For Brent Anderson and Marc Neidlinger, the road to philanthropy is paved with T-shirts.
The duo are co-owners of Vancouver-based Rahzo – what they call a “for-profit, for-purpose” business – that sells garments screen printed with designs by independent artists.
Between $2 and $8 of each garment sale goes to one of three partner nonprofits – local chapters of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Cancer Society and Seattle-based Art with Heart.
There are plans to design garments exclusively to represent nonprofits.
“This is not a numbers game, this is an inspiration game,” Neidlinger said.
Plans for the company have been in the works for a year, but the idea has been growing for a while, the owners said.
“It’s been a seed planted in me forever to do something just like (this),” Anderson said.
Anderson and Neidlinger self-funded the startup, but declined to share financial specifics. They have no employees at this point.
Neidlinger is a partner of Vancouver-based M+BG creative firm, and Anderson’s background includes art, advertising and banking. He owns MediClean and ProTeam Cleaning, both based in Vancouver.
The pair launched www.rahzo.com this month, offering T-shirts with 11 exclusive designs for $19 to $35. Designs for four more shirts are in the works, along with sweatshirts and messenger bags, they said.
“It’s better launching now than two years ago,” Anderson said. “Now (people) see it and say, ‘Wow, this is a positive story amidst the negativity.’ ”
Chosen designs are non-political, non-religious and non-violent, “so it’s not exclusive to anyone,” Neidlinger said.
And with what he called “zero visibility as a company,” Rahzo garnered more than 100 entries for its first design competition in the fall and winter of 2008. About 85 percent of the entries came from outside the United States through announcements at sites such as graphiccompetitions.com and Facebook.com. The winning designer of Rahzo’s first “inspire”-themed contest won $1,000, Anderson said.
Other artists, including Alida Field from Washougal, won cash, prizes or store credit for winning designs. Artists have brief bios posted at the website and will soon have pages within the site to showcase the rest of their work, Anderson said.
“Rahzo is a platform for people to share creativity for the benefit and inspiration of others,” Neidlinger said.
Vancouver-based Artwear screen prints Rahzo’s garments, and about 60 percent of the T-shirts are manufactured in the U.S. Three designs are printed on bamboo shirts made internationally, many under the regulations of groups such as the Amsterdam-based Fair Wear Foundation.
Anderson and Neidlinger hope to raise capital to manufacture the clothing in Vancouver before long.
“We (would) use and employ local people and maintain high quality control,” Anderson said.
Vancouver-based Studio 7 Boutik has provided steady retail sales for Rahzo since December, Anderson said.
Rahzo’s partner nonprofits were chosen for their community impacts and fiscal responsibility, Anderson said. Due to the company’s international interest among designers, he is looking to partner with international organizations.
A recession means hard times for businesses, Anderson said, but also for nonprofits depending on donations and government support.
“A lot of money that organizations were counting on could be going away, so they need everything they can get,” Anderson said. “A lot of (nonprofits) are providing services that are otherwise unavailable.”
He said he hopes Rahzo can help spur philanthropy during the recession.
“Even in a down economy, America is the most prosperous place on the planet,” he said.
Charity Thompson can be reached at cthompson@vbjusa.com.
