What is Outpatch?
We're a social enterprise making giving back while traveling easy, impactful, and memorable.
We're on a mission to get more funding to grassroots nonprofits by leveraging the tourism industry. We sell stick-on patches, designed by local artists, and we donate 50% of our proceeds to nonprofits in the place each patch represents!
Our tagline is GIVE WHERE YOU GO, and with your help we can continue to build a sustainable model that deepens the connection between travelers and the places we visit. All while empowering local nonprofits who are strengthening their local communities.
The Problem: Why did we start Outpatch?
The idea for Outpatch came to Henry while he was traveling in Nepal. Alongside the beautiful landscapes and incredible culture the country had to offer, there was also extreme poverty. Despite all the tourism development, it didn't seem like enough of a difference was being made in the lives of many Nepalis.
After doing some research, it turned out travelers and tourists were spending $21B on souvenirs alone and yet very few of these travel dollars end up staying in local economies. This is a shame on many levels including the fact that most travelers find it important that their spending benefits the communities hosting them.
So if the demand is there and the money is there, why is it so hard to ensure our travel dollars make positive impact? We launched Outpatch to address this problem.
Our Solution: Patches with a Purpose
The majority of collectable souvenirs are plastic junk, made and designed in overseas factories and neither representative of nor beneficial to the communities they profit off of.
Tourists are spending $21B on souvenirs and we think more of this money should directly support building stronger, healthier, and more equitable communities.
So we made a better version of a souvenir that's already out there. All anyone (awesome) has to do is buy one of our patches and we donate 50% of the proceeds to a nonprofit we've partnered with, supporting the community that patch represents. A give back gift that unlocks the power to #givewhereyougo
The Patch
We all love patches (maybe we do more than the average human)... but who owns an iron or sews anymore? We've brought patches into 2021. We found some super duper sticky, made in the USofA, machine washable adhesive that we could use to make stick-on patches (insert: jaws dropping gif). Our patches adhere onto almost any material and with proper care and handling will stay on just as good as the iron-ons--even after machine washing!
Why Patches?
This is a question we get often. Here's the thing, amidst the choice of collectible souvenirs (think shot glasses, spoons, key chains, magnets, etc.) patches presented the most sustainable option to ensure we weren't doing more harm than good by scaling a souvenir. Although most patches are still made out of polyester (see: plastic), they decompose much faster than a magnet for example. AND with your help we'll soon be able to make our patches out of 100% recycled post-consumer plastic. Plastic water bottles literally turned into thread turned into patches which benefit local communities. We don't think souvenirs get much more regenerative than that!
Fun Fact: did you know patches as souvenirs date back to antiquity, where pilgrims would collect them after completing spiritually significant journeys? Patches also carry a lot of meaning in the military (co-founders Henry & Rachel served together as Army Officers in Korea).
The Artists
Now that you're hooked, let's talk about how rad these patches truly are. Not only does each patch benefit a local nonprofit, they are designed by local artists. Unlike most collectible souvenirs, our designs represent a place from the perspective of someone actually from there. The artists we work with are all mega talented and all around good humans-- which is why we think it's fair that 10% of our proceeds go their way.
What impact has Outpatch made in the world so far?
On the financial front, we’ve raised over $10k for our various nonprofit partners, the real heroes behind our show. These nonprofits are addressing everything from rural food insecurity in the US to protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ refugees all over the world. They’re incredible organizations run by incredible people and our mission is to get them more funding so they can concentrate more on their mission and less on fundraising.
Nonprofit Partner Spotlight: SEED Madagascar
As a brief snapshot of the impact just one of our partners is having, we’d like to highlight SEED Madagascar, an organization working to build sustainable livelihoods in the Anosy region of Madagascar (off the southeast coast of Africa).
More than one million people in southern Madagascar are struggling to get enough to eat, due to what could become the first famine caused by climate change, according to the World Food Programme. Several successive years of drought have devastated food production and the situation became so severe that some families have resorted to eating ash, clay, and poisonous plants to fill their stomachs.
Since February of this year, amidst all the other turmoil the pandemic has brought, SEED has been running an emergency food distribution program in the worst hit region. They’ve helped countless people recover from malnutrition and continue to provide relief as the crisis continues.
Outside of this current crisis, SEED has invested heavily in supporting local communities to strengthen livelihoods, enhance local health systems, prevent disease, and build schools, all while caring for the incredibly rich collection of plants and animals found in the country (one of the most biodiverse on the planet).
They are truly on the front lines of the climate crisis and we are proud to support their work.
Why we love partnering with them:
- They are totally focused on local solutions to local issues, empowering communities to build sustainable (both environmentally & financially) pathways to prosperity
- They take a holistic view of development, taking into account the whole picture of what makes a dignified life in order to support people in achieving it
- They build for the long term, addressing immediate crises in a way that lays the groundwork for recovery and future resilience
"We've found that they [Outpatch] are a great partner for SEED because they agree community led is always best" - Mark Jacobs of SEED
*if you're really into SEED's work, check out the reward offer for a planned trip to Madagascar.
Who are we and why do we need your help?
We’re a couple of Army veterans and avid travelers that were itching to see if we could make the world just a little bit better. We started Outpatch to make giving back while traveling easier so more nonprofits could get the funding they need to build better communities.
After 8 months in business were at a critical juncture, sitting just a half step away from creating what may be the most sustainable collectible souvenir out there.
Thank you for believing in us and helping us continue on our mission of building a self-sustaining model for supporting locally-led positive change.
Many thanks,
Henry & Rachel
