Gifts Supporting Good Causes

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A few months ago, I asked on Twitter what gift guides you wanted this year, and someone suggest gifts supporting good causes. So in this post I’m going to share tips for finding gifts supporting charities and other causes as well as several great brands. We are getting closer and closer to Christmas and Hanukkah started last night – you’ve got to pick up the shopping pace if you haven’t already!

Before you do any shopping, sign up for Rakuten, formerly known as EBates. It’s an extension you install to your browser and it will alert you when you’re on a website that they have a partnership with. Get cash back when you shop! They partner with the companies and get paid through them, so you pay nothing, but you get money. Sign up here.

All gift guides | 2020 gift guides

Tips for Shopping for Gifts That Give Back

Check the quality of a charity with Charity Navigator – Charity Navigator is a great way to figure out whether the charity you’re looking to support actually does a good job. Their website says, “In our quest to help donors, our team of professional analysts has examined tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents. We’ve used this knowledge to develop an unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over 9,000 of America’s best-known and some lesser known, but worthy, charities” (x). You want to make sure that you’re supporting a charity that is actually known to use their funds correctly and for good. So if you’re unsure about a charity’s reputation, use Charity Navigator.

Shop Amazon with Amazon Smile – Buying gifts from Amazon? Use Amazon Smile! Buy shopping that way, “Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice” (x). You choose a charity, and they get some money through your purchase.

Buy gifts directly from charities – A lot of charities and foundations have stores! If you know that the person you’re shopping for has a favorite charity, check out that charity’s website.

Small Business Gift Guide

Gifts Supporting Good Causes

Warby Parker – I love Warby Parker! My new glasses are from them. Not only do they make great frames but they also have their “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” program. Their page says, “Alleviating the problem of impaired vision is at the heart of what we do, and with your help, over seven million pairs of glasses have been distributed through our Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program” (x).

This year, the majority of glasses distribution was suspended due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean that they stopped helping people! Instead, they’ve “temporarily shifted most of our efforts to prioritize public health and safety. As of April 1, 2020, for the majority of Warby Parker glasses purchased, personal protective equipment and preventative health supplies will be distributed to healthcare workers and communities in need” (x).

My glasses above are Hugo in Acorn Tortoise with Polished Gold. They also come in Jet Black with Polished Gold.

Now that we’ve talked about how they give back, let’s talk about what you can buy from them!

Women’s sunglasses (my picks): Raider aviators (6 color options), Topper round-but-square sunglasses (3 color options), Ames half-frame sunglasses (2 color options), and Sutton square sunglasses (3 color options)

Men’s sunglasses (my picks): Raider aviators (6 color options), Perkins rectangular sunglasses (3 color options), Caleb softer rectangular sunglasses (2 color options)

Cheap custom gifts (all under $50!)

TOMS – TOMS is most famous for giving a pair of shoes per every shoe they sell. But they’re now going beyond that. Their website says:

As the original One for One® company, our community has given almost 100 million shoes to people in need. And while shoes can have a big impact, 13 years of using business to improve lives has taught us that giving shoes and grants can have an even bigger impact. So, moving forward, TOMS will dedicate at least one-third of our net annual profits to a giving fund managed by our very own Giving Team. We’ll then distribute shoes and grants according to an annual investment plan that reflects the needs of the organizations we partner with, as well as the causes you care about most.

Source: TOMS Impact

They also created the TOMS COVID-19 Global Giving Fund, which has generated over $2 million to support global relief. They say, “Over the next few months, we’ll continue to distribute these funds to partners that remain on the frontlines, delivering supplies, building hygiene stations, and so much more” (x).

Ready to shop? Here are some links to get you started:

• Classic Canvas Slip-On
• Sicily Flat Sandal
• TRVL LITE Low Top Sneaker
• Navi Oxford Canvas Sneaker
• Alpargata Slip-On

Gifts for chronically ill people

Everlane – Everlane’s 100% Human collection donates money to the ACLU. There are so many great products in this collection: t-shirts, sweatshirts, masks, keychains, tote bags, and more. I’ve collected just some down below, but you can view the whole collection here.

Great gifts for mom

philosophy – philosophy is a great beauty brand, and some of their products help give back. Their website says,

the hope & grace initiative represents our unending commitment to support mental health and wellbeing. mental health issues are one of the greatest challenges women face. through the initiative, every product sold helps us support community-based mental health efforts with financial grants focused on empowering women through the prevention and treatment of related issues.

Source: philosophy

Shop some of their products here:

S’well – S’well makes great water bottles, food storage, and more … and they donate to Unicef! The website says, “S’well® is a proud partner of UNICEF, committing $1.4million since 2017 to help provide clean and safe water to the world’s most vulnerable communities. Through 2020, S’well is focused on supporting water programs across Madagascar […] We’re supporting UNICEF’s efforts to build infrastructure, educate families on water-borne diseases and promote national reform to make a sustainable, long-lasting change” (x).

I have 1 S’well water bottle and my mom has 2. She was given this one for her birthday one year, and it’s 25 oz. It’s great, but too big for everyday, so she kept stealing mine (17 oz). To stop that, I bought her this one (17 oz)!

I tried to include 1 of each type of product in the widget below, but I’m sure I missed some. Additionally, there are SO many beautiful patterns and colors, so have some fun looking at pretty and useful gifts on their website.

Gifts for chronic illness patients

What are your favorite gifts supporting good causes?

Like this post? Share it! Then check out:

Best Gifts That Give Back, Most Useful Gifts, Beauty Gifts, Books & Bookish Gifts