Table of Contents
Baby2Baby co-CEOs Kelly Sawyer Patrick and Norah Weinstein transformed a simple observation about diaper shortages into America's largest children's disaster relief organization, distributing over 250 million diapers nationwide.
Key Takeaways
- Baby2Baby emerged from discovering that one in two American families struggle to afford diapers for their children
- The organization scaled from two women in a 600-square-foot space to serving over one million families annually
- Celebrity partnerships created a strategic flywheel effect, generating massive corporate donations and media attention
- During the 2025 LA wildfires, Baby2Baby leveraged 14 years of partner relationships to respond immediately to local disasters
- The organization's "say yes first, figure it out later" approach enabled rapid scaling from $2,000 to $18 million annual fundraising
- Baby2Baby's partner-based distribution model allows them to serve children through existing organizations rather than direct distribution
- Policy advocacy successfully eliminated diaper taxes in California, with 25 states still implementing these luxury taxes
- Their maternal health program now operates across 15 states, providing 20-item supply kits to new mothers
- The annual gala generates 60% of their operating budget through strategic celebrity involvement and corporate partnerships
The Fire That Tested Everything
January 7th, 2025 marked a pivotal moment for Baby2Baby. While the organization had responded to nearly 100 disasters across the country, the devastating Los Angeles wildfires hit their backyard. Kelly Sawyer Patrick was bedridden with flu, watching employees evacuate their homes. Norah Weinstein juggled personal evacuation concerns with professional responsibilities as their warehouse manager faced mandatory evacuation orders.
The fires revealed something extraordinary about their 14-year foundation. Baby2Baby's extensive network of Los Angeles partnerships became their secret weapon. They knew exactly which homeless shelters housed eight rotating families, which schools served the most vulnerable students, and which community centers would need immediate support. This wasn't theoretical disaster planning—it was intimate knowledge of their city's most at-risk children.
Their response demonstrated the power of established relationships. Within hours, they organized popup distributions in their parking lot, coordinated with thousand-plus partner organizations, and managed volunteers who came despite losing their own homes. The community response was unprecedented—hundreds of volunteers daily, many tearfully expressing their need to help others even while grieving their own losses.
The Accidental Beginning
The Baby2Baby origin story reads like a startup fairy tale with serious social impact. Kelly, a former model from New York, and Norah, a lawyer, met through Kelly's father-in-law's introduction when both relocated to Los Angeles. Their shared experiences—Kelly volunteering at a Harlem Head Start center where children couldn't focus on schoolwork without basic essentials, Norah's pro bono work with children and mothers—created immediate alignment around serving vulnerable children.
Their market research phase involved systematic visits to Los Angeles nonprofits. Every organization—children's hospitals, homeless shelters, domestic violence centers, schools—identified the same critical gap: diapers. They discovered that one in two American families struggle to afford diapers, forcing parents to choose between food and their baby's basic needs. This wasn't just a Los Angeles problem; it was a national crisis hiding in plain sight.
The breakthrough moment came from an unexpected source. After hosting a modest 20-person event featuring Jessica Alba and Nicole Richie, a single US Weekly photo generated a life-changing phone call. Edelman PR offered $100,000 and 100,000 diapers for another event. From their 600-square-foot space with $2,000 in assets, they suddenly faced questions about pallets and forklifts—equipment they'd never heard of but confidently claimed to possess.
Scaling Through Strategic Partnerships
The forklift incident epitomized their "say yes, figure it out later" philosophy. Standing in heels, Kelly and Norah personally unloaded 100,000 diapers from the largest truck they'd ever seen, with help from a sympathetic driver. Those diapers disappeared in one day. Word spread organically through their network—parents driving long distances, packing cars to capacity, even tying diaper packages to car roofs.
This demand validated their core insight: when families desperately need something for their children, they'll move mountains to get it. But the experience also revealed a crucial scaling decision. Rather than managing individual family distributions, they chose to work exclusively through partner organizations. This decision enabled exponential growth—one pickup could serve eight families or 120,000 children, depending on the partner's capacity.
Their celebrity relationships evolved into a sophisticated endorsement strategy. That first Huggies partnership yielded $100,000 and 100,000 diapers. The next deal, featuring Jennifer Garner, generated 5 million diapers and 5 million wipes. Fourteen years later, Huggies provided an $8 million grant combining cash and in-kind donations. They developed a virtuous cycle: celebrity involvement generated media attention, which attracted corporate partners, which provided resources for greater impact, which drew more celebrity supporters.
The Corporate Partnership Playbook
Baby2Baby's corporate strategy resembles talent agency work more than traditional nonprofit fundraising. They negotiate celebrity endorsement deals where corporations provide millions of items and cash, celebrities gain positive publicity, and Baby2Baby receives resources to serve children. The arrangement benefits everyone while avoiding traditional agency percentages.
