Change My Town - Being a For-Benefit Business
Earlier this year I heard about an incredible movement happening in my hometown of Austin, Texas. Austin is known for its progressive thinking and we now are creating a new class of independent business here.
ChangeMyTown is working to create a sustainable relationship between community and businesses that encourages both to thrive. Our members’ core missions, including that of Little Green Beans, are to directly support the community and nonprofits.
There are 7 wonderful organizations who are the founding members of changemytown.org and each has a unique business model and industry, allowing for us to collaborate closely in our shared focus.
Little Green Beans is a children’s re-sale store that aims to be fully integrated into the Austin community both supporting local families with young children and recycling.
- Six days a week, hundreds of families consign gently used maternity wear, children’s wear, baby gear, toys, books and games to earn 50% of the selling price of their items in cash or store credit.
- Goods that we cannot sell in the store are donated weekly to successful non-profits that give them away to families in need.
- We promote those local organizations plus like-minded independent businesses through our active outreach program online and in the store located at Highway 183 and Burnet Road.
Key Fact: Each month since opening in February 2011, Little Green Beans has given 100+ in kind donations and hundreds of dollars in free publicity plus contributions to non-profit organizations that have limited staff and budgets.
Of note - just a handful of states have For Benefit designations for registrations and tax purposes - Texas does not.
Your support of For-Benefit Businesses is sincerely appreciated and welcomed by the entire community.
