Our 5th Orderversary: Inspire Positive Change
Pack Up + Go is celebrating our 5th Orderversary!
What is an Orderversary, you ask?
On February 8, 2016, the first-ever Pack Up + Go traveler signed up for their Surprise Vacation. Since then we have traveled with 23,000+ of you to 125+ destinations across the US. Thank you all for helping us reach this milestone - we couldn’t have done it without you!
One of our core values is to inspire positive change + conscious consumption, and to celebrate our Orderversary we’re paying it forward to amazing organizations who embody this value everyday. We’re excited to highlight 5 organizations whose missions are closely aligned with our own: making travel more attainable for more people and supporting women in business.
Pack Up + Go will make a donation to each of these organizations to support their work, and we hope that you’ll do the same. Keep reading to learn more about each of them!
Written by the Pack Up + Go Team
Invest in Her
Who they are:
Invest in Her is a Pittsburgh-based community of women dedicated to lifting other women up and helping them realize the full potential of their entrepreneurship.
Lillian Rafson pitching Pack Up + Go in 2015.
What they do:
Did you know that only 2.2% of all venture capital goes to female founders? Invest in Her works to close this gap through networking, mentoring, advocacy, and pitch competitions.
Why we love them:
We owe all of our success to Invest in Her! Their inaugural pitch competition was the first time our Founder + CEO, Lillian Rafson, ever pitched Pack Up + Go. The cash prize, idea validation, and support that came from that event gave Lillian the drive to move forward with launching the company. We likely wouldn’t be in business without this boost, and we’re excited to pay it forward to help them inspire future entrepreneurs!
Follow Invest in Her on Instagram here.
Photo courtesy of Wander Abroad.
Who they are:
Wander Abroad is a non-profit that grants deserving college students, who might not otherwise have the opportunity, a chance to gain global exposure by providing them with their first passport, international flight, and short-term study abroad experience.
What they do:
Wander Abroad empowers future leaders by taking students out of their comfort zone, making international more accessible, and providing scholarships. Their first cohort of students is going to Costa Rica in 2021!
Why we love them:
Did you know that only 40% of Americans hold passports, and only 1.8% of students enrolled in higher education study abroad? Travel is often inaccessible and cost-prohibitive, and taking your first international trip can feel incredibly overwhelming. Traveling internationally can open so many doors and is an incredible opportunity to teach diversity appreciation, and we are thrilled to support an organization that helps as many students as possible gain this incredible opportunity.
Follow Wander Abroad on Instagram here.
Digital Undivided
Who they are:
digitalundivided is a non-profit, social startup that leverages data and advocacy to catalyze economic growth for Black and Latinx women entrepreneurs in innovation and technology. Our goal is to create a world in which all women of color own their work.
Photo courtesy of digitalundivided.
What they do:
In addition to virtual training, coaching, a pre-accelerator program, and producing an incredible amount of research, digitalundivided has created a Do You Fellowship. When COVID-19 began disproportionately impacting Black and Latinx women entrepreneurs, digitalundivided provided grants to over 1,500 entrepreneurs. They’ve expanded this program for 2021, and will provide 10 founders with $5,000 grants, mentorship, and access to additional resources.
Why we love them:
According to digitalundivided’s ProjectDiane 2020 report, less than 1% of funding goes to Black and Latinx women-founded startups. Traditional financial institutions are making a huge mistake by not investing in diverse founders, and we are excited to support digitalundivided’s Do You Fellowship to help put funds directly into the hands of deserving Black and Latinx women entrepreneurs.
Follow digitalundivided on Instagram here.
Photo courtesy of Black Girl Ventures.
Who they are:
Black Girl Ventures provide(s) Black/Brown woman-identifying founders with access to community, capital, and capacity building in order to meet business milestones that lead to economic advancement through entrepreneurship.
What they do:
Black Girl Ventures hosts the largest pitch program for Black and Brown women in the world. They have expanded into local chapters nationwide that provide additional resources, community, and access for these founders, helping them through every step of their entrepreneurial journey.
Why we love them:
In addition to the immediate impact from their well-known pitch competitions, BGV provides an incredible amount of support for founders. The most difficult part of the entrepreneurial journey happens after the business is launched, and access to mentorship and ongoing resources is necessary. We love that BGV is launching local networks to provide this support!
Follow Black Girl Ventures on Instagram here.
beGirl.world
Who they are:
beGirl.world (bGw)is a global education organization that equips Black girls with the confidence, independence, and opportunity to see the world, develop culturally rich educational experiences, and change the face of global travel.
Photo courtesy of beGirl.world.