The Junior League of London's 11th LBDI Campaign (2023)

Celebrating our 11th year of the Little Black Dress Initiative (#LBDI), we are once again kicking off our campaign to combat the effects of poverty in London.

Joining together October 16-20, our campaigners will raise awareness about the realities of poverty in our local community and funds to help make a real impact for people here in our city.

Involvement with the Little Black Dress Initiative supports the Junior League of London in our mission to advance women's leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteering, collaboration, and training.

Your donations directly benefit local community partners and support the League's outreach and volunteer training programs. Thank you for helping us continue our impact here in London.

This year's LBDI is once again anchored in London Challenge Poverty Week (October 16-22), and the need for help is greater than ever. Poverty is higher in London than in any other region or country in the UK.

The Trust for London states that after housing costs:

27% of Londoners are living in poverty

39% of Londoners living in non-white households are living in poverty

53% of single parents in London are living in poverty

New research from Shelter shows at least 271,000 people are recorded as homeless in England, including 123,000 children.

Please join us in supporting community organisations across London during this pivotal time by donating to this year's LBDI Campaign.

About LBDI (the Little Black Dress Initiative)

LBDI is a week-long, social media-driven fundraising campaign that raises awareness about poverty and its effects on women in society. Throughout the week, participants share posts on social media to drive online donations by raising awareness of the effects of poverty in London and how the JLL supports anti-poverty initiatives.

Participants raise awareness about the effects that poverty can have on an individual's access to resources such as professional attire and the far-reaching toll this can take on confidence and professional opportunities. In the past LBDI campaigners wore a black dress each day of the campaign to highlight this. As of 2022, we relaunched the campaign to shift the emphasis from what we wear to what we do - the little things that can make a big difference. The overall aims of the campaign remain the same as they always were.

Since our first campaign in 2014, the LBDI has raised over £190,000 here in London. The initiative has expanded to over 100 Junior Leagues across the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, collectively raising over $2 million towards our global mission.

The positive impact of this global poverty initiative is a testament to the Junior League of London’s mission to advance women's leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration and training.

Get Involved

There are five ways to get involved in the Junior League of London's LBDI 2023 campaign:

1. Sign up to participate as a campaigner. We invite you to post about the experience on social media to raise awareness and funds. Email fundraising@jll.org.uk for more information!

2. Show your support by donating to LBDI through this JustGiving page or another campaigner's page.

3. Raise awareness about the effects of poverty and the programmes that are seeking to end it by following the Junior League of London and our community partners on social media and liking and sharing LBDI 2023 Campaign posts with the Initiative hashtag #LBDI and #ThisJLLCan

4. Donate clothing items to our Community Partners (Smart Works, Wrap Up London, Migrants Organise) or organise your own.

5. Purchase LBDI merchandise via our RedBubble store: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/126507877

About the Junior League of London

The Junior League of London is an organisation of women committed to promoting volunteer service, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. In the 2022-2023 volunteer year, our charity's members engaged in over 9,500 hours of service, supplying more than 450 books to two diverse primary schools and providing 843 Holiday Hampers to more than 1,500 vulnerable Londoners, as well as participating in volunteer and leadership training.

About our Community Partners

The Junior League of London partners with charities, schools, and community centres that share its vision of helping London's families in need. You can learn more about the Junior League of London's community partners on our website. Funds raised by past campaigns have helped to purchase laptops, personal protective equipment, art supplies and other much-needed items to assist our community partners in their work.