Shopping Never Felt So Good

by Elaine Gast

Conscious shoppers are finding more and more ways to make their consumerism count. Take a look around, and you'll find plenty of products that "sell" the chance to be generous -- allowing you to buy gifts and give to charity at the same time. Whether it's pink slippers for breast cancer or red iPods for AIDS, these products and dozens more bring awareness -- and cash -- to a cause near you.
 
The trend is called cause-related marketing, and here's how it works: Companies partner with a charity, designing or selling products on its behalf. Both the company and the charity benefit from the buzz: The company uses the charity's image to generate more sales and donates a portion (or in some cases, all) of the proceeds on that product to the cause.

Cause marketing is nothing new. American Express used it for the first time in the 1980s when it donated 1 percent of its credit card sales to restore the Statue of Liberty. Soon after, Patagonia pledged to give 1 percent of all its sales to preserve the natural environment (www.onepercentfortheplanet.org) and inspired several other businesses to do the same. 

Since then, the idea has proliferated among retail stores and online "charitable shopping" sites. Today, charitable shopping malls such as GreaterGood.com and iGive.com give consumers a chance to do their everyday shopping while getting that warm and fuzzy philanthropic feeling. These for-profit companies gather a long list of online retailers and channel a portion of the amount spent on sweaters, books, DVDs, and other purchases to the charity of the shopper's choice.

With so many options available, it's never been so easy to give while getting.  Here are just a sampling of creative partnerships:

• Giving Gone Green -- Lime.com offers a list of presents that are also good for planet. The site offers creative, environmentally friendly gift ideas for everyone you know -- from the foodie to the busy parent, the gearhead to the ecoslacker.


• Holiday Dreams -- MissionFish, a group that enables individuals to support charities through trading on eBay, has kicked-off a campaign called Holiday Dreams. A portion of every purchase, from signed Matthew McConaughey t-shirts to diamond bracelets, will go to help nonprofits focused on disaster relief.


• Think Pink -- The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation partners with many big retailers, including Target®, the first to develop an entire pink product collection (vacuum cleaners, cameras, boxing gloves, golf balls, you name it), with 100 percent of its profits donated to the foundation.


• In the Red -- Pink isn't the only charitable color these days. U2 front man Bono and the organization DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) created the (Product) Red campaign to raise awareness and funds for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS in Africa. Look for red Motorola phones, T-shirts from the GAP, iPods from Apple, Chuck Taylors from Converse, and several other cool gift ideas.


• Pucker Up -- Women can take care of their lips and support a good cause. The Body Shop® sells a "Stop Violence in the Home" Lip Care Stick, which features the National Domestic Violence hotline on its label. Two dollars of your purchase ($8 for two sticks) is donated to the hotline. In addition, M*A*C® sells a series of VIVA GLAM Lipsticks for $14, donating every penny to the M*A*C AIDS Fund to support people living with HIV/AIDS. So far, M*A*C has donated more than $84 million to the fund.


• Green Eggs and Ham -- Throughout the year, Kohl's sells special Kohl's Cares for Kids® merchandise, with 100 percent of the net profits benefiting health and educational opportunities for children. The collection features kids' favorite Dr. Seuss® books and plush characters for $5 each.


• Any Way You Slice It -- Share Our Strength (SOS), an anti-hunger organization, has partnered with the Food Network on a number of gifts, such as celebrity chef Rachael Ray's SOS Kitchen Trio Set ($99.95). A portion of sales goes to ending childhood hunger.


• A Whole Lotta Lox -- Worldwide Gourmet offers fans of wild Alaskan Salmon the chance to choose a gift basket with smoked salmon products and other gourmet goods. Prices start at $15, with 40 percent of the purchase price going to Oceana, a nonprofit environmental group that protects the world's oceans.


• Cheers for Charity -- What do dogs and wine have in common? Carivintas Winery will tell you. They support the Humane Society of the United States through the Dog Lovers Wine Club -- dedicated to dogs and the wine-drinkers who love them. It's priced at $48 for two bottles per month.  If you prefer your wine without canine companions, the Napa-based Humanitas Wine Company donates 20 percent of your purchase price on bottles or gift baskets to the nonprofit partner of your choice. Prices start at $15.


• A Bouquet by Any Other Name -- Pick your favorite floral arrangement or wreath on Organic Bouquet's site and they will donate 10 percent to charities such as CARE, Global Fund for Women, and the American Red Cross. Prices start at $45.


• "Plant a Tree" Tee -- Buy an organic cotton T-shirt through the National Wildlife Federation and your $24.95 purchase will pay for a cedar, mahogany, or cacao seedling planted in your gift recipient's name.


• Be Prepared -- Target® sells a Target®/American Red Cross First Aid Emergency Preparedness Starter Kit ($29.99), which includes emergency supplies for up to four people. For every kit purchased through August 2007, $10 supports the American Red Cross.
  

If you've come across other innovative gifts and partnerships, please let us know!

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Based in Kula, Hawaii, Elaine Gast is a writer and communications consultant for nonprofits, foundations, membership associations, businesses, and individuals. She has authored six books, contributed to Fodor's Travel Publications, and published articles in numerous magazines and newspapers.  Elaine is president of Four Winds Writing, Inc.