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message learn how and when to remove this template message ten thousand villages type non profit organization founded 1946 headquarters akron pennsylvania us key people pam raffensberger ceo j. alex hartzler chair of the board products home d cor jewelry personal accessories tabletop plant and garden baskets personal care global treasures stationary toys and games musical instruments nativities and festive decor revenue 27.7 million usd 2011 net income 358 230 usd 2011 website tenthousandvillages.com ten thousand villages is a nonprofit fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by disadvantaged artisans from more than 120 artisan groups in more than 35 countries . as one of the world s largest and oldest fair trade organizations 1 ten thousand villages cultivates long term buying relationships in which artisans receive a fair price for their work and consumers have access to gifts accessories and home d cor from around the world . ten thousand villages is a founding member of the international fair trade association ifat and a certified member of the fair trade federation ftf . ten thousand villages is also a nonprofit partner of mennonite central committee . contents 1 history 2 artisan partners 3 today 4 merchandise 5 media 6 impact 7 references 8 external links history edit logo of selfhelp crafts of the world later to become ten thousand villages . the original philosophy of ten thousand villages was inspired by mennonite values including compassion service mutual aid and peacemaking . 2 the founding of ten thousand villages in the mid twentieth century marks the beginning of a movement later to be called fair trade . edna ruth byler was moved to take action by the poverty she witnessed during a trip to puerto rico in 1946 . byler began a grassroots campaign among her family and friends in the united states by selling handcrafted products out of the trunk of her car . she sought to provide sustainable economic opportunities for artisans in developing countries by creating a viable marketplace for their products . over 30 years byler worked to connect individual entrepreneurs in developing countries with market opportunities in north america . in the 1970s the small project moved out of byler s basement to become selfhelp crafts of the world an official program of mennonite central committee . in 1996 selfhelp became ten thousand villages a retail company that now has over 100 stores in the united states and canada . the new name was inspired by mahatma gandhi who said india is not to be found in its few cities but in the 700 000 villages . 2 by 2008 the company s sales had surpassed 25.5 million one third of which was paid to artisans directly . the other two thirds covered importing storage marketing retail costs and administration . 2 in 2012 ten thousand villages and mennonite central committee entered a partnership agreement . ten thousand villages is no longer wholly owned by mcc . artisan partners edit ten thousand villages encourages artisans to employ production methods that are environmentally sustainable and to use recycled and natural materials whenever possible . in 2007 ten thousand villages redesigned stores to minimize environmental impact in order to meet what they call their triple bottom line of economic environmental and social sustainability . ten thousand villages establishes long term trade relationships with groups that work with craftspeople who are in need of work and who produce crafts that are more likely to be sold in north america . 1 most of these groups are found in asia africa latin america and the middle east . the company often selects artisan partners that provide training and employment to those who have virtually no chance of securing employment in the mainstream labor market . many of these artisans are disadvantaged because of disability gender or ethnicity . ten thousand villages also purchases from export businesses that market handicraft products on behalf of artisans who lack access to markets . these groups provide tools and sustainable sources of income for small artisan workshops to develop their infrastructure and build business capacity . prices are determined by a combination of what the artisan believes fair and demand in the foreign market . artisans are paid up front fifty percent of the agreed upon price in order to help them pay for the raw materials used in their products . the other fifty percent is paid once the products are complete . the artisans are paid in full before their products are sold in north america even if they never get sold . ten thousand villages marketing director doug dirks estimated that market prices abroad are up to five times what is paid to the artisan . he said that his company is willing to take that risk because they feel that it is important to what they do . most of the artisans in these countries can not obtain business loans from their local banks . 1 3 ten thousand villages designers and buyers collaborate with artisans so that traditional methods are employed but using colors and styles which appeal to north american markets . the company encourages artisans to use sustainable practices . for example artisans are advised to use natural or recycled materials in their products . 3 today edit ten thousand villages store in new hamburg ontario the ten thousand villages headquarters is currently located in akron pennsylvania . 