Upscale Purse Delivers Purses With a Purpose

Chris Bray, a fixture in Utah’s nonprofit community, has launched a social enterprise she hopes will power the rest of her career with still greater impact.

Chris recognized that nonprofits are always looking for more funding, especially from funding partners that understand their mission and objectives and will support them appropriately. She decided to become such a funder.

She created Upscale Purse, an online retailer that sells new and used high-quality purses and gives 10 percent to charity. The upstart is already breaking even and she’s excited to see it grow.

Watch the full interview with Chris in the player at the top of this article.

Chris is focusing on charities that serve and support women. “Women have tremendous barriers in their way and many have become victims of cruel and inhuman acts. One in three women will experience some form of domestic violence sometime in their life (Utah Women Stats, 2017).”

“In 2016, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children estimated that 1 in 6 endangered runaways reported to them were likely sex trafficking victims,” Chris continues. “The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 4.5 million people trapped in forced sexual exploitation globally. According to the Report, in the United States, the most common form of human trafficking (79%) is sexual exploitation. The victims are predominantly women and girls.”

“At Upscale Purse, our purpose is not only to provide an opportunity to purchase beautiful purses and handbags but also deliver funding to support women escaping crisis situations and offer them an opportunity for hope and a fulfilling life. A portion of the sale of every purse will be distributed to select nonprofit partners.”

Chris Bray, Upscale Purse

More about Upscale Purse:

Upscale Purse combines fashion with purpose and sells beautiful, upscale purses then gives as least 10% to nonprofits working with disadvantaged women escaping domestic violence or human trafficking. These are purses with a purpose! Organized as a low-profit company, we make a measurable positive impact on women’s lives through the sale of purses, donations to carefully vetted nonprofits serving disadvantaged women and the volunteer experiences we create.Partners provide services that include mentoring, education and assistance escaping dangerous situations.

Chris’s bio:

I have served in the nonprofit community for over 30 years. I have worked at the CEO of Utah Nonprofits Association, Vice President of Collective Impact at United Way of Salt Lake, Executive Director of Children’s Service Society and The Sharing Place. My past work has centered mostly in nonprofit services impacting children but in the past few years, I have worked with more organizations focused on women’s challenges. Happy and balanced women are an important cornerstone of successful families and our communities. Many women have tremendous barriers in their way to achieve their goals and too many have become victims of cruel and inhuman acts. I decided to start a company that sales purses and invests in nonprofits addressing these barriers. Because of my background in collective impact strategies, this company will work with the nonprofits who achieve significant impact for the women they serve and are making a measurable community impact.

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Devin is a journalist, author and corporate social responsibility speaker who calls himself a champion of social good. With a goal to help solve some of the world’s biggest problems by 2045, he focuses on telling the stories of those who are leading the way! Learn more at DevinThorpe.com!

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