Ten Thousand Villages

“A copy of form 990 is distributed to the board for review prior to filing.”

“The coi policy is distributed and reviewed by governing board annually.”

“The board conducts an annual performance review of the ed/store manager. The manager's salary is generally considered to be less than that of comparable positions in the retail market.”

“Governing documents, conflict of interest policy, financial statements and forms 990 are available upon request.”

“Ten thousand villages provides vital, fair income to third world people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in north america. Ten thousand villages works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. The income artisans earn helps pay for food, education, health care, and housing.”

“Board of the ttv store in seattle works to connect our mission with other non-profit partners through various activities, such as community shopping events, off-site sales and pop-store opportunities. The board works to support our staff to increase sales, develop a dedicated group of volunteers, support interns learning about fair trade and retail practices, and provide educational opportunities for all of these groups as well as to our community. This year the board, staff, and volunteers had very specific goals to support an internship position that would allow us to expand our outreach and education initiatives, improve our volunteer program, and enhance the retail experience. Our goals were to hold a fundraiser to raise enough money to pay for the internship position, update the decor in the store, and expand our outreach to the local community through partnerships, pop-up shops and off-site events. For our fiscal year ending march 31, 2018, we successfully held a fall fundraiser where we raised money to support our internship program. We also participated in a variety of fundraising activities to support our efforts in promoting the work of artisans: give big, amazon smile, and world fair trade month events. We worked with a local artist to enhance our store decor by updating the artwork on the walls with a map that highlights the countries where ten thousand villages sources product and supports artisans. We installed window art to help improve the visibility of our store from the street and installed digital screens that highlight the artisan groups. Additionally, we improved inventory management which allowed us to better direct funds towards our goals of expanding community outreach and education. We streamlined our off-site events process to ensure maximum impact for our store and increased sales at off-site events by 25%. We also provided opportunities for other nonprofits to host a fundraising event in the store to increase awareness of their causes.”