We were lucky to catch up with Renee Schneider recently and have shared our conversation below.

Renee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

Foster Fete’s mission is to make birthdays bright for kids in foster care, and to let these kids know that they are worthy of being celebrated! Started in 2021, this organization has reached over 1100 children in the Denver-metro area! The idea for this nonprofit was born after Renee read an article that discussed why children in foster care don’t always get to have their birthdays celebrated. Of all of the problems, this seemed like an easy one to do something about and a month later, Foster Fête was legally formed. With over 4500 foster children in Colorado, and only 2300 foster homes, birthdays can be missed due to financial and time constraints. Foster Fête
works in partnership with Denver Health, Denver Human Services and various agencies to
provide birthday bags stuffed with presents to both foster and kinship families. This organization
also provides custom birthday celebrations to foster kids which include a cake, balloons and
presents. Each child is asked ahead of time for something they need, and something they want,
and Foster Fête makes both of these happen (plus gifting many other items)! Foster Fête
strongly believes that every child should experience the joy of being celebrated, and they strive
to make these birthdays the best one yet for each child! Their goal is to enrich their lives with
intangible things such as hope, kindness, and stability from the community.

Renee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Renee Schneider is a Denver-native, and lives in Park Hill with her husband and young daughter. When Renee isn’t celebrating birthdays, you can find her planning vacations, walking her beloved dog, Fenway, or organizing toys at the warehouse. Renee worked for over a decade as a nurse, but dug up her old marketing degree and put it to use when creating Foster Fete. Renee’s grandpa and great aunt were both foster children during the Spanish Flu, which always left a special spot for foster children in her heart. Renee is most proud of the effect these birthdays have had on children. It is an incredible feeling to hear that you helped a child have one of the best days of their lives, and knowing they will keep this memory in the days ahead. Renee does this on a volunteer basis, so any donations go directly to a birthday and donations are able to go extra far! Because we are volunteers, we rely heavily on donations and support from the community!

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Initial funding for Foster Fete came from Renee. However, after one year, she was able to make it a self-sustaining nonprofit! She focused more on product and Amazon donations, as they were far easier to obtain versus cash donations. Due to this strategy, her cash needs are relatively low and she continues to seek goods instead. She continues to use a 2 part strategy, asking companies directly for product donations and asking the community via social media for gifts from Amazon Wishlists (asking influencers to share her lists has been the most successful way to get toys to date).

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Foster Fete is comprised of 10 volunteers, so we are a close-knit group! Since volunteers aren’t paid, it’s important to understand that people are volunteering their time and skill, and Renee allows volunteers to contribute how they want to. There are no hour requirements, and she’s always open to ideas on how to better improve the process. Having volunteers help monthly has been the most successful strategy, so that the commitment isn’t too large for them and they don’t get burned out. Since volunteers don’t get to see the kids, Renee shares photos with her volunteers, so they can see the smile that their work directly helped – immediate job satisfaction! It is important that volunteers are able to understand how their role contributes to our nonprofit at large, and that they feel valued.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fosterfete.com
• Instagram: @fosterfete
• Facebook: @Foster Fete