College of Business Administration

GROUP MEMBERS:

Elissa Hargrove
Jesse Mathes
Cheree Rogers
Dillon Gibbons

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

For our social change project, we worked with the San Diego Women's Bean Project. The Women's Bean Project began in November 1994, and it evolved from other programs of the Catholic Charities' Department of Homeless Women's Services. These programs are: Rachel's Women's Center, a day center; Rachel's Night Shelter, an emergency and short-term night shelter; the House of Rachel, a transitional housing program; and Rachel's Apartments, which is supportive housing for the women.

The Women's Bean Project is located downtown on 5th Avenue, 16 blocks from Rachel's Women's Center. They selected this site because it is located on a main bus line, and it is a walkable distance from Rachel's. The Project was developed to help women overcome their lack of marketable skills, their poor self-image, and their alienation from mainstream society. The original workers were drawn from the women who utilized Rachel's Women's Center and Rachel's Night Shelter. Women who are homeless or otherwise living in poverty are responsible for the total work of the Project. All proceeds are used to purchase raw materials for the assembly of the products, and to aid the participating women with a small income.

When we contacted the Women's Bean Project, they informed us of their promotional needs in selling their Bean Packages. We decided to search for new arenas where the women could market their soups. We searched the Internet for socially conscious companies and women owned businesses. Additionally, we contacted hotels to see if they would use the Bean Packages instead of fruit or cheese baskets as gifts in the VIP rooms. We also contacted the Better Business Bureau to get a listing of upstanding businesses in the San Diego and Imperial Counties. We thought it would be a good idea to call these companies and see if they would be interested in alternative gift packages for their employees and clients.

In contacting these companies, some people recognized the name immediately; other companies were interested in hearing more about it once they realized it was for a good cause. However, we did encounter companies who were not interested in spending extra money to support the Project. Searching the Internet and working with the San Diego Foundation were also very useful in finding connections.

Ultimately our project was very successful. We were able to provide the San Diego Women's Bean Project with a list of nearly one hundred companies interested in buying soups, or in receiving information about them. We also provided a list of convention center web sites. These will aid the women in locating conventions where they will be able to display and sell their Bean Packages and individual soups. Additionally, we supplied them with web sites linking them to groups for women in the business world. Advertising through such groups will help the Women's Bean Project become more widespread. Finally, we composed a business letter to prospective buyers stating the importance of the program and why it would benefit their company to buy gifts from the Bean Project. We are hopeful these contacts will generate a way for the women to promote and sell their product.