Their approach to unexpected opportunities demonstrates strategic agility. When a Philadelphia baby bottle manufacturer offered 126,000 excess bottles, they didn't ship everything to Los Angeles. Instead, they connected with East Coast organizations, splitting the donation geographically. This decision marked their first expansion beyond Los Angeles—not through strategic planning, but through opportunistic resource allocation.
The organization's growth trajectory reflects this opportunistic excellence. From that initial $1.1 million first-year gala (which shocked them at the time), they now raise nearly $18 million annually from a single event. Their approach challenges traditional nonprofit fundraising: instead of hotel ballrooms and rubber chicken dinners, they created an experience featuring 20 Los Angeles chefs cooking at individual stations, with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow personally serving guests.
Policy Advocacy and Systemic Change
Baby2Baby's policy work demonstrates focused advocacy aligned with their core mission. They identified two specific areas where legislative change could dramatically impact their work: diaper taxes and maternal mortality. Their approach reflects their organizational philosophy—stay in your lane, but excel within it.
The diaper tax campaign revealed bureaucratic absurdity. Many states tax diapers as luxury items, categorizing them alongside Diet Coke and alcohol. For families already struggling to afford diapers, these taxes create additional barriers. Baby2Baby's California advocacy involved multiple trips to Sacramento, celebrity involvement for attention, and persistent lobbying despite initial defeats.
Their success in California—repealing the diaper tax for the first time in state history in January 2020—created momentum in other states. However, 25 states still impose these taxes, representing ongoing advocacy opportunities. The campaign demonstrated how targeted policy work can amplify organizational impact beyond direct service delivery.
Their maternal health initiative began with a White House invitation during the Biden administration. Selecting the three states with highest maternal mortality rates for pilot programs, they developed 20-item supply kits for new mothers. These kits address both baby essentials and maternal self-care, recognizing that mental health has become the leading cause of maternal mortality.
The Numbers Behind the Impact
Baby2Baby's scale becomes clear through their statistics. They've distributed 250 million diapers since inception, but received requests for 1.7 billion diapers this year alone. This gap—between 250 million distributed and 1.7 billion requested—illustrates the enormity of unmet need driving their continued scaling efforts.
Their disaster response capabilities demonstrate operational excellence. During the LA fires, they coordinated popup distributions, managed truck loads of supplies, and fielded requests from their thousand-plus partner network. Their 62-person team divided responsibilities citywide, leveraging 14 years of relationship building to respond immediately.
The organization's financial model balances multiple revenue streams. Their annual gala generates 60% of operating budget through strategic celebrity involvement and live giving presentations. Corporate partnerships provide both cash and in-kind donations, with some relationships spanning over a decade. Individual donors—40,000 people contributed to their fire relief fund—demonstrate grassroots support beyond celebrity associations.
Leadership Lessons from Co-CEOs
The Kelly-Norah partnership illustrates complementary leadership strengths. Kelly describes Norah as her "lawyer face"—ensuring legal compliance and operational rigor that prevents costly mistakes. Their different personalities bring distinct capabilities: Kelly's creative vision and celebrity relationship management, Norah's legal expertise and systematic thinking.
Their advice to entrepreneurs emphasizes strategic timing around the word "yes." Early-stage organizations should default to saying yes, figuring out execution later. This approach enabled their rapid scaling from $2,000 to multimillion-dollar operations. However, mature organizations must learn strategic "no"—declining gently used donations that are expensive and non-scalable, refusing puzzle donations during disasters when water distribution is critical.
The organization's approach to volunteer management reflects their scaling philosophy. Their maternal newborn supply kits, now distributed across 15 states, are packed entirely by volunteers. This model allows them to serve exponentially more families without proportional staff increases, demonstrating how volunteer engagement can become a competitive advantage.
Looking Forward: Unfinished Business
Despite their remarkable scale, Baby2Baby's leaders remain focused on unmet need. The gap between 250 million diapers distributed and 1.7 billion requested represents both their impact and the work remaining. They approach this challenge with solution-oriented thinking, working alongside government and for-profit partners while maintaining their direct service mission.
Their reputation creates both opportunities and challenges. Celebrity associations sometimes suggest they don't need small donations or partnerships. However, their success depends on diverse support—from $8 million corporate grants to individual donor contributions. The 40,000 people who supported their fire relief fund demonstrate that collective small actions create massive impact.
The organization's evolution from two women in a 600-square-foot space to serving over one million families annually proves that unwavering belief in problem-solving can create extraordinary scale. Their story reminds us that the most essential ingredient for scaling any idea is absolute conviction that the problem you're targeting deserves solving.
Baby2Baby's response to the LA wildfires demonstrated 14 years of relationship building paying dividends when their community needed them most. Their broader work proves that addressing basic needs—diapers, formula, baby clothes—creates ripple effects enabling parents to work, children to attend daycare, and families to maintain stability during crises.
