Rising Stars: Meet Leanne Lacey of Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leanne Lacey.

Leanne, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Our organization, Confidence Kits, Inc. was born out of a group of loving and giving friends I have hiked with, run with, and lived life with for over 15 years. Years ago, these women chose to donate amazing hygiene kits to food banks as birthday gifts to one another, as a way of celebrating and giving back to others in need. What a great concept! When I retired after 39 years in education, I wanted to give back to the community, but did not immediately find a “calling”. I eventually decided that with my husband, we could start our own nonprofit based on the idea originated by my friends and really expand on it. We founded Confidence Kits, Inc. in April, 2022 and continued to build the brand and the business, including achieving IRS nonprofit status and Arizona Qualified Charitable Organization status by September, 2022. In the three years since, we have increased our monthly and yearly donation receipts and Confidence Kits distribution to those in need by about 300%.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Founding the nonprofit held a risk, I suppose, in the initial start-up, and also the possibility of not attaining donations and grants as we had hoped. The risk was low due to a very small amount of outlay for basic administrative costs, and no other costs such as facility, employees, or equipment were needed.
We struggled a bit to get donations the first year until we gained some traction and social media following. We applied to as many grants and awards as we could, hoping to land a few to get us going with seed money to purchase the hygiene products we needed to create our Confidence Kits. We did receive those first year grants and continue to apply and receive grants from those sources, as well as many new ones. We also live in a very connected community that was helpful in sharing our mission and encouraging friends and relatives to donate to our nonprofit.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In my career as a teacher, and as a school district administrator, public service has always been in the picture somehow. My husband’s military career took us to live in five different states and also to a NATO assignment in Germany, so each time we moved, I had to reinvent myself if I wanted to continue my career as an educator. I accepted many positions that required new certifications and retraining and “jumping in the deep end”. We as a family (with two teen boys back then) were always meeting new people at work, school, and our home life.
We have always emphasized volunteering, giving back, and helping those who are less fortunate than us to our sons, so this felt like a perfect fit for our retirement years.
Hygiene insecurity is often the forgotten need, as food insecurity and homelessness/housing insecurity takes the forefront in most communities, as it should. We fulfill a need that is often neglected, delivering a large kit of full sized hygiene products to individuals and families, not just trial sizes.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
We have used social media quite a bit, since we do not have a marketing or advertising budget. About 99% of our donations go directly to assembling and delivering hygiene products to those in need. If a new nonprofit wanted to really grow (we are currently at capacity for the two of us working out of our home) I would suggest investing in some advertising or partnership with local companies that will promote your nonprofit. Also, if there are volunteer opportunities for others to learn about what you do hands-on, create those opportunities.. Much of our growth has been due to allowing others to work with us, assembling kits at our “packing parties”, to apply and receive donations on our behalf, enlisting their employers to fund our nonprofit, and to locate grants.

Pricing:

• We deliver approximately 300 Confidence Kits each month (approximately $3300) to about 10 local aid and support agencies serving those in need in our community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.confidencekits.org
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/confidencekits
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/confidencekits
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@confidencekitsinc.3167

Image Credits
Leanne Lacey