I came across an interesting article, Sharing Suits, on classmate Rachel Chan’s blog. Her blog post talks about how Moores Clothing for Men holds annual suit drives, where Canadians donate their used professional attire to the unemployed. Moores Clothing for Men reminded me of the organization, Dress for Success.

Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization founded in 1997. Unlike Moores’ Suit Drive, where men are provided with suits, Dress for Success focuses on giving professional attire to women. On top of that, they provide career development tools and support to help no or low income women transition into the workforce.

Although a non-profit organization, Dress for Success is able to create shared value. By providing jobs for the ones in need, social well-being is improved. In return for supporting a good cause, Dress for Success will attract financial investors, volunteers and companies to lend their support and spread the cause. Moores Clothing and Dress for Success are both great examples of how organizations are shifting towards creating shared value.