11 YEARS OF GIVING BACK THROUGH VERONICA BEARD
By: Hillary LeBlanc
When you learn of how Veronica Beard was created, learning about Veronica Beard Gives Back is a natural progression.
Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard co-founded the brand in 2010 after becoming sisters-in-law. The Veronicas, as they are cheekily dubbed, have created a collection of cool classics that speak to today’s multifaceted, multitasking woman. They have revived the style of the dickey and created versatile looks for moms, businesswomen, and the modern stylish female. It was only 5 years into the company that the Veronicas decided to create VB Gives Back.
Veronica Swanson Beard with the founder of Women’s Earth Alliance
Source: Veronica Beard
VB Gives Back is a philanthropy program in which the brand partners with organizations to amplify their mission and donate proceeds to those organizations. Veronica Beard has hosted in-store events to drive awareness, and since 2015 has donated over $10 million dollars to 900 organizations. The Veronica Beard team selects a quarterly cause to support for a three-month partnership. $5 from every purchase during that time automatically goes to the partnering organization, but customers can also donate more if they wish on the checkout screen. Veronica Beard also hosts shop-for-a-cause events in-store, Lunch & Learn sessions at their New York Headquarters, allowing a representative from the organization to speak to staff about the cause.
Source: Women’s Earth Alliance
This quarter’s organization reflects the coming fashion-month excitement as VB Gives Back partners for a second time with the CFDA. After the success of the inaugural program last year, Veronica Beard is extending the scholarship they created with the CFDA for three more years. Through the program, four undergraduate design students receive a $50,000 scholarship, along with a paid summer internship at Veronica Beard'sNYC headquarters. Following the three-year scholarship program, the partnership with the CFDA Foundation will transition into a ten-year endowment, which will create lasting support for aspiring designers and help to expand access and opportunity for years to come. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the CFDA Scholarship Fund, of which the Veronicas are both previous recipients.
"There’s a powerful sense of community at the heart of VB Gives Back—our customers, teams, and partners come together around shared values,” Allison Aston, SVP of Community and Charitable Giving at Veronica Beard tells us. “That collective energy is what makes the initiative so meaningful. Giving back becomes something lived and felt through conversations we have and the stories we help tell, creating a ripple effect that lasts well beyond any single moment or campaign."
The previous VB Gives Back quarterly organization was the Women’s Earth Alliance, a global organization dedicated to strengthening women’s leadership to protect the environment, support community well-being, and contribute to a more just and thriving world.
Women’s Earth Alliance gives women funding, resources, mentorship, training, and helps build community around agriculture, wellness, clean energy, ecosystem stewardship, generational knowledge, and sustainable livelihoods.
Other organizations that have benefited from VB Gives Back include LungCancer Research Foundation, American Heart Association, Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, the Lower Eastside Girls Club, Breast Cancer Alliance, Feeding America, and many more.
"Businesses have an incredible opportunity, and responsibility, to be a force for good.” Aston adds, “Consumers, employees, and communities increasingly expect companies to stand for something beyond the products they sell. Giving back has always been core to Veronica Beard. Since our inception, we’ve believed that success is about much more than just building a business; it’s about creating opportunities and using our platform to make a meaningful impact, a commitment that continues to guide our philanthropic arm, VB Gives Back."