Persistent Stitches is an all-volunteer collective that raises funds for resistence, social justice, and anti-oppression organizations through crafting. Persistent Stitches crafters create works, choose an organization to raise money for, and put the items up for “sale” on the site. Donors give directly to the specified organization, at or above the minimum dollar amount, and then email proof of donation to the project coordinator in order to claim the item.
Q: What will this cost me?
Persistent Stitches crafters donate their supplies, time, and postage to this effort. We encourage all participants to work within their budget and to set the minimum donation at the level that feels appropriate to their effort and expense.
Crafters’ Assistance Fund! We offer cash grants to low-income participants to make participating more accessible. Cash grants of up to $50.00 are currently available; check the Fund page for more information and the form to request a grant.
Q: What types of items can I donate?
While this project began with a focus on stitching, we welcome handcrafted items broadly construed. If you made it, we will take it!
Q: What organizations may I support through Persistent Stitches?
We are currently working on a formal statement of scope, but broadly speaking we will list items that support any organization, group, or campaign that supports the worth and dignity of all beings and works to mitigate the harms of oppression and create a more just and equitable world. Examples of the types of causes Persistent Stitches crafters have supported:
- Abortion access
- Animal rights, advocacy, and rescue organizations
- Anti-Islamophobia
- Anti-racism
- Black women in political leadership
- Child advocacy / support for vulnerable children and their families
- Decarceration and prison abolition
- Environmental justice
- Homeless populations
- LGBTQ+ youth
- Migrant rights
- Reproductive justice advocacy
We will not accept listings that request support for groups that support racist, anti-feminist, anti-abortion, anti-trans, anti-queer, anti-immigrant politics, or other forms of bigotry. We also will not accept listings that engage in cultural appropriation.
You can view a full list of organizations Persistent Stitches crafters have supported here.
THINK LOCAL! We love the opportunity to highlight hyperlocal social justice efforts alongside those with national reach. If you have a group local to your area that you already have connections to, or have been looking for ways to support, consider listing them. The only requirement is that they have the ability to accept online donations.
Q: How do I get started?
Crafters may participate in Persistent Stitches at any level, whether by creating occasional works or committing to an ongoing series. If you are interested in participating, please email the coordinator (Anna) at persistentstitches@gmail.com and we will provide you with templates for submitting your works to be listed. You can provide the information in one of two ways: email or Google Drive. If you choose to use Google Drive, we will provide you with a link to your folder with all of the templates ready to go. This folder will be where all information related to your listings is stored. If you choose to email your information, we will transfer the information to the Google Drive folder ourselves. Only Persistent Stitches volunteers will have access to the Google Drive documents.
Q: What information will you need?
We will ask you to provide some basic profile information, including:
- A display name (for you, the crafter)
- A brief biographical note
- A user icon (you or another image)
- Photographs of the item(s)
- A title and brief description of the item(s)
- The minimum dollar amount that must be donated to claim each item
- The organization(s) associated with each item
More detailed instructions are provided on the forms.
New items will be posted shortly after this information is received and the listing pushed out on social media. If you send more than one item, we may spread out the postings so that people have reason to return to the page.
Q: What happens when someone claims an item I made?
Once someone has donated at or above the amount you specified, and provided proof of donation and their mailing address to us, we will forward that information to you. We will also update the Google Drive records and website accordingly. It is then up to you to mail the claimed item(s) to the recipient. We request that crafters strive to send out the claimed items within one week (five business days). If there will be a delay — you are on vacation, there was a snowstorm, illness, etc. — just let us know and we will communicate with the recipient so that they know they have not been forgotten!
Return to current offerings.
Still have questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out!
persistentstitches@gmail.com
Persistent Stitches 