When Bombas’ founders, David Heath and Randy Goldberg, launched the company in 2013, they had what seemed like a wild goal at the time: to donate 1 million pairs of socks to people experiencing homelessness in 10 years. But in just five years, they’d already hit 10 million pairs donated and counting. The source of their success? A relentless pursuit of quality, consumer transparency, and strong, strategic partnerships. As the company grows, they increasingly realize the benefit of joining experts who have already paved a path for the humanitarian work they’re committed to. That’s where World Vision comes in.
Founded on a “one purchased = one donated” model, Bombas exists to equip people experiencing homelessness with the clothes they need most: socks. The company’s network of over 3,500 donation partners (known as Giving Partners) ranges from small community programs to larger organizations across all 50 states, and they’ve found World Vision to be a good fit for larger donations. “Ensuring that each pair gets into the hands—and on the feet—of those in need is our most important … challenge, as we continue to grow. World Vision understands that and ensures the integrity of donation product distribution,” says Sam Ravetz, Bombas’ senior relationship giving manager.
Within a year of working together, World Vision became the company’s largest distributor of socks. In both 2019 and 2020, Bombas sent over 1 million pairs of donation socks to World Vision, and they’re planning to add T-shirts and underwear—two other much-requested items at homeless shelters—into the mix soon. Of the continuing partnership, Ravetz says, “World Vision takes the time to assess their partners’ goals and figure out how to best achieve them with consideration to their own resources and capabilities.”
The employee volunteer opportunities afforded by World Vision are another link in the chain of giving back that Bombas is passionate about. After building emergency relief kits at a World Vision warehouse in New York, Ravetz says the experience “did a great job of engaging our larger team, making sure our greater company had a firsthand experience with the organization’s mission.” And, he adds, it “brought all of us back to the core of our mission—giving back.”
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