Holiday Gifts That Give Back

This has been a rough year for many Americans. Sadly, the holidays won’t be much easier for anyone who can’t be with family or lost their job. That’s why in 2020, more than most years, those of us who can give a gift that keep on giving should consider doing so.

In this post — about holiday gifts that give back — we highlight some amazing organizations that are donating proceeds and profits to all sorts of charities, including UNICEF, a group that provides medical supplies to children affected by Covid-19, and Merch4Relief, an organization that helps service workers in the U.S. And, as always, when you purchase a product you see on Dealmazing, we donate proceeds to a number of amazing charities, such as Feeding America, Wounded Warriors, American Cancer Society, and the Boys and Girls Club of America. Give a gift that keeps on giving this year with these holiday gifts that give back.

Housewares

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Lula’s Succulent Garden

If you’re thinking about sending flowers to a friend or loved one this year, Lula’s Garden offers a refreshing twist on gifting bouquets. The company designs handmade succulent-filled gift box planters — called gardens. Each garden is hand-painted and the plants are grown in the Los Angeles area. What makes succulents such great gifts is that they’re really easy to maintain, even for the least successful gardeners. You’ll also feel good about supporting Lula’s Garden because for each garden sold, the company provides safe water for half a year, via Water.org, to individuals living in the developing world.

UNICEF Gift Market

If you want to be sure your dollars do good during the holiday season, head over to UNICEF Market, the online store for UNICEF. The more than 70-year-old humanitarian aid organization is also known as the United Nations Children’s Fund and is one of the most recognizable charities in the world. The charity used to solicit donations by selling greeting cards featuring artwork by children. But today, UNICEF Market offers numerous unique gifts, ranging from handcrafted jewelry and home decor to fashion, and, apropos of 2020, face masks. Proceeds from every purchase goes toward protecting children. Give a gift that keeps on giving this year with these holiday gifts that give back.

Whimsical Heirloom Stockings

Bauble Stockings is a purveyor of timeless, heirloom holiday stockings that are hand-stitched in Haiti by single moms. For every purchase, the company donates funds to the Joan Hope Foundation, a charity that pays tuition for the children of the stitchers, including money for books, meals, housing, and an after-school curriculum. The company’s stitchers are also guaranteed fair trade wages. Additionally, 5% profit from each sale will go to the Atlanta Children’s Shelter, an organization that provides child support and housing to homeless moms so they can go to work each day.

Spatula & Tea Towels to End Childhood Hunger

Williams Sonoma loaned its savvy brand style and celebrity connections to assist No Kid Hungry. The charity’s mission is to end childhood hunger in the U.S. Famous folks like Kristen Bell, Dolly Parton, Kris Jenner, Ina Garten, Hoda Kotb, and many others designed spatulas, matching tea towels and mugs, all of which are available at Williams Sonoma stores and online. No Kid Hungry launched an interactive map tool to make it easier for families to find free, healthy meals in their communities. There’s also a donation page at Williams-Sonoma.com where shoppers can donate directly to the charity — no purchase necessary.

Throw Your Support to St. Jude’s

West Elm is donating 50% of the purchase price of select, limited-edition items, like handwoven blankets and Christmas ornaments, to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The premier research center leads the way in finding cures and providing treatment to children with cancer and other catastrophic illnesses. The organization is notorious for not charging patients’ families for care. On West Elm’s website, shoppers can also direct a charitable donation directly to St. Jude’s.

Holiday Gifts – Fashion

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Rights & Liber-TEEs

Madewell designed a unisex tee with an inclusive “Vote” graphic to help raise money for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The inspirational non-profit was founded a century ago “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.” Madewell has committed to donating a minimum of $750,000 to the organization, including 40% of all Vote t-shirt purchases.

Run for a Cause

When customers purchase products from the Saucony x Prinkshop collection, shoe company Saucony, will donate 10% of the sale to She Should Run. The collection includes a tee, tote bag, and baseball cap featuring a bold “hero” graphic ($20-$25), plus award-winning Kinvara 11 running shoes ($110) and the brand’s popular Jazz Vintage sneakers ($80). She Should Run is a nonpartisan organization that’s working to increase female representation in public office. The nonprofit is “driven by a vision of seeing 250,000 women run for local, state, and federal offices by 2030.” Give a gift that keeps on giving this year with these holiday gifts that give back.

