Anna Costello founded Ship Sunshine because she loves to celebrate life’s special moments—big and small. Anna is a giver by nature and has infused this throughout her small business. Ship Sunshine creates hand-packed gift boxes filled with products from local and women-owned companies and packaged in eco-friendly recycled materials. Ship Sunshine further supports the community by engaging customers in the #SunshineItForward campaign. Customers can directly support local nonprofits by adding a donation to their order or purchasing a product that benefits One Colorado or Ray of Hope. Ray of Hope is an important cause to Ship Sunshine and Anna, as Anna’s dad passed away from cancer in 2009.
Ship Sunshine’s other nonprofit partners include Soul Dog Rescue and We Don’t Waste. “My team enjoys getting out into the community and being a small part of the great work our local nonprofits are doing,” said Anna. “And I adopted my dog Maddie from Soul Dog Rescue!”
Ship Sunshine continues to intentionally include community impact into its business model as it grows. “We’re trying something new to bring in more clients. We have a new referral program where we will give our existing clients $250 for each referral over $5,000. We’re also offering $250 off to the new client, and each can donate $100 ($200 total) to one of our nonprofit partners.”
Anna currently sits on B:CIVIC’s Programs and Content Committee and looks forward to bringing new opportunities for other small businesses to grow their CSR initiatives. “My goal has always been to build a values-based business from the start,” said Anna. “Seeing what other people and companies of all sizes are doing through B:CIVIC’s programming has helped educate and inspire me.”
Ship Sunshine is a finalist for the Denver Metro Chamber’s 2023 Business Awards in the start-up category, which will be announced April 27.