When Jordan Bartlett was in college, a new social network called The Facebook was gaining traction at campuses across the country, so he created a profile. Not long after, he received a friend request from a woman who said she was his sister. Little did he know how much this would change his life.

“I was adopted at a young age, and I had amazing parents,” says Bartlett. “But my sister had a very different upbringing. She had been in and out of the foster system and at the time we got in touch, she was several years sober and working at the recovery place that had helped her, in order to give back.”

Jordan Bartlett (above, middle), Scott Henderson (bottom photo, far left) and Logan Altman (bottom photo, far right) are making a difference for foster youth with Doing Good Works.

Bartlett started doing research on the more than 400,000 youth in the U.S. foster care system and found startling statistics; high school graduation and incarceration rates were dismal. The pull to make a difference in this oft-overlooked community became stronger.

One day, he quit his recruiting job and started working with Royal Family Kids, a nationwide network of recreational camps for abused and neglected children. When he expressed his desire to make helping youth his new career, Royal Family introduced him to Scott Henderson, whose wife had experience as a court-approved special advocate who makes executive decisions for fostered youth. They were very familiar with the challenges that fostered youth face.

“We decided we could easily sell branded T-shirts to help kids,” says Bartlett. “We got an ASI number and started knocking on doors.”

Promo Insiders: In this podcast, Sara Lavenduski, senior editor of Advantages magazine, speaks with Jordan Bartlett and Logan Altman about their journey together, and how they’ve continued to serve the fostered youth community during COVID-19.

The two launched Doing Good Works (asi/222095) in 2015 and as demand grew, Bartlett (co-founder) and Henderson (CEO) knew they needed more promo expertise. They brought on Logan Altman, who had well-rounded experience. “I was in operations at a distributor in Huntington Beach, but I needed something with more purpose,” says Altman, director of customer experience. “A friend told me about Jordan and Scott, and I saw how promo could change lives.”

Buyers have certainly taken notice. The Irvine, CA-based distributor ranked second on Counselor’s 2019 Fastest-Growing Distributors list with 702% growth between 2016 and 2018. (The company also made the Inc. 5000 list last year.) The certified B Corporation houses three divisions: CP Custom Prints for promo products, after an acquisition earlier this year; Purpose Printery, an in-house, trauma-informed print shop; and Foster Greatness, which generates direct donations to the cause.

The company also operates on a 10/20/30 model: 10% of proceeds are donated back to fostered youth; 20% of employees’ work time is spent volunteering; and 30% of employees are former fosters.

“I’ve never felt more fulfilled. I love sharing the impact with our clients and showing them what their swag has done.” Logan Altman

In particular, Purpose Printery offers transitional jobs and financial literacy instruction for those aging out of the system. A “trauma-informed” environment means management has been specially trained in working with former fostered youth who, because of past traumas, often know only “fight or flight,” instead of healthy collaboration skills.

Additional initiatives from Doing Good Works include its Mission Ambassadors Program, which hires fostered youth attending college to remotely work on promo orders, to its One Simple Wish charity effort that grants wishes for foster youth in need. Since promo products are easily scalable, says Bartlett, they have plans to share their insights with interested parties in Seattle, New York City and even Ireland. “I’ve never felt more fulfilled,” says Altman. “I love sharing the impact with our clients and showing them what their swag has done.”