Tee Time for Local Eateries

Merch4Relief was established after the pandemic spread in the U.S. and decimated the livelihoods of American restaurants and their workers. The website’s mission is to help support those small business by selling their branded merch — like t-shirts, beanies, hats and hoodies. Most of the profits, 95%, go directly back to the restaurant that customers purchase from. The remaining 5% of profits are donated to a restaurant worker relief fund or artists that donated their time creating designs featured on the merch. Merch4Relief hosts restaurants from Boston, Philly, Chicago, San Francisco, D.C., and more.

Your Vote is a “Shoe-in”

Sofi Newmyer designs and manufacturers stylish and sustainable footwear in Los Angeles. She launched her business, Ma’am shoes, on the belief that women shouldn’t have to wear high heels at the workplace to be recognized on their merits. “At Ma’am, we reject the idea that taller is better and that women need to have throbbing feet to be powerful.” Right now, when customers purchase the limited-edition CJ shoe, Ma’am will donate $10 to support the nonpartisan civic organization, I am a Voter. And to support the voting-engagement movement more directly, you can purchase I am a Voter tees, hats, pins, hoodies, and other items.

Put a Sock on It

Bombas is known as the company that donates a pair of socks to a homeless shelter for every pair of socks customers purchase. The company sells socks for men, women, and kids of all ages, as well dress socks, athletic socks, and casual socks. Need a tee? They have those, too. For men and women. And Bombas also donates one t-shirt for every tee they sell to shoppers. Give a gift that keeps on giving this year with these holiday gifts that give back.

Shoes Made for Walking — and Helping

TOMS is the shoe company that’s known for designing stylish slip-on shoes and matching every purchase by giving shoes to someone in need. They call themselves the “original one for one company.” Since 2006, Toms has given away almost 100 million pairs of shoes. And today, the company donates a dollar for every $3 it earns. That means that when you buy shoes from TOMS, you can sleep easier at night knowing your money will be used to help others.

Holiday Gifts – Baubles

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Jewelry That Gives Back

Bird + Stone is a company that designs and sells ethically-made jewelry. When the company launched, they used proceeds to provide microloans to female entrepreneurs in Kenya. As the brand grew, the owners were able to expand their philanthropic reach. Today, they support causes ranging from women’s empowerment to climate change. When you go to Bird + Stone, you just choose a cause, such as the Voting Collection, Racial Justice, LGBTQ+ Youth, Women’s Health, Refugees and Immigrants, Girls’ Education, and more.

Wear it For a Purpose

Purpose is a jewelry company with, well, a purpose. Co-owners, Stephanie Pollaro and Wendy Daily, launched the company on two continents. In Mumbai, India, they provided girls — including survivors of human trafficking — with a living wage and a safe workplace. And here in the States, the partners sold their handcrafted jewelry and educated the community about the anti-trafficking efforts of their nonprofit arm, International Sanctuary. Shoppers can support survivors by purchasing Purpose jewelry, or donating directly to International Sanctuary.

Band Together for a Good Cause

If you’ve ever seen someone wearing a bracelet featuring an inspiring message, the bangle may be a MantraBand product. The company also has a CharityBands line that support causes “that create a positive impact on women’s and children’s issues.” Some of those organizations are A Moment of Magic, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The company donates $5 from the sale of each bracelet to charities shoppers choose to support. The “Police Hero” bracelet features a bold blue graphic on the bangle’s exterior and on the inside says, “We will always remember.” For each purchase, MantraBand donates to Concerns of Police Survivors’ (C.O.P.S.), an organization that supports friends and coworkers of police officers slain in the line of duty.

Be Brave & Prosper

The Brave Collection is a jewelry company that aims to inspire positivity. They design bracelets that spell out the word “Brave” in Khmer. Each piece is hand carved and woven by artisans in Cambodia who are underprivileged or disabled. The company makes a point to employ mothers and gives them the option to work from home. That way, the moms don’t have to seek alternative care for young children. “All artists work in a free, fair and dignified work environment. They’re also paid well and receive benefits, such as health insurance. Give a gift that keeps on giving this year with these holiday gifts that give back. The handcrafted collection includes Brave Bracelets ($35), silver and gold-plated chain necklaces ($58-$115), metal cuffs ($95-$175) chain bracelets ($55-$95), woven bracelets and necklaces ($45-$78).

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Joyful Designs

The folks at Ban.do create products designed to make people feel joyful all the time. “Joy comes in many forms and we believe it sparks creativity, connects people, and makes us more resilient. So we create and curate products that inspire joy.” A portion of proceeds from the Good Intentions jewelry line advocates for young girls. Girls Inc. is a nonprofit that develops programs, including mentorship relationships.