Dress for Success Wichita

What Dress for Success Wichita does

Dress for Success Wichita is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, providing professional attire and career development services to women seeking economic independence. The organization operates a Suiting Program (offering interview, employment, and scrub suiting) as its core service, complemented by an Employment Retention Program featuring Thursday Thrive monthly meetings and a Next Step Mentorship Program, plus a Career Center providing resume assistance, LinkedIn profile support, mock interviews, and a job leads database. Services are delivered at a single boutique location at 500 S. Topeka Street, Suite 100, and distributed through a referral network of 94 area partner agencies including workforce development centers, community colleges, social services, healthcare providers, and government agencies across Sedgwick and surrounding counties.

The business model is entirely donation-funded: the organization charges no fees to clients and generates revenue through monetary donations (one-time and recurring at tiers of $10, $25, $50, $100, or custom amounts), in-kind clothing and accessory donations (also resold at boutique sales to generate operating funds), corporate partnerships (Benefit Cosmetics, CBIZ, FedEx, Robert Half, Talbots), and event-based fundraising (Inspire Ball gala, Sisterhood brunches, Spring Boutique Sales, Fashion Friday sales). In January 2021, the organization became a program of Wichita Women's Initiative Network (WIN), dba The Women's Network, gaining integration with a larger umbrella focused on women's economic security and trauma-informed programming. Headcount is approximately 5 employees, including Executive Director Amber Beck.

The organization uses no proprietary technology and operates as a traditional nonprofit service organization. Marketing and community engagement are driven by social media (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), email newsletters, community events, and the referral agency partner network. The value proposition rests on being described as the only nonprofit in Kansas providing both professional attire and career development services, with a comprehensive service spectrum from interview preparation through employment retention and ongoing professional development.

Name

Dress for Success Wichita

Legal name

Dress for Success Wichita

Website

https://wichita.dressforsuccess.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dress for Success Wichita is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing professional attire and career development services to women seeking economic independence in Wichita, Kansas, funded entirely through donations, corporate partnerships, and fundraising events, and operating through a 94-agency referral network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development, Employment Readiness & Job Placement (BPADAKAE)

Keywords

• Professional women's attire
• Career development services
• Workforce development nonprofit
• Employment support programs
• Nonprofit suiting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wichita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: The organization accepts financial contributions from individuals and corporations through its website donation portal. Donors can make one-time or recurring contributions (monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually) at various giving levels ($10, $25, $50, $100, or custom amounts).
2. Clothing Donations: Accepts donations of women's professional attire, accessories, shoes, and new personal care items. These donations are provided free to clients and also sold at boutique sales to generate operational funds.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners provide financial contributions, volunteer hours, clothing donations, and event sponsorships. Partners include Benefit Cosmetics, CBIZ, FedEx, Robert Half, Talbots, and others who support programs and events.
4. Event Fundraising: Annual events like the Inspire Ball, boutique sales, and community events generate revenue through ticket sales, auction items, and retail sales of donated merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dress for Success Wichita provides free professional attire and career development services to women seeking employment and economic independence. Its core suiting program delivers interview outfits, employment wardrobes, and scrubs, while ongoing career support includes resume assistance, mock interviews, mentorship, and monthly professional development meetings distributed through a network of 94 referral agency partners.

