Charitable shopping that helps others

Most people usually enjoy shopping. Others even use it as a form of therapy, but did you know that you can actually shop for a good cause? That means you can help those in need while making your personal purchases. However, to make this possible, you must ensure that the brand you are choosing uses ethically sourced products and has charitable causes. This means that when you buy, you’re buying consciously. 

Below is an overview of some of the best companies that give back.

1.   Now Chase the Sun - Economic Opportunity through Ethically Sourced Jewelry

Source: Now Chase the Sun

Now Chase the Sun is a company that creates economic opportunity for craftspeople in need of income. It was founded by Koshi, whose company functions with an ethos of entrepreneurship, fair trade, and giving. The company offers a selection of sustainable and beautiful jewelry, including handmade bracelets with healing stones, surfer necklaces, and unique earrings with brass cast in intricate patterns. Other materials include ethically sourced fabric donated from Lululemon factories and discarded tea boxes and magazines. Most of the products at Now Chase the Sun were carefully crafted by Sri Lankan Tamil Refugee women and other craftsmen in San Francisco.

In addition to providing economic and creative opportunities to craftspeople, Now Chase the Sun donates a portion of their profits to philanthropic organizations. For jewelry like the Be Calm Lava Bead Bracelet, proceeds go to education centers in 25 villages in rural India. For items crafted in San Francisco like the Athena Bracelet, 15% of proceeds are given to the Bay Area Charities. Each with a unique aesthetic and intriguing narrative, these accessories are perfect for handmade gifts.

2. eBay Giving Works – Gives to Several Charity Organizations

Source: eBay

Giving Works by eBay is a charitable shopping platform designed for eBay users. With this corporate giving initiative, buyers and sellers can help to support various charitable causes in the United States as well as abroad. eBay Giving Works enables buyers to shop and support their favorite charitable causes at the same time. Meanwhile, sellers also get to donate a small portion of their sales to their favorite organizations.

This is a successful program that has been donating millions to various organizations. It should be noted that more than $521 million has been donated since it was established. In 2013, the organization raised $85 million.

The designated charitable causes include supporting basic needs, environment, animals, arts, and humanities. Understand that the PayPal Giving Fund has screened all the charities that are supported by Giving Works. This means that all contributions are sent to valid organizations.

3.   Ten Thousand Villages – Gives to Minorities

Source: Ten Thousand Villages

This is a fair-trade organization that usually advertises unique, handcrafted products designed and created by disadvantaged artisans. This non-profit organization is more than your basic retail outlet,  allowing consumers to shop to help others.

Ten Thousand Villages features handcrafted gifts that are one of a kind. These ethically sourced products help to ensure the creators earn a modest living in safe working environments. The organization spans several countries in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

What makes Ten Thousand Villages stand out is that it celebrates the art of craft and culture. Plus they partner with various organizations to improve the global economy. Keep in mind that women and people with disabilities are the most excluded group in the global economy. Therefore, these corporate donations help them to gain financial independence while enhancing innovation.

4.   Charity Malls

Source

These malls are becoming increasingly popular. They provide consumers with an excellent excuse to spend money. The platform allows users to donate money to some of their favorite charitable causes by just shopping.

These sites usually work just like other platforms, e.g., iGive and Goodshop. When a retailer shops from their website, a designated portion of their purchases go towards specific charity organizations. Keep in mind that customers don’t need to pay more for their purchases. All you need to know is that they deduct a certain percentage from what you’ve already paid; these monetary donations are disbursed to charities.

Related: How We Got Here or There and Back Again

5.   H & M – Donate to Refugees

Source: H&M

The holidays are just around the corner; make sure that this season, you buy your gift card from H&M. For every gift card that’s purchased during the holidays, this brand will donate to UNHCR under its “Educate a Child” Program. This money is used to educate refugees, so, your donation will help these children to get school supplies through the education program.

