Homelessness, incarceration, domestic abuse … the women assisted by Melissa Tenzer’s nonprofit emerge from the most fraught circumstances. Sometimes, they arrive at the nonprofit’s doors with nothing but the clothing on their backs.
And, to start breaking the cycle of poverty, they’d like nothing more than to help you make a withdrawal at the local bank.
Tenzer, CEO of the Central Jersey division of the worldwide Dress for Success nonprofit, said it’s found few better landing spots than the financial sector for the women who want to start down a career path after dealing with tough life challenges. For that reason, it’s enjoyed forging partnerships with large and small financial institutions in the region.
The feeling is mutual.
“Our mission of empowering women and youth resonates with these businesses … and it seems to be a trend that they really want to get more and more involved with the community,” Tenzer said.
What Columbia, OceanFirst, Manasquan and William Penn banks and other financial institutions aid Dress for Success with is — as the nonprofit’s name implies — outfitting women with the proper clothing for interviews that could land them finance jobs, possibly at their own business.
“And, putting people in a bank teller situation provides them a lot of room for future opportunity and growth,” Tenzer said. “You can move up through the ranks. And a high percentage will get to that next level.”
Tenzer said she’s seeing it happen all the time. In the past year, she’s had five to six women hired to local financial institutions report back that they’re being treated well and on a path to advancement.
While there might be other professions that can help these women achieve economic independence and forge ahead with a secure career, the nonprofit views finance jobs as particularly suited to helping individuals work on transferable skills and experience.
“I also think these women are learning from mentors how to build credit, open accounts and all of those financial skills that are equally important in financial independence,” Tenzer said. “As our partners (in the financial sector) help to teach women and youth, earning a living is only half the journey.”
The financial literacy element is overtly provided for by Dress for Success and its cadre of local financial sector partners.
“We have volunteers from these businesses, experts in their field, who connect with the women and teach them budgeting, savings and all aspects of regaining a good financial situation for themselves,” she said. “Along with the clothing donations, which Bank of America is doing a huge amount of right now in New Jersey, these businesses really want to help as much as they can.”
On the nonprofit’s side of things, the finance-focused programming serves as a nice complement to other workshops on basic life skills. It’s in those workshops, specifically one on self-love, that Tenzer said she has received feedback that sticks with her to this day.
“We heard from a school district that our workshop had helped (one of the participants) on her journey to overcoming her eating disorder,” she said. “We were floored. It was a reminder that, when you meet people in life, you have no idea what someone might be going through. In the classroom, she looked like a shy teen that wasn’t engaged. But, in her mind, she was taking the first step in her recovery.”
The Lawrenceville-based contingent of Dress for Success recently partnered with Family Justice Centers, a nonprofit serving victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, to gain more of a foothold in Middlesex and Monmouth counties.
“The goal for us over the next year is opening up a bigger office there and helping more women,” she said. “As part of that, we’re looking for banks and other businesses to continue supporting us. We want to raise awareness and get to the next level of success as an organization. We expect local bankers will be key in that.”
