Dress for Success San Francisco (DFSSF) is kicking off a “Sweet 16" fundraising campaign to celebrate its 16th anniversary. DFSSF empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. The San Francisco affiliate is part of Dress for Success Worldwide, a global non-profit organization. Some of the affiliates partner with salons to help women prepare for interviewing and work. 

“The statistics for women leaving the workforce due to the global pandemic are devastating,” says DFSSF Executive Director Erin Badillo. “Women have been laid off or forced to quit jobs at an alarming rate, intensifying the inequalities we already face. It’s our mission to help reverse these trends by serving and supporting women in every way we can.”

DFSSF's Story

Striving for a world where all women are financially independent and treated with dignity and respect, DFSSF directly impacts their lives and those of their families. Since 2005, the mission includes foundational Career Wardrobe programming along with a suite of other workforce development and employment retention programs, made possible only through individual giving, corporate donations and volunteers to the non-profit. This year, in addition to an annual fundraising gala, they are celebrating the organization’s growth over the past 16 years and the future years to come.

“Dress for Success San Francisco is about so much more than a new outfit,” Badillo says. “It’s about hope, confidence and success. We’re incredibly proud to celebrate 16 years and countless lives changed. Now more than ever women need our support, and we need yours.” 

Badillo says that DFSSE is celebrating it ability to adapt to changes over the past 16 years—from economic and cultural to health and even fashion revolutions—reflected in the lives of the more than 9,000 women served. DFSSE had seen shifting demands for services amid a rapidly evolving world and ever-changing landscape of the city. Important new DFSSE initiatives include piloting a Digital Equity program to provide laptops to more than 100 women who otherwise would not have the equipment needed to apply for and succeed in their jobs. 

With the help of financial contributions and partners, Dress for Success San Francisco’s Sweet 16 celebration kicks off with 16 client success stories, original “art cards” available for purchase and a new website, all designed to serve women for years to come. 

Individual art cards are available for a $16 donation—with the first $5K matched by partner 4D Molecular Therapeutics. The note cards feature unique and colorful designs and illustrations created by female artists with ties to the Bay Area and a commitment to supporting other women through their work. Among these artists are Bria Goeller, Emanuella Israel, Haelyn Lee, and Angela Lui.

A Gala!

The celebration continues through October 2021 and includes an event, Casino Royale: A Sweet 16 Anniversary Gala, October 16, 2021, at San Francisco's Palace Hotel.

For more information about the Sweet 16 celebration, to get involved or make a donation, visit: sfdress.org/sweet-16