A college freshman brought his free blazer nonprofit to Philadelphia to dress job seekers for success

A free blazer nonprofit is bringing professional attire to Philadelphians who might otherwise go without. 

University of Pennsylvania freshman Josh Greenbarg first came up with the idea in middle school. His nonprofit, Blazeryourway, has since collected more than 1,300 blazers in his New York hometown, helping people build confidence for job interviews and the workplace.

Since arriving in Philadelphia earlier this fall, Greenbarg has expanded the effort, partnering with organizations like the Wardrobe and JEVS Human Services to host events and put more blazers into the hands of people who need them.

“I’ve noticed … how much smaller Philadelphia is than New York,” Greenbarg told Technical.ly. “It really does feel more community-centric, which I think works really well with Blazeryourway.”

Leaning on community has been vital to Greenbarg’s nonprofit strategy. His approach to collecting blazers ranges from partnering with major retailers like Bloomingdale’s to hanging posters around campus. He’s also contacted corporate offices, including law firms and consulting companies, to organize blazer drives.

The Penn community has also been supportive of his work. Next semester, Greenbarg plans to work with Penn First Plus, a program that provides workforce development opportunities for low-income and first-generation students, to host a pop-up blazer drive. 

He’s also accepting direct donations via the Blazeryourway website, he said.

Partnerships are helping Blazeryourway track its impact

Through his Philadelphia partnerships, Greenbarg has more opportunities to speak directly with recipients, hear about their experiences and better understand the nonprofit’s impact, he said.

He’s also been working with Penn business professors to determine the best ways to collect qualitative data and measure the organization’s effectiveness.

The goal is to find out whether Blazeryourway is making a tangible difference in recipients’ job searches “to make sure that Blazeryourway is actually helping people in the way we think it is,” Greenbarg said. 

A new outfit — and a new perspective

Greenbarg has been collecting and donating blazers for seven years, an effort that was inspired by his mom, a social worker in the Bronx, he said. 

She was working with a 17-year-old girl who was nervous about a job interview and didn’t have anything to wear. Greenbarg’s mom gave the girl her blazer and told her to write down a few things that made her feel confident about herself. 

As Greenbarg built up the nonprofit, the key component of writing down positive traits stuck around. 

Blazeryourway attaches a “top three about me” patch to each blazer, and every recipient is encouraged to write down a few positive things about themselves as a confidence boost. 

While Greenbarg wants to see more people landing interviews and jobs, his main goal is to help as many people as possible feel confident, no matter their circumstances, he said. 

“What are the top three things that not only make me me,” Greenbarg said, “but that make me someone who deserves to be confident and powerful in whatever room I’m in.”