4 the company uses sales profits to increase purchases from artisan partners and to expand its domestic distribution channels . in 2006 2007 fiscal year the company increased purchases from artisans by more than one million dollars . ten thousand villages is a wholesaler as well as a retailer . local groups at churches colleges and community centers around the country continue to host festival sales which was the company s earliest means of distributing its goods . individual stores are staffed by volunteers to minimize administrative costs though full time managers are paid . 1 paying of full time managers is relatively new and fits a larger trend among non profit organizations employing private sector business strategies as a means of more effectively raising funds . 4 there are 35 stores in canada . merchandise edit ten thousand villages offers handmade home d cor and gifts from around the world including baskets sculptures jewelry instruments toys tablewares planters linens stationery various holiday items and other accessories . most ten thousand villages stores also sell fair trade food items such as chocolate tea rice dried fruit and coffee . media edit in 2006 make trade fair was released a compilation cd to raise awareness and funds for ten thousand villages . in 2005 ten thousand villages released the power of trading fairly a dvd highlighting artisan partners from bangladesh guatemala and kenya and how their lives have been improved by fair trade . impact edit anecdotal evidence suggests that ten thousand villages has had life altering effects on its artisan partners . its fair trade practices directly support tens of thousands of artisans around the world . 4 in 2009 the company conducted their one reason why campaign which showcased some of these anecdotal stories . the campaign revolved around printed and digital materials such as bookmarks and dvds that presented artisans one reason why fair trade had made a difference in their lives . 5 also some of the generally small artisan groups or families have transformed into full fledged businesses that employ hundreds to thousands of people . 2 however despite this evidence little research has been conducted to determine the quantitative impact of ten thousand villages and its worldwide fair trade partnerships . 5 references edit garriga maria . new haven conn. fair trade shop owners pay third world artisans fairly . knight ridder tribune business news . washington 2004 12 26 . our history . ten thousand villages . retrieved october 21 2014 . a b c d sarika dani 2005 . nontraditional strategies . chain store age . subscription required help . a b c d wolfer terry & del pila katrina 2008 . ten thousand villages partnering with artisans to overcome poverty . social work & christianity . subscription required help . a b fair trade . ten thousand villages . a b c mary conway ; joyce marry & manolis chris 2006 . creating effective customer relationships in not for profit retailing the ten thousand villages example . international journal of nonprofit & voluntary sector marketing . subscription required help . a b kitchen jane 2009 . ten thousand villages . gifts & decorative accessories . subscription required help . external links edit official us site . official canadian site . ten thousand villages at global anabaptist mennonite encyclopedia online v t e fair trade core topics history of fair trade fairtrade certification fair trade and politics fair trade impact studies fair trade debate alternative trading organization trade justice trade justice movement sweatshops body shopping worldshop federations fairtrade labelling organizations international world fair trade organization network of european worldshops european fair trade association fine fair trade federation international resources for fairer trade irft certification fair trade certification flo international standard setting and producer support flo cert inspection & certification international fairtrade certification mark fair trade certified mark labeling initiatives asociaci n del sello de productos de comercio justo fair trade association of australia and new zealand fairtrade mark ireland the fairtrade foundation association max havelaar france stichting max havelaar max havelaar stiftung switzerland fairtrade canada fair trade usa formerly transfair usa alternative trading organizations alter eco artisans du monde caf direct ctm altromercato divine chocolate equal exchange equal exchange trading rainforest alliance gepa the fair trade company handcrafting justice serrv international traidcraft twin trading ten thousand villages veja sneakers campaigns fairtrade town list of fairtrade settlements fairtrade fortnight make trade fair no sweat world fair trade day media black gold 2006 film brewing justice book category fair trade retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title ten thousand villages & oldid 733997257 categories alternative trading organizationsfair trade brandsmennonitism in pennsylvaniamennonitism in the united statesmennonitism in canadaorganizations established in 1946hidden categories pages containing links to subscription only contentarticles with broken or outdated citations from april 2013all articles with broken or outdated citationswikipedia articles with possible conflicts of interest from april 2013articles with peacock terms from april 2013all articles with peacock terms navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces 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