How Dressember Works: From Advocates to Tangible Impact
When Blythe Hill started wearing dresses every day in December (hence, Dressember), she had no idea it would grow to a global movement with over 35,000 advocates worldwide. By year three, people Blythe didn’t even know wanted to take part in this quirky style challenge. Blythe realized there was potential to make a real positive impact with Dressember, so she decided to launch a fundraising campaign to support anti-trafficking programs. Within days, the group hit its first goal. Blythe was shocked and humbled; she had no idea Dressember would soon become a global community with exponential impact.
Fast forward 8 years and the Dressember community has raised over $13MM to support anti-trafficking programs around the world. What started as a creative outlet turned into a global movement of passionate advocates looking to make a positive impact in the world.
That’s the power of Dressember: individuals coming together to form a community and combat trafficking from every angle.
Let’s Talk About HOW That Impact Happens
First, advocates sign up and create their fundraising page. During this part of the process, you are guided through outlining your Dressember pitch and campaign goal. This space is designed for you to share with family and friends why you are advocating and how they can support you and the cause. Dressember facilitates a fun, engaging way to participate in social impact while educating others about the reality of human trafficking and all the issues it intersects with.
During the month of December, advocates wear dresses or ties for 31 days. The style challenge serves as a creative outlet to a) have fun, b) share your fundraising campaign with others, and c) participate in a global campaign and community. Advocacy work takes persistence; it’s not a one-time choice. Staying engaged in social justice issues like human trafficking takes both stamina and commitment. By pairing this kind of work with a fun style challenge, our hope is that the work is more sustainable and ultimately a life-long practice.
Each Spring the Dressember team spends time analyzing the previous year’s programs before deciding what to fund the following year. We invite organizations with proven impact to apply for partnership. In addition, when we see gaps in services, we initiate strategic efforts.
To vet these organizations, we rely on survivors and field experts to guide the process and we track both financials and impact to determine the validity of the programs. In all our work, we strive to center survivors, partner with local organizations that employ local leaders, address intersectional issues and risk factors, and ensure long-term sustainability for survivors.
Our Grant Advisory Committee is 80% survivor-led, the members of which remain confidential for privacy reasons and to remain equitable to all applying organizations. Once the programs are approved by the committee, our staff, and board, fundraising begins. Grants are disbursed in the Spring after each campaign season.
When you advocate with Dressember, you become part of a global effort attempting to disrupt the $150 billion human trafficking industry. Everyone is needed in this fight—from advocates to local partners to Dressember staff and the Grant Advisory Committee. We all have a part to play.
Each advocate comes to us with a different perspective, reach, community, and skillset. We exist to empower this community to utilize what they have right where they are to make an impact. Every campaign is a little different, and that’s the beauty of this movement. We hope you will end up linking arms with forever partners in this work.