In 2020, VolunTeen, a youth volunteer group in Bel Air, Maryland, collected more than 6,900 pairs of shoes in a teen volunteer shoe drive fundraiser. Funds2Orgs’ records say the money would go back to Harford County.
Funds2Orgs featured VolunTeen in a short video the next spring. It reported that the group had raised more than $2,714 by collecting gently worn, used and new shoes in its community. Our guide to community service project ideas suggests a shoe drive fundraiser as a signature annual project. As you’ll read, VolunTeen’s teen volunteer shoe drive fundraiser shows how one drive can add up.
A nonprofit built around teen volunteers
VolunTeen was founded to create volunteer opportunities for young people. In 2021, CBS Baltimore described it as a Bel Air organization that gives Harford County teens a way to volunteer.
By 2023, a board of 25 teens ran the nonprofit. That year, Baltimore Magazine reported that VolunTeen had served more than 20,000 people. Moreover, it completed hundreds of projects, and donated more than $300,000 in resources and goods.
The 2020 shoe drive fundraiser
Funds2Orgs’ records show that by August 19, 2020, the shoe drive fundraiser had ended with more than 6,900 pairs of shoes collected and the pickup was complete. For a teen service club, that’s a reminder to plan past the last donation: the pickup comes after the collection closes.
Where the money goes and where the shoes go
The money and the shoes take different paths. Funds2Orgs pays by weight after the shoes are received and processed, and VolunTeen’s payment was meant for Harford County.
The shoes enter a resale network in the reuse economy where micro-entrepreneurs buy and resell them in their communities to earn a living. Our social enterprise explanation describes how that process works, and our shoe drive fundraiser FAQ explains how to bag the shoes for pickup.
Starting a teen volunteer shoe drive fundraiser
VolunTeen’s 2020 drive offers a simple model for a teen service club or youth group. Collect gently worn, used and new shoes in your own community, and choose a cause close to home for the money, as VolunTeen chose to. If donors ask what their shoes support, explain both paths: the shoes enter a resale network, and the money supports your cause.
See our nonprofit shoe drive fundraiser page and explore how Funds2Orgs shoe drive fundraisers work before you set your collection dates. When your group is ready, start your shoe drive fundraiser and plan it with a Funds2Orgs fundraising coach.
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