Direct Donation: Via cross-sector partnerships, directly giving vision care and glasses to those in need. For example, in 2015, Warby Parker created Pupils Project, a program that works with local organizations and government agencies to give free vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses to schoolchildren. After starting the program in New York City, then launching in Baltimore and Philadelphia, the Company expanded Pupils Project in 2021 to bring vision services to more than 70 new U.S. school districts in cities across California, central and western Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. Warby Parker plans to distribute tens of thousands of pairs of glasses during the 2021-2022 school year alone.
Warby Parker aims to demonstrate that businesses can scale while doing good in the world. Ultimately, the brand believes in vision for all, which is why for every pair of glasses or sunglasses sold, they distribute a pair to someone in need through their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program.
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1 Due to the administrative processes associated with operating the Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program, including the timing and coordination of the distribution of glasses, recognition of the number of pairs of glasses distributed should not be correlated with net revenue for any fiscal period.
2 -Feb-VS-One-Pager.pdf
3 -abstract/2783867
4 -boost-student-performance-vision-for-baltimore/
Also fueling the buzz is Warby Parker's buy-a-pair, give-a-pair program, similar to the model made famous by TOMS Shoes. Every pair of Warby Parker glasses bought means another pair is sold inexpensively in the developing world to people who would otherwise have difficulty (or no access to) buying their own specs. The company says its model has led to the distribution of more than 1 million pairs.
Warby Parker has tried to anticipate and respond to such concerns. It has identified a market where there is need: as many as 90 percent of the world's visually impaired people live in developing countries. Rather than donating the glasses outright, the company makes cash donations from its sales to VisionSpring, a non-profit for which Warby Parker founder Neil Blumenthal used to work. VisionSpring trains low-income men and women to sell glasses in their communities for affordable prices, allowing them to earn a living. This helps ensure Warby Parker's donations actually meet people's needs and don't displace local businesses.
This section includes a glossary of terms related to eye care or the construction of glasses, a section explaining how their glasses are made, even how to get a prescription and information on insurance and how to use FSA (Flexible Spending Account) dollars for a new pair.
In addition to partnering with existing charities and non-profits in developing countries, Warby Parker began their own venture, the Pupils Project. For this endeavor, 10 famous creatives from New York City designed their own pair of glasses to be sold at Warby Parker.
Warby Parker x VisionSpring operates according to a four-step process: shop, donate, train and go forth. Customers first purchase a pair of glasses. Warby Parker records the number of glasses sold and makes a monthly donation to its nonprofit partners VisionSpring accordingly. Co-founder of Warby Parker Neil Blumenthal once worked as director of VisionSpring, where he learned and witnessed all the processes glasses undergo, from manufacture to distribution to delivery.
Though the purchase or gift of a pair of eyeglasses may seem ordinary, it is truly considered a luxury in places in need, where people face difficulties in their daily lives without access to them. By centering efforts in this particular area, the work of Warby Parker x VisionSpring is moving toward a solution with every sale it makes.
If you just got a new pair of glasses, you understand that getting the eye exam, purchasing the frames, and getting your prescription lenses set can be expensive and time-consuming. This is true even if you have vision insurance. Many people around the world cannot afford prescription lenses, which reduces their quality of life.
Some charities may take your used or old glasses and resell them at a lower price. Others donate glasses to low-income, unemployed, or homeless individuals in the United States or around the world. People who cannot get to an optometrist very often, or who simply cannot afford glasses that would improve their vision, benefit from having access to a pair of glasses that fits their prescription.
If you cannot mail in your glasses to a charitable organization, or there is not a reliable drop-off location for glasses donations near you, you can contact your local thrift stores to see if they take gently used glasses. Thrift stores have a range of methods for marking prescription glasses, and they will resell items that you donate. This gives you another option to offer low-income people the chance to find a pair of glasses in their prescription for very little money.
Many people buy less expensive, non-designer glasses frames online, and many of these vendors can also provide prescription lenses for new glasses. Since you cannot try on frames in person in a store, many of these online companies allow you to return glasses that do not fit you. These glasses may be sent to a charitable organization. For example, Warby Parker has a program you can sign up for, to donate a pair of glasses when you purchase a pair of glasses.
There are many people across the globe who need vision care and do not have access to it, including prescriptions glasses. According to the WHO, 2.2 billion people are diagnosed with different vision impairments that affect their independence, mental health, and cognition. Unfortunately, some of them cannot afford eyeglasses to correct their impairment.
Warby Parker aims to demonstrate that businesses can scale while doing good in the world. Ultimately, the brand believes in vision for all, which is why for every pair of glasses or sunglasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need through their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program.
Direct Donation: Via cross-sector partnerships, directly giving vision care and glasses to those in need. For example, in 2015, Warby Parker created Pupils Project, a program that works with local organizations and government agencies to give free vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses to schoolchildren. Warby Parker plans to distribute tens of thousands of pairs of glasses during the 2021-2022 school year alone.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that 2.2 billion people globally have near or distance vision impairment, and that this figure is higher in low- or middle-income countries than in high-income countries.
David Kind sells premium eyewear online. It encourages its customers to trade in their old pair of David Kind prescription glasses when upgrading to a new pair.
The company donates the glasses to New Eyes for the Needy, a nonprofit organization that distributes glasses to people in the U.S.
Warby Parker, which sells eyewear online and at a dozen stores around the country, was named as one of the most innovative companies in 2015. Founded in 2010, it has a simple, but compelling, philosophy: "A lifestyle brand offering value and service with a social mission." Their "buy a pair, give a pair" policy, which gives a pair to charity for every pair sold, has resonated strongly with millennials. "What kind of business do we want to build? [One I can] be excited to go to all day that has a positive impact on the world," said Neil Blumenthal, co-founder. No surprise, then, that WP has sold over one million pairs of glasses and its estimated market valuation is $1.2 billion.
4. Make sure the buying experience is engaging, fun and simple. Since people who try on are 50 percent more likely to buy, Warby Parker offers a "5 for 5" deal, meaning you have five days to try on five frames. Warby Parker also encourages their customers to post photos of themselves wearing each potential pair. Co-workers, friends and family become engaged in the selection, which generates word-of-mouth advertisement for Warby Parker. Another reason for Warby Parker's success is, "simplifying the practice of buying glasses. A typical optical shop is confusing and not fun." What about your optical? I encourage my staff to keep things simple and easy: Find out what the patient is interested in and make appropriate recommendations.
6. Competitive pricing with a "value" frame center. Warby Parker started when one of the founders lost a pair of $700 glasses. By cutting out the middleman, Warby Parker offers single-vision eyewear, starting at $95, and $345 for eyewear with a progressive lenses. In my practice, most of our frames alone are in this price range. However, we have a "value" center, with a frame and single-vision lens package, which is competitive with Warby Parker. Many buying groups, frame vendors and optometry alliance groups offer a special deal on close-out frames. I am a member of IDOC, which offers such a deal on our best selling lines. It's important to find a lab that offers competitive pricing, fast turnaround time, second-pair discounts, warranties and quality work. We use ECP Laboratories, which offers these benefits for our private-pay jobs.
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