This nonprofit dresses Atlanta women for success. Its mission is growing.

For many years, Dress for Success Atlanta has worked to help women in need with suits, shoes and accessories for job interviews.

But there has always been a need for more career coaching, job training and other support — with broader reach to women beyond the boundaries of metro Atlanta.

At stake: About 75% of the women the nonprofit serves live below the poverty line, and 70% don’t have reliable transportation, according to the organization’s 2025 annual report.

As part of a series of expansions, the organization in July renamed itself Dress for Success Georgia and set out on a broader mission. Its goal: to expand its reach to other parts of the state and serve women all along the career ladder.

Past struggles

It’s been a struggle for an organization that faced dire circumstances several years ago, said Susan Bonds-McCulloch, who took over as president of the organization about eight years ago.

“When I walked into the doors in 2018, it was terrible,” she said. “It was a dark, uninspiring space full of old clothes. And what we were doing was we were dressing them and handing them a portfolio and job search tips and sending them on their way.”

The local organization had little in the bank and “we were about to lose our affiliation,” Bonds-McCulloch said. Then, the nonprofit managed to bring in a $10,000 donation to help pay the rent.

A few years ago, with more donations, it expanded its Sandy Springs location from about 1,600 square feet to more than 3,000 square feet. The larger space afforded room for multiple racks of suits, jackets, shoes and other clothing, along with room for coaching, mock interviews and professional development workshops.

“It is gorgeous. It is uplifting. It is inspiring,” Bonds-McCulloch said.

Pink purchase

Then last year, Dress for Success Atlanta acquired Little Pink Book, an Atlanta-based digital magazine for working women founded by Cynthia Good with events and a network of career coaches.

The combination aims to bring together services and guidance for women across the career ladder, “equipping women with professional attire, career development resources and mentorship,” Tammy Farley, board chair of Dress for Success Georgia, said when the acquisition was announced. “We’ll really be able to support women all the way from unemployed and underemployed to C-suite.”

Good said the partnership means the organization could hold events to connect women, “but proceeds will go toward women who are underemployed. It’s going to go back to women who really need it the most.”

With the combination, Dress for Success Georgia aims to expand Little Pink Book with more events, networking and mentorship circles to help early career professionals become leaders and then executives.

“We’re going to turn Pink into a leadership development organization,” Bonds-McCulloch said. “It is going to be an evolving, growing community of women helping each other succeed in business, life and beyond.”

On the move

This year brought another expansion, with a donation from Mercedes-Benz USA of an electric Sprinter van. A separate donation paid for building out the interior of the van into a mobile career and workforce development center, along with a professional clothing closet and dressing room.

First stop: the Georgia Tech career center, helping a couple dozen women with guidance on dressing for a professional workplace, job interviews, finding internships and starting jobs.

“It’s literally a rolling Dress for Success Georgia,” Bonds-McCulloch said.