March 28, 2012, DENVER - Soles4Souls procures shoes and gives them to people in need, and Inspirato takes people to global locations far and wide to experience the magic of luxury vacations. The two organizations have joined together in a new partnership through Inspirato's Inspired Giving new online giving platform, www.inspiredgiving.com. The partnership helps Soles4Souls develop a significant source of year-round revenue for its nonprofit initiatives, focused on delivering hundreds of thousands of shoes to victims of poverty, suffering and disasters - including the rash of tornadoes that affected the southeastern U.S. in earlier this month.
Inspirato's Inspired Giving program was designed to help charitable organizations like Soles4Souls raise funds in a new way. Through this partnership, donors who contribute $2,000 to Soles4Souls's cause gain access to Inspirato's club-managed portfolio of vacation residences and unparalleled personal vacation services in locations ranging from Colorado and California to Mexico and Hawaii.
The Inspired Giving donation model benefits Soles4Souls in a number of ways:
- For every $2,000 donated to Soles4Souls through Inspirato's Inspired Giving website, the donor gains one-time access to an Inspirato luxury vacation - priced at up to 50 percent under market, and without having to pay the $15,000 Inspirato membership fee.
- Inspirato contributes one Inspired Giving vacation that Soles4Souls can auction to raise funds. Of those contributed monies, 100 percent goes back to Soles4Souls.
- For every new Inspirato membership that is generated from a Soles4Souls donation, the company gives $2,000 to Soles4Souls as an Inspirato Inspired Giving partner.
Throughout the year, Soles4Souls will offer multiple opportunities for supporters to donate to its cause through Inspirato'sInspired Giving. On March 29, Soles4Souls will auction anInspired Givingluxury vacation at the Menswear Summit hosted by Fairchild Publications in New York, and at the Denim Summit in Los Angeles on April 18.
"In many developing countries, kids can't go to school without shoes on their feet. And bare feet are more susceptible to disease due to foot injuries," said Keith Woodley, chief development officer for Soles4Souls. "Here in the U.S., we take that for granted, but it's so easy to assist and provide a very simple gift. People's lives can be dramatically affected by their first pair of new pair of shoes."
Funds raised for Soles4Souls through the Inspirato Inspired Giving program will go toward operations that ship shoes to 128 countries and throughout the U.S. Shoe inventories are consolidated in warehouses and distributed through a main distribution center in Alabama, where they are sorted by type and gender, and sent to people in need or in reaction to emergency situations.
Woodley shares the story of one volunteer who traveled to Haiti with the organization's Travel4Soles initiative. "The volunteer went to an orphanage to distribute footwear with us, and was so touched by her experience that she has gone back several times and is now adopting a Haitian child. Her personal journey brings our entire program into perspective," he said.
For Soles4Souls's donors, the donation and vacation booking experience is simple: the donor is given access to Inspirato's Inspired Giving exclusive web portal, www.inspiredgiving.com; selects Soles4Souls as the charitable organization of choice; and makes a tax-deductible donation of $2,000. That donor is then able to book a vacation to a luxury Inspirato destination and enjoy all that Inspirato members enjoy, including: personalized service from an Inspirato vacation advisor, an on-site destination concierge, and luxurious accommodations ranging from intimate, couples-only, one-bedroom retreats to large, well-appointed homes in excess of 3,000 square feet.
"Touching people's lives by offering a path to better vacations anda better world is at the heart of what we do at Inspired Giving," said Jackie Benton, the program's executive director. "We are in the fortunate position of bringing an innovative fundraising opportunity to Soles4Souls to generate year-round, sustainable funding for its important programs."
Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. The charity distributes these shoes to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has delivered over 17 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes. The shoes have been distributed to people in over 128 countries. More information is available at www.soles4souls.org.
Designed specifically for a new generation of luxury consumers, Inspirato offers the best of destination club consistency and service, together with unmatched value, flexibility and low-cost membership. Our members have access to an ever-growing portfolio of luxury homes in the world's top destinations, including California, the Caribbean, Colorado, France, Hawaii, Italy, London, Mexico, New York City and more. By leasing vacation properties (rather than owning), Inspirato is able to keep membership fees low, offer more than 50 percent off market rates, and easily add homes and destinations as demand increases. Our innovative business model has led to rapid growth since our January 2011 launch, placing Inspirato at the forefront of the "luxury for less" movement. For more information about Inspirato, visit www.inspirato.com.