Why We've Always Been a Nonprofit — and Why That Still Matters
The year was 1985, and as MarketPlace: Handwork of India began to take shape in my mind, one decision was already made: this would be a nonprofit.
That decision has shaped nearly everything since.
Yes, nonprofit status carried practical advantages — tax-exempt donations helped make our very first catalog possible in the fall of 1990, and donor support in those early years was genuinely important. We still receive some donations today, including from customers, for which we are very grateful, though they've always been a small fraction of our budget.
Yes, nonprofit status carried practical advantages — tax-exempt donations helped make our very first catalog possible in the fall of 1990, and donor support in those early years was genuinely important. We still receive some donations today, including from customers, for which we are very grateful, though they've always been a small fraction of our budget.
But the deeper reason was this: I wanted the mission to outlive me. I didn't want an organization built around empowering women to someday drift away from its purpose. A nonprofit board of directors exists precisely to guard against that — to protect the mission, oversee finances, and ensure the organization operates with integrity. That accountability mattered deeply to me then, and it still does.
At the same time, "dignity, not charity" has always applied to us as an organization just as much as to the artisans with whom we work. We've never wanted customers buying from us out of pity. We've worked hard — really hard — to create beautiful products, maintain quality, and run MarketPlace with the same professionalism as any well-run business, because the women we work with deserve nothing less.
The nonprofit path isn't without its frustrations. Banks are often reluctant to lend us money, and even getting a credit card in the organization's name is a challenge. There's significant oversight, particularly from the IRS — though honestly, I believe that accountability is appropriate and necessary.
Looking back across nearly four decades, I have no regrets. If I could start over, I'd make the same choice again without hesitation.
—Pushpika Freitas | President
