
Love on Wheels is a nonprofit which provides suitcases to children entering the foster care system. Their organization has a website and collect toiletries to provide to these children and serve ages infants through adults. Love on Wheels has 7 partners, three of whom are local to the Nashville area. A Bag of My Own is a nonprofit which provides lightly used luggage to children in foster care in the Orlando area. This writer could not find a website for the organization, and the organization has one known partnership. The organization has held at least one luggage drive in the past, in August 2021. The organization has not posted any new content since May 2021. Luggage of Love is a nonprofit which provides lightly used luggage to foster children in foster care in the Tampa bay area, specifically Pasco county. This writer found a partnership between Pasco County and Luggage of love dated 2021, however when this writer clicked on the link to continue to its' donation drive, the webpage no longer existed. This writer could not find a website for this organization. The Suitcase Initiative Incorporated has become an established and successful liaison between foster care organizations and the local community. The board of directors has diverse experiences and backgrounds, as well as a high level of expertise in the social services field. These fields include grant request writing, financial analysis, political campaigns, hospitality, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, behavioral health, and program director experience. The response effort for donors is low, creating a more desirable initiative for participation. TSII also partners with other nonprofits, making it different than its competitors because of high demand for luggage within the specific non-profits TSII is partnered with. An example of a partnership The Suitcase Initiative has with the community is with Youth Villages, Nashville. YV has been an established nonprofit directly serving foster children for 20 years. Currently, TSII is the only nonprofit providing luggage to YV, who has a demand of at least 6 pieces of luggage per month, and approximately a demand of 50 pieces of luggage annually in December. The Suitcase Initiative has three locations all in major cities with high population densities as well as large tourist attractions. The organization is also close to highways and is close to universities and churches as well.
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Contact Applicant
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