Just a few weeks ago I kicked off the holiday gift guide, sharing with you some great children’s toys that will hopefully help if you’re looking for a gift idea this Christmas. Since then, I’ve had hundreds of companies email me and send me products, asking to be included in the gift guide. I don’t tell you that to show off (because I’m a small fish in a big pond in the world of blogging!), but to let you know that I have looked at an absurd number of products to find ones that I really think you’ll enjoy. Over the next two weeks or so, I’ll be sharing these products with you, hoping to give you a hand in shopping for those people on your guest list that are just so hard to shop for!
In true Mrs. Moneysaver fashion, the gifts are typically budget-friendly (with nearly all retailing for less than $50)- or just so cool that I still wanted to share. And I’ll share coupon codes when I can! So without further ado, here are some awesome gifts that give back!
1. Volunteer Gear- This is one of the neatest ideas I’ve seen this season. Basically, Volunteer Gear is a line of t-shirts that have different sayings about volunteerism, including “Humans for Humanity”, “Don’t Be A Life Potato”, and “Spread Friendly”- but it goes farther than that. The shirts, while high-quality, are just a small part of the whole experience of Volunteer Gear. Each shirt comes with a set of uniquely numbered dog tags. This number can be registered on the Volunteer gear site, creating a Volunteer Chain page. The shirt’s owner can then keep one dog tag, and pass the other along, asking the new recipient to do a good deed and log this information into the VG site using the unique number. Then the recipient is to pass the tag along to another who will, in turn, do a good deed. Paying it forward. Keeping track. (You can view a sample tracking map here.) Everyone involved in the Volunteer Chain can opt-in to receive emails, allowing them to track the chain of altruistic goodness! What a wonderfully fun way to encourage people to give back! Each shirt is priced at $19.95 here, and including the dog tags and tracking capabilities.
2. Naumes Fruit Gifts- If you’re looking for an alternative to a traditional fruit basket, a Naumes Family fruit gift can be a great idea. I received the Comice box, pictured left, which contained some beautiful and absolutely delicious pears. (In fact, I only had one because the rest of my family ate them so quickly!) What’s different about the Naumes gifts though is that for every gift you purchase, the company will donate- pound for pound- fresh fruit to a food bank, providing healthy food for those in need. What a terrific way to give a gift- and give to those in need- this Christmas! And if you order before November 30th, Naumes will double the food bank donation, making your purchase go even farther. All the gift boxes are priced around $30 with free shipping, and can be purchased here.
3. Williamsburg Gifts- I received a set of four Ruby Aldrich iced tea glasses from the Williamsburg Marketplace. These are ruby-red mouth-blown glasses that are just beautiful. Very pretty! They work for both casual and formal settings, so its a very useful gift to give this holiday season. The Williamsburg Marketplace has many budget-friendly gifts, like the Ruby Aldrich glasses, with prices starting at about $10. (The glasses I received are $25 for 4.) But what places this company on my “Gifts That Give Back” list is that all purchases support the preservation, research and educational programs of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the not-for-profit organization that oversees the restored colonial capital in Williamsburg, Virginia. Perfect for gift for those who enjoy learning and sharing our country’s history. If you purchase from the Williamsburg Marketplace before November 30th, make sure you look for the red box containing a coupon code in the top left hand corner of the website.
4. Women’s Bean Project- This Denver-based nonprofit recently sent me a Hostess Gift Basket (pictured left), containing 10 Bean Soup Mix, a Garlic and Herb Dip Mix, a Green Chili Salsa Mix, a Southwest Salsa Mix, a Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Mix, and a Friend’s Blend Women’s Bean Coffee Sample. And it all came wrapped beautifully. (Retail price: $35) The company offers gourmet food gifts, as well as the recent addition of jewelry. While providing great gifts, the Women’s Bean Project employs impoverished women, offering job and life skills training through the position with Women’s Bean Project. The nonprofit is geared toward helping women become self-sufficient. So while you’re purchasing a beautiful gift for someone on your list, you’re also helping a group of women in Denver! These baskets can be purchased through the company website, as well as on Amazon and Overstock.
5. Zulugrass from The Leakey Collection- The Leakey family began their company after a drought that devastated Kenya in 2001 brought them to action. (Mr. Leakey was a member of Kenyan parliament for 15 years.) In an effort to give the Maasai people of Kenya a sustainable source of income, the Leakeys began offering the people of this Kenyan region job opportunities making women’s jewelry from environmentally sustainable materials. Now over 1,200 Kenyans are employed through this company, which strives to offer a well-paying, comfortable, and flexible work environment. 5% of the sales go to the Maasai people. You can learn more about this company here. They recently sent me a couple samples of their Zulugrass collection, the Eco-Chic Gift Hangtag piece. This is well-made jewelry, and definitely something to consider for the females on your Christmas list.
6. Teatulia Teas- Teatulia recently sent me some of their tea to try. Teatuliais a company providing garden-direct, USDA organic, sustainable teas, meaning that the company strives to take care of both the land and the people involved in the tea. The company is based in Bangladesh and works to provide a living wage, as well as a program involving education, health, and cattle-lending for those employees working in the tea gardens and the surrounding communities. Some may not be aware, but products like tea are commonly bought or stolen from workers at unfair wages in order to sell in developed countries like the US. Teatulia wants to change that and offer a better way to buy tea. In addition to the social responsibility of Teatulia, they ship the tea straight from the garden community, meaning you get fresher tea. And a portion of the tea sales go to help the people of Bangladesh while restoring the local ecosystem. To top this all off, my husband loved the tea he tried. (I’m not a tea drinker myself.) While the tea is bit more expensive than what you might typically buy, it serves a good cause and makes for a nicer gift than… say, a box of Lipton. You can buy individual canisters for $9.99, or buy gift sets of 3 cannisters for $25. You can also find the tea at brick-and-mortar stores, including select Whole Foods locations.
The products reviewed above were provided to me by the company. The opinions shared within the review are mine and were not provided by the company.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent post! I am just starting out in community management/marketing media and trying to learn how to do it nicely – resources like this article are incredibly helpful. As our company is dependent in the US, it?s all a little bit new to us. The example above is something that I be concerned about as well, how to show your own genuine enthusiasm and share the truth that your item is helpful in that situation.
The title just grab my attention, it’s good to see that these companies are donating some of the revenues for others, developing communities, and for me it’s a good feeling to buy something from these folks.
Thank you for sharing these remarkable gifts from these remarkable companies (People).
Warm Regards,
Mikey