6.   Best Friends Boutique ( Wag.com)

Source: Wag.com

Wag.com is an online site that caters to the needs of a pet parent. The site has over 20,000- products. They include litter, health goods, treats, and toys, among others. To support animals, Best Friends has an online store at Wag.com known as the Best Friends boutique. This organization sells various pet products, and 50 percent of the proceedings are channeled to various animal societies. The money is usually sent to one of the biggest sanctuaries in the US, which takes care of abandoned and abused animals. Besides that, they also send contributions to other animal shelter programs.

7.   Books for Good

Source: Books for Good

This is a simple charitable cause e-commerce site. When you purchase a book, the proceeds will go to the community. Books for Good supports various nonprofit groups and organizations. They include the Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona-based Friends of Libraries, and many others.

8.   Twice as Warm- Gives Winter Clothes

With every clothing that you buy, you are spreading warmth during winter. It should be noted that Twice as Warm typically gives a new winter clothing item to a needy person with each purchase. Their charitable mission is to “wear one and then give one.” Twice as Warm sells scarves, beanies, caps, tees, and others. This can be very beneficial for the homeless during the cold winter season.

9.   BoxLunch – For Every $10 You Spend You Give a Meal

Source: BoxLunch

This is a civic-minded brick & mortar as well as website that has a broad range of merchandise. BoxLunch features a full range of home goods, collectibles, accessories, gift and novelty, and apparel, among others.

For every $10 that you spend in this platform, you are indirectly providing a homeless person with a meal. BoxLunch through Feeding America usually delivers over 1.6 million meals annually to the needy. One fun aspect about BoxLunch products is that they frequently reference pop culture, so you’ll definitely find them trendy. 

10.   Hand in Hand – Gives Bar Soap and Clean Water to a Needy Child

Source: Hand in Hand

Hand in Hand sells ethically sourced, sustainable suds. Their products include body lotion, sugar scrub, and body wash. The products are made with vegan essentials and palm oil for a clean and sustainable environment. For every item that you buy from them, the brand will donate a month of clean water and bar soap to a child in need.

It should be noted that Hand in Hand is environmentally and socially conscious. That means, their products are 100 percent natural and are cruelty-free.

11. The Company Store –Gives Back to Homeless Kids

Source: The Company Store

For every comforter you buy from the Company Store, a homeless child somewhere will also get one. For every comforter sold, this brand usually donates an equivalent to the homeless. 

Did you know that more than 200 children in the US are homeless every night? Besides that, did you know that a million of them experience homelessness annually?

To reduce the discomfort that homeless people are often exposed to, the Company Store helps to bring nationwide comfort to these kids. The brand’s charitable cause is to give blanket donations through Family Promise or other affiliate companies.

12.   Punjammies – Clothing for Good

Source: Sudara

Punjammies is a subsection of Sudara. The latter is an online shopping site that helps sexual slavery victims in India. Punjammies is an ethically sourced clothing brand that features beautiful flowy pants, which are a favorite for most women. They come in various forms, including Capri, long, or short.

To help victims of sexual violence, every purchase on punjammies pants helps these women. The brand helps to create jobs and train these individuals with the necessary skills that they need for survival. This is to help them break free from sexual slavery and poverty.

13.   KNO Clothing – Accessories and Clothing for a Worthy Cause

Source

This is a popular e-commerce site that sells stylish and unique accessories and apparel. KNO Clothing is a brand dedicated to the charitable cause of sustaining the environment. As a result, the items stocked here are made with sustainable fabric or materials. Despite being an environmentally conscious platform, this is also a charitable shopping outlet.

It’s worth knowing that KNO usually gives 50 percent of its profits to the homeless. Every purchase that customers make means that a homeless person will definitely benefit. The company normally partners with other housing organizations that aim to reduce the growing number of homeless people.

Related: Add Some Color to Your Wardrobe and See What Happens!

14.   TOMS –Sunglasses and Shoes For Good

Source: TOMS

TOMS is a famous online brand that sells shoes. The accessory brand has a charity section which helps those in need. For every TOMS pair of shoe that’s purchased, the company gives one pair to a homeless child. The brand’s ethically sourced products have evolved over the years, and TOMS now has a global presence.

