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| Formation | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Wayne Elsey |
| Type | For Profit Social enterprise |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida, U.S. [1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Method | Shoe-drive fundraisers |
| Subsidiaries | Sneakers4Funds, Shoes With Heart, Cash4Shooz, Sneakers4Good, Green Sneakers |
| Website | funds2orgs |
Funds2Orgs is a for profit social enterprise and fundraising platform that partners with nonprofits, schools, and businesses to organize shoe-drive fundraisers. [2] [3]
Funds2Orgs was founded in 2004 by Wayne Elsey after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. [4] [ user-generated source ] [5] In December 2015, Elsey Enterprises, the holding company of Funds2Orgs acquired Shoes With Heart, a shoe drive fundraising business based in Southern California. [6] In 2016, Funds2Orgs launched Sneakers4Funds, a subsidiary that targets schools, parent-teacher associations, and sports teams to collect gently used and new athletic shoes for fundraising campaigns. [6] [7] In the same year, Funds2Orgs partnered with a Monastery in El Paso, Texas, to distribute donated shoes globally to create microenterprises. [8]
In March 2018, Funds2Orgs acquired the Cash4Shooz shoe drive fundraiser for an undisclosed amount, integrating its operations into the Funds2Orgs network. [9] [10] Funds2Orgs later rebranded Sneakers4Funds to Sneakers4Good, an organization dedicated to collecting shoes and distributing them to individuals in developing countries to create local economies through the reuse and microenterprises for the local market. [11] [12] [13]
Funds2Orgs partners collect gently worn, used, or new shoes, which are shipped to micro-entrepreneurs in countries like Haiti, Guatemala, and Cambodia, where they are sold at affordable prices, enabling them to create microbusinesses. [14] [15] Funds2Orgs pays partner organizations based on the weight of shoes collected, typically $0.40 to $1.00 per pound. [16]
Funds2Orgs launched Haiti's first shoe-drive microenterprise training depot in 2016, creating jobs and supporting local economies. [17] In the same year, Funds2Orgs partnered with the Green Bay Press-Gazette to donate shoes to animal shelters, providing an additional revenue stream. [18] Oconomowoc High School in Wisconsin and Lakewood High School in New Jersey have raised thousands through shoe drives in 2017. [19] [20] The following year, the League Education and Treatment Center traded the shoes it had collected with Funds2Orgs to help build a new playground for special needs students at the League School in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. [21]
In 2020, the East Clinton Band Boosters in Ohio used Funds2Orgs to raise money for their programs by collecting unwanted shoes. [22] Pennsylvania's Beth El Congregation partnered with Funds2Orgs in 2022 to collect gently worn, used, and new shoes for redistribution to global microenterprises. [23] In the same year, Sneakers4Good also partnered with the Boston Marathon's Giving Day to recycle running shoes in 2022. [24] In 2023, Funds2orgs launched a shoe drive in New York and surpassed its goal to support Ryan Abbey and his family as Ryan battles leukemia. [16] In the same year, Congregation Shir Tikvah in Troy partnered with Funds2Orgs for a shoe drive fundraiser, directing the proceeds to support social action initiatives, arts and culture education, and community outreach programs. [25]
In 2024, Funds2Orgs has partnered with environmental initiatives like Earth Day 5K runs to recycle shoes, [11] and with animal welfare groups such as Great River Rescue in Minnesota to repurpose shoes for shelter funding. [26] In 2025, West Rowan Elementary in North Carolina partnered with Shoes With Heart, Funds2Orgs and Sneakers4Good to host a shoe drive to support micro-entrepreneurs. [27]