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SVA Consulting Helps Yada Fair Trade and Resale Expand Its Mission Through Shopify

"If someone were to ask me why to work with SVA, I would say because they actually hear what your heart is. They want to move forward with your vision, and they come alongside you to support where you are and where you want to go."
Beth Williams
Founder and Advocate
Client:
Yada Fair Trade
Industry:
Nonprofit & Associations
Business need:
Strengthen online presence, expand eCommerce capabilities, and create a clearer digital entry point for shoppers, donors, volunteers, and women seeking support
Topic:
Website Strategy, eCommerce, Digital Transformation
Services:
Business Consulting, Website Strategy, Shopify Implementation
Platform:
Shopify

Creating Pathways from Exploitation to Empowerment

Founder Beth Williams started Yada as a resale store, but the mission quickly grew into something much larger: a community where women can feel seen, known, loved, and supported as they move from surviving to thriving.

“Yada Fair Trade and Resale exists to bring hope to women locally and globally,” says Beth. “The meaning of “yada” is “to be known,” and that purpose is woven through everything we do.”

Yada provides a dignified shopping experience for women who may need clothing for interviews, work, court, or everyday life. Through free shopping days, women are invited into the store for coffee, cookies, conversation, and the opportunity to choose clothing in an environment that feels special and personal.

Over time, those relationships helped Yada identify deeper needs. Today, Yada supports women through car care clinics, addiction recovery groups, trauma counseling, GED and education support, job opportunities, court support, outreach, and referrals to safe houses. The organization also employs women through the store and through Yada-made products, helping them discover their skills, build confidence, and take tangible next steps toward independence.

For Yada, selling products isn’t just about revenue, it’s about creating opportunity.

Telling the Full Story of a Mission That Had Outgrown Its Website

Yada began as a store, but it quickly became so much more. As the organization expanded its programs, partnerships, product offerings, and employment opportunities for women, its website needed to evolve as well.

What Yada needed most from its website was a stronger eCommerce platform. Yada sells fair trade and survivor-made products from global partners, as well as locally made products created by women involved with Yada. Getting those products in front of a wider audience was an important step toward creating more jobs, more income opportunities, and more pathways out of exploitation.

As Beth explained, the website needed to be more than a place to sell a crocheted flower or a handmade necklace. It needed to help people see the person behind the product.

The existing website did not fully communicate the scope of Yada’s mission, the depth of its community impact, or the many ways people could get involved. Yada needed a digital presence that could clearly explain who they are, who they serve, why their work matters, and how the broader community could participate.

A Shopify Website Built Around Mission, Credibility, and Community

SVA Consulting partnered with Yada to create a Shopify website that could support both eCommerce and the broader mission of the organization.

The project started with understanding Yada’s “north star.” SVA worked with Beth and the Yada team to clarify the purpose of the website, the audiences it needed to serve, and the story it needed to tell. The site needed to support online sales, but it also needed to be an entry point for volunteers, donors, community partners, and women seeking support.

Through Shopify, Yada gained a platform that could showcase survivor-made and fair trade products, expand the reach of Yada-made items, and create a more streamlined shopping experience. The new site also helps establish credibility by clearly presenting Yada’s programs, partnerships, resources, and impact in the community.

For Beth, the partnership stood out because SVA brought both professional expertise and personal investment.

“It’s been really neat to meet with people who are professionals but also personal,” says Beth. “I live in Yada. I have all of this in my head. Getting an outside perspective helped us focus on what really matters and communicate it clearly.”

By implementing Shopify, SVA provided the structure needed for growth while also translating Yada’s mission into a digital experience that reflects the heart of the organization.

A Stronger Digital Platform for Greater Impact

With a new Shopify website, Yada is better positioned to expand its reach, grow product sales, and invite more people into the mission.

The website creates a clearer, more credible first impression for people who want to understand what Yada does. Visitors can learn about the organization’s local and global impact, explore ways to volunteer, shop products that support women, and discover how to give. For women who may be looking for help, the site also serves as another way to understand that Yada is a safe place to begin.

The eCommerce functionality creates new opportunities for Yada-made products and the women behind them. When women at Yada learned their products would be available online to a larger audience, it represented more than a sales opportunity. It was a pathway toward empowerment, income, and confidence.

For a nonprofit like Yada, measurable results are not only seen in revenue or website functionality. They are seen in expanded opportunity, stronger community connection, and the ability to help more women take their next step.

The new website helps Yada:

  • Reach a wider audience through Shopify eCommerce
  • Share its mission with greater clarity and credibility
  • Provide a platform for survivor-made, fair trade, and Yada-made products
  • Create more visibility for volunteer, donor, and community involvement
  • Support job opportunities and skill-building for women
  • Strengthen its ability to move women from surviving to thriving

Beth sees the website as a way to bring the Yada community together: shoppers, donors, volunteers, women, children, and partners all using their time, talent, and treasure to create a ripple effect.

“One of the most beautiful things I’ve seen at Yada is everybody bringing their gifts,” says Beth. “The website is a lot more than just selling products. It creates opportunities and pathways. It helps people see somebody’s worth and say, ‘You’ve got skills, and we want to encourage you in those skills.’”

Through its partnership with SVA Consulting, Yada now has a digital foundation that reflects the heart of its mission and supports the organization’s continued growth.

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