Fitted For Work 2024
As a business dedicated to our community, Fella Hamilton is thrilled to continue our partnership with a fantastic local non-profit, Fitted for Work!
Fitted for Work has been a leading job readiness support service since 2005. One of their many free services includes collecting gently worn or new clothing donations to create fabulous capsule wardrobes for women, non-binary individuals, and the gender diverse who are experiencing disadvantage, ensuring they're dressed to thrive in job interviews and beyond!
Fella Hamilton's ongoing donations, including 9 boxes of new clothing sent out early-July this year, consist of handpicked surplus and end-of-line garments. This clothing provides for the Personal Outfitting service of their business, which is one of the many steps within the clients' journey at Fitted for Work.
"Fella Hamilton exists to empower women and boost their self-esteem through their choices," said Sharon Hamilton. "By supplying clothing to Fitted for Work, we extend this mission to women in need."
We spoke with Donna de Zwart, Managing Director of Fitted for Work, about this incredible local organisation and her own journey in empowering women.
1. When & how was Fitted for Work born, & how has it made a difference?
Fitted for Work started in 2005 and was co-founded by two women, Marion Webster and Renata Singer. It started as very grass roots organisation to help women who were experiencing disadvantage find employment. It was based in Melbourne and was a very much a face-to-face experience for clients. Next year we celebrate 20 years and, in that time, we have managed to assist 45,000 women across Australia. Our services have evolved to provide women, transgender and non-binary people with an end-to-end solution. We provide services that get women ready for work, help them find work, then help them stay in work and thrive. We are on a path to helping women achieve economic independence. We know that money doesn’t buy happiness, but it does buy a woman choice as to how she wants to live her life.
2. How long have you been with Fitted for Work, & what drew you to be involved with this organisation?
I have been with Fitted for Work for the last 9.5 years. I was drawn to the role as I had my own lived experience around domestic violence and knew firsthand how employment saved me and my children.
3. What does your typical day as a Managing Director at Fitted for Work look like?
The best part about my job is that no two days are the same. In the last week, I have participated in filming for one of our partner organisations, attended a Board Meeting, worked with my direct reports across various functions of the organisation. I have also been developing a 20-year impact report with a pro bono agency, developing our Operational Plan for 2025 as well as meeting with potential donors and our beautiful volunteer workforce.
4. What has been your proudest moments in this role?
There are two that stand out apart from the daily work we do with thousands of women across Australia. The first is the success of our two social enterprises – The Conscious Closet and Supervention. These enterprises were established to provide a sustainable income source for our organisation. I’m very proud that they now bring in approximately 40% of our revenue each year. Philosophically, this also practices what we preach about financial independence to our clients. We also need to have this as a ‘for purpose’ organisation. The second is the growth of our people. Seeing our staff reach their potential and transform their lives.
5. What are the complete service offerings at Fitted for Work?
Fitted for Work offers a range of job readiness services which includes resume and cover letter support, interview preparation, an outfitting service, digital literacy, confidence building and job preparation workshops. We offering mentoring opportunities to clients once they find employment and we have an employer partner program called She Works where employers can list job vacancies on our jobs board. Our services are holistic and tailored to the individual needs. We are also proud to be able to offer all of our services online to any women, any where in Australia.
6. How has Fella Hamilton contributed to helping through their clothing donations?
The donations provided to us has been placed in the dressing room and The Conscious Closet depending on the garment. Anything work appropriate was gifted to our clients as part of their capsule wardrobe. Clothing that was more casual or after five went to our social enterprise where all proceeds go back to the business to support more women into our service.
7. What can people expect to find when they first contact Fitted for Work?
An incredibly welcoming and supportive team, who will tailor our service offerings to every client, no matter what their background. We have no eligibility criteria. We figure that if you are courageous enough to ask for help, we will be there for you for the length of your employment journey.
8. Are your services available Australia-wide, & how can they be accessed?
All our services are available online, anywhere across Australia.
9. How many clients do you support each year & how has this changed since 2005?
Currently we have the capacity to deliver services to 5000 women per year. This however is dependent on how successful we are with raising funds year on year. In the 2024 finacial year we delivered over 6000 services.
10. What life factors have impacted your clients most?
If you think about the spectrum of woman’s life and how employment plays into that. Whether it is your first job, returning to work after giving birth, moving from part-time to full-time work, finding work after a redundancy, coping with menopause, not enough super to retire, the cost-of-living crisis, COVID etc. We see women who haven’t finished high school and women with PHDs. Disadvantage can strike any woman any time. Women are more vulnerable to all these factors because of the systems we operate in.
11. What age groups are experiencing the most workplace disadvantage?
It’s hard to talk about one group in particular but we are seeing a growing number of women over 50 accessing our services. This is often when we start to see systemic failures play out such as the Gender pay gap, lack of superannuation, a biased view of women and ageing. Women over 50 are currently the fastest growing homeless population in Australia.
12. What do you & the organisation hope to achieve into the future?
We would like to amplify our brand so that women everywhere know that there is a safe place for them to access services that are unique to them. We know that women face a set of unique and complex barriers to employment. We believe they deserve a unique set of solutions. Fitted for Work provides this. We believe that when you are Fitted for Work, you are Fitted for Life.
13. How can Fella Hamilton customers offer support if they choose?
Fella Hamilton customers can support Fitted for Work in several ways. They can shop at the Conscious Closet, make a donation, contribute to Workplace Giving and choose Fitted for Work at the charity they wish to support, run a fundraiser, become a volunteer or simply follow us on our socials and share, like posts. Word of mouth is also powerful, so if your customers know a woman in need or they happen to be that woman, please contact us.
For more information, you can visit the Fitted For Work website here.
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