Apart from shoes, you can also buy sunglasses and many more. For every pair of sunglasses sold, TOMS will assist a person in need to improve their vision. This might be through offering eye exams, eye surgery, or giving them a pair of glasses.

15.   RED- Donate to Reduce the HIV/AIDS Epidemic

Source: RED

Although AIDs is manageable, it’s still a global epidemic. Over 400 babies are usually born with HIV every day. While a pill to manage this kind of transmission costs around 20 cents, there are still women in marginalized areas who can’t afford this treatment.

RED is a famous collaboration that features several iconic brands. They include Starbucks, Apple, Beats, Bank of America, and AirAsia. For purchases of their products and services, each company usually donates a particular portion to RED. The main goal of this collaboration is to reduce the HIV/AIDS epidemic. RED’s catalog is full of tech devices, so if you are interested in innovative gadgets, your purchases can help to sustain a worthy cause.

16. Amazon Smile – Gives to a Worthy Cause

Source: Amazon Smile

Amazon Smile is a shopping platform operated by Amazon as an initiative for corporate giving. It contains the same shopping features, products, and product prices as Amazon.com. But for every item that a customer buys on this page, Amazon usually donates 0. 5 percent of the product price to a charity organization you want. Some of these charities include Operation Smile, Pencils of Promise, the ASPCA, the Nature Conservancy, and the American Red Cross.

17.   Diff Eyewear – Eyeglasses for Better Vision

Source: Diff Eyewear

This is a designer eyewear brand that sells eyeglasses made from ethically sourced products — Diff’s primary mission is to use designer products for a good cause. For every pair of glasses sold, Diff Eyewear will donate a pair of reading glasses to kids with eye problems in rural Africa. Besides that, they help to provide free vision exams by partnering with SABO Project.

It should be noted that since 2015, this premium eyewear brand has donated more than a million eyeglasses. Diff is a socially-conscious platform for corporate giving that strives to improve the quality of vision for those in need.

18. Faucet Face – Donates to Improve the Global Water Epidemic

Source: Faucet Face

There is still a global epidemic, but we all understand that water is a basic human need. No one can survive without clean drinking water. However, there are still parts of the world that struggle with clean water access.

Faucet Face is an e-commerce site with a charity arm. The brand hopes that it can reduce the water epidemic by offering corporate donations. For their sales on the hummingbird feeder, Tap is Terrific, and the hose glass water bottles sold, they donate 2.5 percent. They also donate a water filtration system after selling five or more water bottles.

 

19. Goodshop –Shop for a Good Cause

Source: Goodshop

Goodshop is an online shopping mall that designates a portion of your product purchases to a worthy cause. Also, the brand also offers discounts frequently. When you shop, you’re both giving and saving.

The e-commerce site features thousands of retail stores. Regardless of where you make purchases, monetary donations will be made to your favorite schools or charity organizations. At the moment, Goodshop works with over 110,000 organizations. They range from community groups, local schools, and national charities.

20. Figs –Donates Scrubs to Medics

Source: Figs

Over the years, Figs has consistently donated thousands of scrubs to millions of healthcare providers. Its charity arm spans over several countries, and it’s facilitated by the Threads for Threads initiative.

Understand that millions of medical professionals in marginalized areas don’t have access to scrubs. While scrubs are considered as basic medical supplies, some medics have never even owned them. This brand has, therefore, made it a mission to provide them with these necessities. Figs have partnered with 60 organization so that every technician, nurse, or doctor has a protective gear. Additionally, this helps patients to get the best healthcare services possible. For every set of scrub that you buy from Figs, they will provide an equivalent to medical providers in need. They have donated more than 75,000 sets so far. Plus, their charity services span over 26 countries.

Conclusion

We all love to shop, but not everyone has the financial means. There are a lot of people living in poverty and other difficult circumstances. Luckily, there are eCommerce and businesses that will donate a portion of their earnings to these individuals. For anybody with a big heart and wallet, these listed stores provide an opportunity to shop and to help those in need.

Related: Asking for Help and Saying Thank You