Upcycle Parts Shop

Upcycle Parts Shop strengthened its social enterprise programming by reaching more high schools in northeast Ohio, targeting partnerships cmsd with high schools located in the city of cleveland, and expanding the innovation kit program by more than triple the year before. Innovation kits packed up with upcycled materials are now shipped around the country and online curriculum, available for free on our website, continues to share education on social enterprise as a business model, featuring our organization as a case study. The organization began hosting volunteer work parties to support innovation kit packing and had participation from 35 volunteers throughout the year. Staff explored online sales of the material donations through more channels than ever before. Ultimately staff capacity was limited to build a new online sales strategy but lessons were learned and interest was shown that can inform efforts in the future.

Upcycle hosted several social mixers, including a gathering hosted by a local television celebrity, kenny crumpton, that we called crafting with kenny, in which 90 tickets were sold, new volunteers connected to our work, and the event successfully connected our followers to the space of a neighboring asset, lutheran metropolitan ministry.upcycle Parts Shop launched a successful fundraising campaign called rhino stampede, emphasizing the organization has taken in enough donations equivalent to 18 full grown rhinoceroses over the 9 years in our small space. The goal of the rhino stampede was to raise funds to expand the retail Shop and donation processing into an adjacent space, which was successfully accomplished in early 2024.