Ep. 89: How For-Profit Businesses Support Nonprofits with Alexis Cook of Unlocked

Grant Writing & Funding · 089: How For-Profit Businesses Support Nonprofits with Alexis Cook of Unlocked

Alexis and I discuss:

The incredible and inspiring backstory for Unlocked (it’ll give you all the feels!)
How market research guided their business
How they connect with non-profit businesses to employ Makers for the jewelry and provide services for them to help transition out of homelessness
Why they chose to become a for-profit instead of a non-profit
Unlocked’s vision for 2020 and beyond
How non-profits can develop relationships with for-profit businesses
The growth of for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations
Identifying the right product lines and designs
A pricing model for accessibility and inclusivity
Where can you find Unlocked jewelry?

Alexis’s Bio:

Alexis Cook is the Co-Founder and Co-President of Unlocked, an ethical jewelry brand that employs and empowers women transitioning out of homelessness in Nashville, Tennessee. She was an Ingram Scholar at Vanderbilt, where she majored in Human and Organizational Development and Economics. Alexis and her co-founder began Unlocked while undergrad students at Vanderbilt, and they went full-time upon graduation in August of 2018. In that short time, Unlocked has grown rapidly and has been in many publications, including the Social Enterprise Alliance and News Channel 5.