Sylvia's Sisters

End Period Poverty

So you want to start a product drive?  Amazing!  Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Build a team.  Put together a small group that will help you organize this drive, so that you can divide and conquer—teamwork makes the dream work!
  2. Figure out the details of your event.
    • What?  What types of products will you be collecting?  Sylvia’s Sisters accepts donations of all types of period products, but feel free to restrict your drive to a certain type of product.  Also consider whether you will accept monetary donations or not.
    • Where?  You can set up a drive at your school, at a local business, or even in front of your house.  Wherever you decide to hold your drive, make sure it is in a central location that is visible and easily accessible to possible donors.
    • When?  Think of a time of year/time of day when lots of people stop by the place you would like to host your drive.  When will your drive start/end?  Making it too short can minimize your donations, but making it too long can reduce the incentive for people to donate—somewhere between 1 and 3 weeks is a good target.
    • How many?  Set a goal of how many products you would like to collect.  Keep in mind that the size of your donation bin can affect the number of donations you receive.
  3. Advertise your drive.  Check out this customizable poster template or feel free to make your own posters/social media graphics to get the word out about your drive.  Make sure they include information about when and where your drive will be located, as well as who to contact with questions.  You can print these out and post them in popular locations and ask your friends and family to help spread the news by reposting them on their social media accounts, as well.
  4. Run your drive.  This is the fun part!  Set up your drive and watch the donations flow in.
  5. After your drive… 
    • You can mail the products you have collected to Sylvia’s Sisters at:
      P.O. Box 13812
      Richmond, VA 23235
    • Or call to make arrangements to meet for a pick up at: 1-804-920-7257
  6. Celebrate a job well done by taking a picture with your team and all the products you have collected!  Post it on social media to show people the awesome work you are doing, making sure to tag @sylviassisters!

For additional information/resources, we recommend checking out this awesome toolkit put together by the Alliance for Period Supplies.

Good luck!  Together, we can end period poverty!