We could not have completed nearly as many acts of kindness over the last ten years if it were not for the generous businesses and organizations that have partnered with us. Partnerships play a critical role in funding our work, and we love having the opportunity to grow our community when we collaborate. These campaigns also offer new, fun ways to get involved and support Random Acts. Our ten-year celebration would not be complete without taking time to thank a few of our partners in kindness.
UpWest
UpWest is a clothing company focused on “conscious comfort.” They aim to produce comfortable clothing from sustainable materials. This goal of comfort goes beyond clothing though. It also includes giving back to the community through partnerships and donations to nonprofits. In 2019, we partnered with UpWest during their Comfort Cabin tour, where we worked together to spread comfort and kindness in four cities. UpWest has also had a huge role in our COVID-19 Support Program. Together, we have helped those experiencing homeless in Dallas, Texas. We even joined forces to support local organizations in North Carolina, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Virginia during their pandemic response efforts. UpWest donates a percentage of their profits to Freedom Service Dogs of America, Mental Health America, and Random Acts. Their goal is to reach their cap of one million USD donated by January 31, 2021.
Stands
Stands, also known as our favorite sentient stack of shirts, is “an online merchandising portal with a charitable twist.” Their shop combines the wonderful worlds of fandom merchandise and fundraising for nonprofits. Public figures work with Stands to create a design, which is then printed on a variety of products. The items are added to the online shop, with a percentage of all proceeds donated to nonprofits. This system allows fans and public figures alike to support causes they care about while celebrating their fandom community. Random Acts is thankful to have benefited from several Stands campaigns, which have helped us to perform acts of kindness around the world. Random Acts is currently the beneficiary for a variety of products, including a few items that are on sale.
Nerds and Beyond
Our friends at Nerds and Beyond are a staple in the nerd community. Their website offers articles, news, and event coverage for just about every fandom out there. They also host fantastic virtual festivals. In April 2020, “Festival and Beyond,” a free online event, raised over $21,000 for our COVID-19 Support Program. Their October “FestiBOO & Beyond” event fundraised $610 for Random Acts’ Social Equity and Justice Program. We love the sense of community that Nerds and Beyond works so hard to nurture!
Feed Hero Nurses
Feed Hero Nurses is a relatively new charity, which was created to help healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program focuses on those who tend to be left out of daytime-centric meal programs. Because other initiatives often provide meals during weekdays, Feed Hero Nurses makes sure that there are ready-to-eat meals available for overnight and weekend staff in COVID-19 units. The organization has a dual purpose: feeding the hardworking nurses and supporting the local restaurants that are preparing the meals. The program began in one hospital in Los Angeles in March of 2020 and has since expanded to support 15 different hospitals throughout California and Florida! We have been honored to partner with Feed Hero Nurses as part of our COVID-19 Support Program.
Random Tuesday
Random Tuesday is a nonprofit organization based on the idea of “fanthropy” (fandom philanthropy). Their goal is to help fans better themselves and their communities, which is accomplished, in part, with their Fanthropy Running Clubs. Random Tuesday has partnered with more than 50 nonprofit organizations to host virtual walking/running events. Each event is packed full of fitness, fundraising, and fandom fun. We were thrilled to partner with them for their 2020 Ironbelly 7K.
DriveThruComics
DriveThruComics is an online marketplace that provides downloadable comics and graphic novels. In true hero form, they make sure to give back to the community as well. They put together special download bundles that offer buyers collections of comics at discounted prices. A percentage of the proceeds from these bundles is donated to nonprofit organizations. In April 2020, DriveThruComics created a webcomics bundle (at a 75% discount!) and donated 50% of the profits to Random Acts. What a great way to spread kindness to both webcomic readers and the world as a whole!