Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shayna Rutman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Shayna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Purses For A Purpose, Inc. is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization aimed to remind the unhoused women in our communities of their value in society. I grew up wanting to help people, and once I turned 17 my father, Keith, introduced the idea of donating unwanted purses to domestic violence shelters rather than donation sites. From there, we explored the idea and started to advertise that we were collecting purses and travel sized toiletries to distribute to the unhoused women in the community (I grew up in San Diego, California). We came up with the name Purses For A Purpose, Inc. together. We gained a lot of traction especially during COVID-19, because I posted a TikTok about the work I was doing alongside Think Dignity’s street boutique, and it gained 1+ million views. People wanted to donate their own purses and time, and we saw the value in that. Since my dad is an attorney, he was able to serve as the board’s Legal Compliance Officer and start the paperwork and filing to become a real 501(c)3 nonprofit. As of June 2021, we have been officially recognized as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Our goal is to remind the unhoused women in our community of their value in society by distributing purses packed with travel sized toiletries.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have always grown up wanting to help others alongside a strong passion for social justice. We collect purses and travel-sized toiletries and pack the purses alongside the members of the community who are donating. From there, we go alongside each city branch’s homeless outreach nonprofit partner to donate them to the women in their facility. They are always lovely to chat with and enjoy having the choice of a purse that speaks to them and makes them feel good! Every woman I have worked with is always so grateful to the members of the community who are donating these supplies who can ensure this important work continues!

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I am currently a graduate student attending American University studying Public Administration with a focus in Nonprofit Management. I hope to get into the nonprofit sector post-grad, especially in the nonprofit capital in the world. This organization means so much to me and I want to grow it as much as I can with everything I am learning in the classroom and out amongst community members.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

In this context, clients will be referred to as donors. I found that the best source of targeting more potential donors is knowing your audience. Since Purses For A Purpose, Inc. collects purses, we typically want to advertise to adult women, and I found Facebook as a great tool for that! Same with travel-sized toiletry donations, typically looking at businesses like hotels or travel enthusiasts who have an abundance of unused, unneeded travel-sized toiletries, Facebook groups are essential for this specific search! Social media tends to unite people in a way, so why not use it for good?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pursesforapurposeinc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.pursesforapurposeinc.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/HkbS9vrV3JEpYFfL/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/purses-for-a-purpose-inc/

Image Credits

International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE)
American University