The Spring Exchange

Brief description of the project

We hosted a pop-up thrift shop at Pilot Project in Logan Square to raise money for the Salvation Army. We gathered, sorted, and sold clothing and accessories and all funds from the event were donated as well as the left-over clothes that we had after the event. We had tons of people come through with the local flea market as well as a super cool venue, which we were lucky enough to get for free, and raised and donated just over $1,000 dollars to The Salvation Army as well as two car loads of clothes!

Brief description of the charity

The Salvation Army is a Christian-based nonprofit organization that provides assistance to people and communities through programs including food assistance, disaster relief, housing support, rehabilitation services, youth programs and thrift stores. Founded in 1865, the organization aims to help those in need through community outreach and donations and social services to create long-lasting support and a positive impact.

Factual analysis of success in terms of project objectives

Objectives:

Generate revenue through clothing sales and donations
Minimize expenses while maximizing overall impact
Create additional value through leftover clothing donations

Result:

Generated just over $1,000 in donations and clothing sales
Gave away 2 car loads worth of clothing
Got a venue for free and brought in a lot of people

Two or three lessons learned about managing projects

One lesson we learned throughout this project was how important it is to be adaptable. Even though we had a solid plan going into the event, there were still unexpected things that came up along the way. For example, we received way more clothing donations than we originally anticipated, so we had to quickly work together to organize and sort everything. We also found out that the Logan Square flea market was happening at the same time as our event. At first we saw it as a challenge, but it actually helped bring more foot traffic into the area and gave us the opportunity to connect with more people. Overall, this project showed us how important communication, teamwork, and a positive mindset are when managing a project.

Advice for future teams doing similar projects

Our advice would be to solidify a plan early on and make sure you are prioritizing your actions the right way. For example, our group knew that getting clothes and having a venue would be the two most vital things we needed, so we banded together and worked on those deliverables right away. If you focus your energy on the wrong things, then there is a bigger chance that something may go wrong.

We would also advise meeting with your team once a week. This is something that helped us tremendously because we were able to talk through where we were at with our deliverables, what else needs to be done, and just have an open space to bond and get to know your group mates. We used Teams and we would highly recommend since you can set up meetings, create an agenda, and can keep all your documentation in once accessible spot that everyone can access.