Mountain Bird Designs – Creating Positive Change: Help us launch a made in America, art-driven, environmentally conscious, textile business that will help thousands of domestic violence survivors and families who are facing hunger

Mountain Bird Designs, founded in 2014, is a for-purpose, small textile business located in Western North Carolina. Our tag line “Designs That Make a Difference” is centered on our commitment to use our creativity for positive change. Our company is built on the foundation of sustainability and empowerment. Ten percent of every purchase is donated to two organizations with solid track records in supporting domestic violence survivors and families facing hunger in the United States. 

GreenHouse17 is a domestic violence shelter located in Kentucky that has received many awards for their innovative and sustainable approach to nurturing domestic violence survivors and their children. 

Feeding America is a nationwide network of food banks providing food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs.

Our mission to contribute to positive change is built into every step of our production process, beginning with the art work that we feature. Supporting the art community is central to our mission. We work with talented artists who share our mission and want to contribute to positive change through their art.

Mountain Bird Designs’ manufacturers and distributors have been carefully selected to minimize our carbon footprint while supporting fair paying jobs in Appalachia. 

• Our beautiful fabrics are woven with fibers made from recycled water bottles at a local North Carolina textile mill. 
• The artwork is printed locally in North Carolina on recycled fabric using water-based ink with a process that generates minimal waste with no toxic by-products. 
• Our products are then cut and sewn by a member-owned, fair pay cooperative in Morganton, NC. 
• We ship from a local North Carolina fulfillment center that trains and employs people who are developmentally or physically disabled, facing employment barriers.

We have been working hard over the past 2 years, using money from our retirement savings, to build the foundation for Mountain Bird Designs. We have done the research, learned how to navigate the textile industry, and connected with partners and vendors who share our mission. Our products have been designed, samples have been made and tested, and all the pieces needed for full production are set in place and ready to go. Now all we need is you to set the wheels of change in motion. Our mission to create positive change in a tangible and substantive way can only happen with your help.

Here is how the funds will be used: 

Here is what you will receive for your contribution to positive change:

Original artwork created by one of our featured artists (without mat or frame.) Only available during this campaign. Contributions will be shared between supporting domestic violence survivors and contributing to meals for families facing hunger.

For all remaining perks, we will send you a follow-up email to gather the information we need to get things right.

A functional and artistic wallet clutch that keeps you organized in style. Many pockets inside and a place to stash your phone or keys. These clutches coordinate with our business bags. You are contributing to the support of 1 domestic violence survivor or contributing to 4 meals.

A comfy and fashionable tunic of your choice. You are contributing to the support of 1 domestic violence survivor or contributing to 4 meals.

You are contributing to the support of 1 domestic violence survivor or contributing to 6 meals.

$10 off the retail price. You are contributing to the support of 1 domestic violence survivor or contributing to 8 meals.

$20 off the retail price. You are contributing to the support of 1 domestic violence survivor or contributing to 9 meals.

Our premier product keeps you organized in style. Lots of room for your phone, wallet, calendar, laptop, and more. There are pockets inside and out for all kinds of stuff. A key fob keeps those pesky keys at hand. These bags are solidly built and sturdy, so load it up with all the stuff you need! You are contributing to the support of 2 domestic violence survivors or contributing to 12 meals.

$10 off the retail price. The combination of our business bag and wallet clutch keeps you super organized in style with easy access to the things you need. The functional wallet clutch gives you the opportunity to leave your bag behind when you need to dash into the grocery store on the way home. You are contributing to the support of  2 domestic violence survivors or contributing to 16 meals.

$20 off the retail price. You are contributing to the support of 4 domestic violence survivors or contributing to 32 meals. (By the way, you rock!)

$59 off the retail price. AND you are contributing to the support of 5 domestic violence survivors or contributing to 50 meals. (By the way, you totally rock!) We will give you a special thank-you on our website.

But there is even more you can do to support us by spreading the word and referring your friends. The more friends you send our way, the more women and children you are helping, and the more fair pay you are providing. We have some special gifts to show our gratitude.

Here’s how you do it:

To be able to track your referrals, you need to promote our campaign with Indiegogo’s share tools while logged into your Indiegogo account. Your unique ID will be attached to any resulting contributions or visits.

For example, when you are logged into your account and use Indiegogo’s share tools to send a tweet, the link in the tweet includes your unique ID. Let’s say your friend reads your tweet and clicks through the link to contribute, you will be recognized as helping bring in the amount contributed by your friend.

In short, simply log into your Indiegogo account, and use Indiegogo’s share tools to track your referrals. You can check your referrals through your Indiegogo profile or on our leaderboard that will be featured on our front page.

Here is what you can get for sharing the word:

We have successfully addressed the biggest challenges to produce our products in a socially conscious way, with each step contributing to positive change. The remaining challenges relate to the time it takes to weave, print, and sew. While our estimated timeline for delivering your perks takes this into account, things happen that are beyond our control. For example, the more support we get during our campaign means the more products we need to sew. Of course, sewing more products takes more time. But that is a good thing, right? 

Because we have established strong relationships with our vendors, because they are 100% behind our mission, and are all about supporting small businesses, we know they won’t be wasting time. 

We will keep you posted about where things are in the production process, so there will be no surprises. 

Now that you know more about Mountain Bird Designs, here is a little more about the Mountain Bird Designs team.

This all started when Michele Lynberg Black was still an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She grew frustrated with the limited options in “brief cases” available for professional women who didn’t want the “manly” look. So she made her own business bag – Version 1.0. Michele, as a scientist, knew a lot about crunching numbers, developing public health surveys, and all the other stuff that goes with public health research. She was also an experienced quilter and a mixed media artist with 40 years of sewing experience. But she knew very little about all the other things that were needed to make the dream of Mountain Bird Designs turn into a reality. Here’s our dream team. 

Mountain Bird Designs is endorsed by the Made in America Movement. 

Source: icnw