How the Dru Project Raises Funds for Its Cause With Quality Product Photos

The Dru Project is an incredible organization that is committed to promoting LGBTQ+ acceptance and inclusivity in schools across the globe.

Kaitlin McMullen event coordinator

July 15, 2024

• 3 min

Note: This post mentions gun violence and may be triggering to some.

The Dru Project is an incredible organization committed to promoting LGBTQ+ acceptance and inclusivity in schools across the globe. 🌈

The organization was established in honor of Christopher Andrew Leinonen, who went by the nickname “Dru.” Dru was one of the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting that happened in Orlando, Florida in 2016. In the wake of this tragedy, Dru’s friends and family came together to establish The Dru Project as a way to honor his memory and continue his legacy of promoting love and acceptance.

The Dru Project also provides funding for scholarships and grants for LGBTQ+ youth.

“To date, we have given out over $150,000 to LGBTQ students and have written and distributed one of the most comprehensive gay straight Alliance guides in the world,” says Sarah Grossman, co-founder and communications director.

Challenge

As a non-profit, the Dru Project has to run a tight ship. And while it fundraises through various channels, including its Squarespace website, it needed to find a way to be more self-sustainable. That’s how the Dru Project realized the potential of selling products.

Solution

To be able to more aggressively raise funds to support its cause, the Dru Project designed and launched products for sale. Products include its printed GSA Guide and print-on-demand t-shirts and shorts.

“I run the non-profit similar to an ecomm store or a startup,” says Grossman. “We’re able to be lean, we’re able to be communicative, and we’re able to pivot in order to meet the needs of our customers, or in this case, the people who we’re helping with their advocacy work.”

With a small product collection, high-quality product photography is mission critical. But the Dru Project is a non-profit organization committed to serving the LGBTQ+ community—it didn’t necessarily have the resources in-house to create quality product content on its own. That’s when it turned to a professional product photography studio.

Outcome

The Dru Project partnered with soona to create stunning product photography for its merchandise. Our team at soona created a series of product photos that showcase the merch in a beautiful and engaging way. The photos are colorful, vibrant, and really capture the spirit of the Dru Project.

“If there is a beautiful depiction of the products that people are going to be purchasing in order to support the non-profit, they’re going to be more excited about spreading the word and about hopefully sending us a little bit more money for our efforts,” says Grossman.

The following tables summarize key aspects of the project:

stock photo blog table

Platter blog post