Give With a Conscience This Year

Well, folks. Whether you can believe it or not, here we are at December 1st. That means the holidays are rapidly approaching, and if you haven’t started thinking about the people on your gift list this year, there’s no time like the present. Did you catch what I just did there? “Present” meaning right now—and what you need to buy. Double entendres can be so much fun, dontcha’ think?!

Enough about my word nerdy-ness. You’ve got some decisions to make. Why not consider gifts from companies whose mission is to make the world a better place? The people on your list get a gift, and the people you buy it from give a portion to a worthy cause. Win win, yes?

Now, I have a few family members on my list who request charitable donations for specific organizations they believe in—the local humane society or food pantry. But unless this form of giving is a personal request, the recipient may not enjoy a card that says, “A monetary donation has been made in your name to XYZ.” I know because I’ve done just that and received several, “Oh, gee thanks,” type responses. I felt good about it, but they wanted a little something more. No judgment passed. Instead, I started looking around for other ways to make everyone happy with my gift choices. And I found some good ones.

Tom’s Shoes – This is the first company I found out about that gives back in a big way. Their motto is “One for One.” That means when you buy a product, they give a product to someone who needs it. When I discovered Tom’s, they just sold shoes—and a fairly basic line of styles at that. I’d buy a pair of shoes, and someone who really needed a pair would get them too. Nowadays, Tom’s sells a wide range of shoe styles, but they’ve added glasses, coffee, bags, and more. Each item you select supports a different cause. Want to provide safe, clean water for someone? Buy the coffee. Want to make sure someone in need of an eye exam or even restored vision gets the optical care they need? Get a pair of glasses. Feel strongly about mother and child coming through childbirth happy and healthy? Buy a bag.

Stone & Cloth – This somewhat newer company started out in 2011. Like Tom’s, they sell bags—everything from a basic backpack (my personal favorite) to a tote you can use for a quick weekend getaway. When you order a bag from Stone & Cloth, you provide 25 hours of classroom learning to kids in places like Tanzania. To top it off, their products are American-made. So if that gift-giving criteria too is important to you, this company fits the bill.

Fortuned Culture – If you have a jewelry lover somewhere on your list, check out this company. Their jewelry designs support specific causes, with each design telling part of the story. You can find an “Evil Eye Bracelet” that provides transportation to and from school for orphans in Mexico. Or a “Wave Ring” that supplies five people in Cambodia with a year’s worth of filtered water using a portable filtration system.

These are just three companies that will allow you to give with a conscience this year—providing much needed services or items to people all around the world, as well as a gift for the people on your list.

This year I double-dog dare you to pick a cause you feel strongly about and dig around for a company that will help you support it. I bet it will be easier than you think. I’d love to hear about what you find.

Paula Widish

Paula Widish, author of Trophia: Simple Steps to Everyday Self-Health, is a freelance writer and self-healther. She loves nothing more than sharing tidbits of information she discovers with others. (Actually, she loves her family more than that—and probably bacon too.) Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Relations and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through International Coach Academy.

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