Product overview

Dress for Success Wichita is a nonprofit organization (now a program of Wichita Women's Initiative Network) that provides a network of support, professional attire, and development tools for women seeking economic independence. The organization operates a Suiting Program (interview, employment, and scrub suiting) as its core offering, supplemented by an Employment Retention Program featuring Thursday Thrive monthly meetings and a Next Step Mentorship Program. The Career Center provides resume assistance, mock interviews, and job search support. Services are delivered through a boutique model with one-on-one personal shopping and are distributed via a network of 94 referral agency partners. The organization also runs fundraising events including the Inspire Ball, Be Inspired Brunch, and clothing sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Suiting Program Provides professional interview and employment attire to women, including personalized styling sessions. Interview Suiting offers one outfit, shoes, purse, and make-up; Employment Suiting provides 5 pants, 5 tops, shoes, purse, and make-up; Scrub Suiting offers 1-2 sets of scrubs for medical professionals. Services are provided free of charge to qualifying women.
• Employment Retention Program Supports women who have secured employment by helping them develop professional skills, offering strategies for professional growth, and providing ongoing guidance to ensure career stability and financial independence.
• Thursday Thrive Monthly meeting featuring rotating speakers on topics such as workplace culture, work/life balance, financial literacy, leadership, and health & wellness. Provides a community forum for employed women to continue learning and growing professionally.
• Next Step Mentorship Program Group mentorship program for women who have completed initial suiting and are working toward career advancement and professional development.
• Career Center Provides resume services, LinkedIn profile assistance, mock interview practice, job leads bank files, and networking support to help women in their job search and career transitions.
• Referral Agency Network Partnership program with 94 area referral agencies including workforce development centers, community organizations, and social services that refer women in need of professional attire and career development services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients receive complete interview outfit (suit, shoe, purse, make-up) and employment wardrobe (5 pants, 5 tops, shoe, purse, make-up)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Wichita Women's Initiative Network (WIN) / The Women's NetworkflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn January 2021, Dress for Success Wichita became a program of Wichita Women's Initiative Network (WIN) dba The Women's Network. WIN provides programs that elevate women's economic security and personal wellbeing through job readiness and work retention programs. This partnership provides additional organizational resources and program integration for clients.
• Benefit Cosmetics (Bold is Beautiful)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSince 2015, Benefit Cosmetics has partnered through their Bold is Beautiful initiative. During August, 100% of proceeds from brow wax services at Benefit BrowBars are donated to Dress for Success affiliates worldwide. Has raised over $21 million globally for Dress for Success.
• CBIZ Women's Advantage (CWA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCBIZ Women's Advantage has been a proud partner of Dress for Success since 2008, providing financial contributions, volunteer hours, clothing donations, and affiliate board service. Through Dress for Success Leadership University, CBIZ creates and delivers leadership development training to affiliates globally.
• FedExcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFedEx is a founding partner of the Dress for Success online network community. They provide services to enhance client experience and are a proud sponsor of the Your Hour, Her Power Campaign and the Virtual Power Walk.
• Robert HalfcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRobert Half has been a partner since 2005, supporting Career Centers and Professional Women's Group, providing skills training through Skillsoft, and sponsoring Annual Affiliate Conference, Success Summit and Gala.
• TalbotscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTalbots has partnered with Dress for Success since 2015 for the 'Give Confidence, Hope and Style' initiative in its 500+ stores. Includes national marketing campaign, in-store events, leadership and mentoring, charitable contributions, clothing donations, and an exclusive limited-edition capsule collection with O, The Oprah Magazine.
• Referral Agency Partners (94 organizations)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor94 area referral agencies including workforce development centers, social services, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and government agencies refer women to Dress for Success Wichita services. Includes organizations like Butler Community College, Kansas Dept. of Children & Families, Wichita State University Career Development, Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, and YWCA.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Dress for Success Worldwide: The global parent network of which Dress for Success Wichita is a licensed affiliate. Directly comparable as it operates the same mission, suiting-plus-career-development model, and brand, but at a global scale across 20+ countries.
• Wichita Women's Initiative Network (The Women's Network): Parent nonprofit organization since January 2021. Operates a broader portfolio of women's economic-security and trauma-informed programs in Wichita that overlap with DFS Wichita's job readiness mission.
• Goodwill Industries of Kansas: Large Wichita-based workforce development nonprofit offering job training, placement, and career services. Comparable as it competes for similar employer partnerships and corporate donor dollars in the same regional workforce-development space.
• United Way of the Plains: Major Wichita-area fundraising intermediary that channels corporate and individual donations to local nonprofits. Comparable as a competitor for the same Wichita-area donor pool that supports Dress for Success Wichita.
• The Salvation Army Wichita: Existing referral partner operating broader social services in Wichita including workforce and family support. Comparable as it pursues overlapping donor dollars and serves overlapping client populations.

Direct peers

• Dress for Success Kansas City: Sister Dress for Success affiliate serving the Kansas City metro. Directly comparable as it delivers the same suiting, career center, and employment retention programs in the same state/region under the same brand.
• YWCA Wichita: Local referral partner that also serves women survivors of trauma and domestic violence with economic-empowerment programming. Directly comparable mission and overlapping client base within Wichita.
• Dress for Success Denver: Sister Dress for Success affiliate in Denver, Colorado operating the same suiting-plus-retention programming model under the same brand, serving as a relevant operational benchmark.
• Dress for Success Greater Chicago: Large, well-resourced Dress for Success affiliate operating the same full-spectrum model (suiting, career center, professional women's group) under the same brand, providing a relevant scale benchmark for Wichita.

Regional players

• Catholic Charities Wichita: Existing referral partner and fellow Wichita-area social services nonprofit that also serves women and families in economic distress. Comparable in mission and as a referral source within the same Wichita ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/dressforsuccesswichita
• Facebookfacebook.com/dfswichita
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dress-for-success-wichita

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dress for Success Wichita