Period Products 101: Making Your Product Drive A Success
THANK YOU for hosting a period product drive! Below you will find everything you need to get started including downloadable posters and social media graphics.
Recommended Product Donations
- Tampons*
- Light and Medium Absorbency Pads
- Panty Liners
- Period Underwear
- Black Leggings
*Period Fact: Tampons cannot be donated by manufacturers as they are considered a medical grade device.
Please note: The Monthlies Project can only accept products that are in unopened boxes with individually wrapped product, that are within 5 years of being made.
About Period Poverty
Lack of menstrual health products contributes to a growing issue — period poverty. Not only does period poverty negatively impact physical, mental, and emotional health, it can create a barrier to equal opportunity in education. Lack of access to menstrual health products can cause students with periods to miss or be late to class or feel anxious about period care. Chronic absenteeism affects achievement in school leading to educational inequity. 84% of young menstruators in school reported to have personally known someone who missed class due to lack of access to menstrual health products. 66% of teens report they don't want to be at school during their period due to shame and self-consciousness. Unfortunately, other public assistance programs designed to help those facing financial hardships, such as SNAP and WIC, are not permitted to be used to purchase menstrual health products. Period product drives are a great way to raise awareness about the disparity and inspire others to take action.
Learn more about the Pink Tax in the United States
Location Is Everything
Don’t hold a product drive in the middle of nowhere; go where the people are! Offices, schools, grocery stores, and sporting events are all great locations!
Make it a Competition
Offering an incentive or a prize to donors can help create energy and excitement about your product drive. Holding a product drive at a school? Reward the class who collects the most with a pizza party. Holding a product drive at work? Set a goal and promise the staff a free bagel breakfast if they reach it. Discount coupons, entries to a raffle, and admission to an event are other ways to persuade potential donors.
Promote Your Product Drive
Spread the Word: Post your flyers in high traffic areas! Use your company newsletter or e-mail the staff to let them know it’s happening! Share the news on social media!
Get Social: Social media is an excellent way to reach a lot of people with minimal effort. Not sure what to say? Here’s a sample post that will work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram:
We’re holding a product drive with @MonthliesProject! We’ll be collecting donations of tampons, pads, and liners to support menstruators in our community. Hope we can count your support!
Raise Awareness: The Monthlies Project has shareable infographics and statistics on our website to educate people on how widespread period poverty is in our community and to encourage them to take action.
Product Collection
Set up sturdy cardboard boxes or reusable plastic bins to collect your donations! You can ask for free boxes at grocery or department stores and decorate them with your event flyers.
Make It Fun
The goal is to collect products for those in need. Whether you collect a lot or a little, every bit of product you collect will help those facing period poverty in your community. Have some fun with it! Keep sharing pictures and updates about the product drive with your team and on social media!
Finishing Touches
Officially end the product drive by thanking everyone who donated and sharing the results. Photos are a great way to show everyone how much you collected, so make sure you take a picture with all of your donations! Post the photo on social media, or attach it to an email to thank everyone for their help. Contact Lauren Knaus at [email protected] to coordinate a drop off of all the period products you collected.
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
Posters
8.5 x 11"
11 x 17"
Social Media Graphics
