Bringing It Home for Dwell with Dignity

We’ve had the honor of working with a number of nonprofit organizations over the years, and our newest nonprofit partner, Dwell with Dignity, is a uniquely impactful and interesting enterprise. Their mission is to transform lives through design, and they do so by creating beautiful home interiors for families affected by poverty, homelessness, and domestic violence.

The organization stands at the intersection of nonprofits working with families transitioning to permanent housing and Dallas-area nonprofit partners, along with an army of well over 1,000 regular volunteers, corporate sponsors, and benefactors. Working primarily with women of color, typically with two to four children, Dwell with Dignity paves a new way forward to a new way of life. Staff and volunteers provide stunning makeovers that provide inspiration and functionality, creating spaces where families can eat, sleep, relax, play, and work. In other words, the big reveal is just the beginning for DwD families.

Our partnership with Dwell with Dignity has been strong since we began working together last fall. Led by executive director Ashley Sharp, easily one of the brightest entrepreneurs we’ve ever worked with at Parklife, DwD has the kind of well-defined vision and strong leadership that every nonprofit wants. Throw in a marketing director like Caitlin Miller, and you’ve got a women-led organization that’s truly a force to be reckoned with. We’ve enjoyed collaborating with Ashley and Caitlin on a number of projects already, ranging from monthly communications via the organization’s blog and social media channels to pitch coaching.

We think of Ashley and Caitlin both as emerging thought leaders in areas like nonprofit leadership and social impact. Ashley’s recent Forbes piece is a great example of how young, dynamic leaders can shape opinions and behaviors in a new era of business. Focusing on a more egalitarian approach to leadership, Ashley shares the guiding principles that shape her work and life with her team at DwD. If you enjoy hearing original takes on leadership and hate hearing the phrase “that’s the way it’s always been done,” then you’ll love this piece.

We were also proud to see Dwell with Dignity advance to the final five of the United Way of Metro Dallas’s Social Innovation Accelerator pitch competition, which sees 10 Dallas nonprofits go head-to-head for funding prizes of up to $200,000. We collaborated with Ashley on a pitch script and accompanying slide deck presentation, as she secured a $25,000 capital investment in the first round and advanced to the final five.

Now, we’d like to ask for your support in the final round! On April 22 at 7 pm, Ashley will appear live in The Pitch to give her final presentation virtually. Attendance is free and it’s easy to register online at this link. We’re thrilled that Dwell with Dignity has made it this far in the competition, but as Ashley says, “we’re in it to win it!”

We’re excited for you to get to know Dwell with Dignity and sure that you’ll come to love them as much as we do. Please consider joining us on April 22 for The Pitch, and in the meantime, you can get to know the organization by visiting their website or listening to the podcast that we did with Ashley and Kevin Jones, CEO of Celero Commerce and longtime supporter of our work at Parklife.