Wendy Serrino, the President and Founder of North Shore Exchange, Interviewed by Adam Torres of the Mission Matters Business Podcast
Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify / Stitcher / RSS
Apply to be a guest on our podcast here
Chicago Illinois-based, Wendy Serrino, the President and Founder of North Shore Exchange (NSE) is interviewed by Los Angeles-based, leading podcaster Adam Torres of the Mission Matters Business Podcast on growing a luxury consignment store into a powerhouse non-profit organization.
NSE’s mission is to create opportunities that eliminate the suffering of poverty for children and families across the greater area of Chicago. Today on Mission Matters, she is discussing the growth of her nonprofit, luxury consignment shop North Shore Exchange (NSE) and its ability to fund $3.2 million dollars to Chicagoland charities.
Luxury On a Mission
NSE is committed to improving the lives of Chicagoland communities. It has taken an innovative approach to combining consignment, designer shopping and volunteering to another level resulting in a full circle transformative experience for all involved.
Individuals can earn money by selling their designer and home goods on consignment. Once the items have been repurchased, these funds go back into the community in the form of grants through the Luxury on a Mission Program to Chicagoland charities. These charities provide services that have a direct impact on the lives of people in their communities.
“We generate opportunities for people to participate in our mission…to generate profits to serve the poor,” emphasized Serrino.
Watch Full Interview:
Innovation that Transforms Everyday People
As a 2021 nominee for the Chicago Innovation Awards, an honor Serrino is still excited about, NSE is driven to consistently find new ways to help its community. Their award recognition has brought even more visibility about their partnerships with the life-altering charities that they have funded.
The Luxury on a Mission program, Serrino says, is to prioritize and award the local agencies most in need of grant funding. This year, NSE received overwhelming requests totaling almost $2.3 million from more than 80 nonprofit organizations, up from 55 in 2021. After extensively vetting all requests, the philanthropic committee narrowed the field to 15 grantees who will receive $550,000. This will bring NSE’s total charitable grants to well over $3.2 million since 2013. This year’s grant program is the largest in NSE’s history.
The nonprofit organizations recognized and funded this year focus on hunger, homelessness, health care, resources for domestic and substance abuse, legal rights for children and or a combination of the above
This year’s awardees include two special surprise organizations plus CASA Lake County, Children’s Research Triangle, Family Promise Chicago North Shore, Family Service of Glencoe, Fenix Centro de Salud Health Center, Highland Park Community Foundation: Shooting Response Fund, Illinois Fire Safety Alliance: Burn Camp, Margaret’s Village, Nourishing Hope, Old Irving Park Community Center, RefugeeOne, The Harbour, WINGS Program, Inc.
While the priority is to see funds actively transforming communities, their organizational growth has allowed for NSE to strengthen its internal operations. A third consignment store in a new location, the purchase of a warehouse and the plan for increased sales with technology will drive future growth for this life-changing organization.
Become Part of the MissionTo keep up with North Shore Exchange or shop its inventory, follow the nonprofit on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Donors can use the contact page on https://northshoreexchange.org or email wendy@northshoreexchange.org. Volunteers wishing to work in-store, provide legal advice or warehouse support can also contact us at the website’s volunteer page.
