2015-11-27

As today marks Black Friday in the US and people are scrambling about for the perfect gift for the holidays, why not consider a beautiful gift that also gives back to someone in need?  I have worked hard over the years curating an ongoing list of Gifts that Give and even keep a permanent page on my blog under the same name. Why? Because I know people like to give gifts year round, not only for the holiday season, and why not give a gift that also helps someone in need.

The following list includes some of my absolute favorite gifts, many of which I’ve given myself and have supported. There are many gifts that I have already featured on my blog too. New additions this year include beautiful products from : Bloom & Give, Kurandza, Society B, Mission Belt, Seattle Chocolates, Rwanda Path to Peace, Sevenly, and Thistle Farms.

As this list is continually growing please let me know if you have any gifts that give that I should include. Thank you!

“For it is in giving that we receive”. – Francis of Assisi





By selecting to purchase a gift from one of the organizations below, your gift will not only give delight and joy to the recipient, it will also give back to someone in need. I can’t think of a better way to give than that!

Here is a list of some of my favorite gifts that give! Feel free to contact me if there are other organizations that should be included in this ever growing list.

Products that help women and girls:

fashionABLE (scarves and leather goods)

www.livefashionable.com

“Your purchase of a fashionABLE scarf creates sustainable business for women in Africa.  Our commitment as a non-profit is to the development of people — fashionABLE works with women who have been exploited due to the effects of poverty.  So, when you purchase a scarf you are providing jobs, and then we send the net profits back to holistically rehabilitate more women”.

To read my post regarding my visit to fashionABLE click here.

Anchal (scarves, pillows and quilts)

www.anchalproject.org

Designing Change Stitch by Stitch” Anchal creates absolutely stunning scarves, pillows and quilts each handmade out of recycled saris by Indian women rescued from prostitution.

Bloom & Give

www.bloomandgive.com

Bloom & Give sells beautifully handcrafted scarves and bags made in India using techniques passed on from generation to generation. Each product is designed in the US by one of Bloom & Give’s designers, and made in India with love.Bloom & Give donates 50% of their profits to support girls education programs in India through their partner Educate Girls to improve the lives of girls in Rajasthan.

Kurandza

www.kurandza.com

Kurandza is a purpose-driven fashion company that creates handcrafted jewelry and accessories with women in Mozambique. Their mission is to empower women, the majority of whom are HIV positive, through education and employment opportunities. In addition to receiving fair wages for their work, profits from sales go back to this community to fund development projects.

The name “Kurandza” is the word “to love” in Changana, the local language of our women in Mozambique.

31 BITS (fashion and jewelry)

www.31bits.com

31 Bits uses fashion and design to empower people to rise above poverty.  We connect artisans in Uganda to the international market so they can earn an income and provide for their families. Every purchase you make can either have a positive or negative impact on the world. 31 Bits is part of a movement revolutionizing the way people do business. We value both the creator and the consumer. The artisans in our program are receiving a sustainable income and holistic education, empowering them to rise above poverty. Our accessories are marked by fresh colors and crisp design. To view all the products, click here.

TO THE MARKET

www.tothemarket.com (apparel, bags, jewelry, home goods, and shoes)

TO THE MARKET | Survivor-made Goods (TTM) combines the powers of commerce and storytelling to empower the world’s most courageous survivor populations, in the belief that resilience is more powerful than suffering. TTM showcases handmade goods made exclusively by proud and passionate artisans who have overcome the perils of abuse, conflict, and disease. By assisting local partners around the world in bringing these goods “to the market,” we take an active role in equipping the survivor’s they employ with economic independence, while raising awareness of the challenges that they face.

To read my exclusive interview with CEO and Founder Jane Mosbacher Morris of To the Market, click here.

SOCIETY B

www.societyb.com

A beautifully curated marketplace for good that offers socially good products for men, women and children while also donating 10% of sales to a different charity and cause each week.

To read my interview with one of Society B’s founders, click here.

Sevenly: Designs to Inspire Positivity and Change

www.sevenly.org

Sevenly was founded in 2011 by four people who shared the mission of leading a generation toward generosity. Based on a core belief that “People Matter,” they began a journey to do their part in helping to change the world for the better. Activating the “cause art” movement worldwide, Sevenly began by creating 7-day cause campaigns, inviting customers to purchase products that gave $7 to a weekly charity. Now widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading “social good” companies, mashable.com just named Sevenly “America’s most social small business” and “one of the Top 10 Stories in the First 10 Years of Facebook.”

MADE BY SURVIVORS (jewelry and handicrafts)

www.madebysurviors.com

Made By Survivors is an international nonprofit organization which employs and educates survivors of slavery and other human rights abuses, including many women and children living in extreme poverty. Products include jewelry, bags, gifts and cards and prices range. 100% of profits go back to the survivors who made them.

Global Wonders Jewelry

www.safoundation.myshopify.com/collections/all

Global Wonders is a part of SA Foundation (SAF) Canada, whose goal is to stop the sexual exploitation & trafficking of young women through implementing their unique recovery model. All Global Wonders Products are handmade in Nepal by women who’ve been rescued from Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. Each purchase helps to support another woman’s journey to freedom from a life of slavery! Make your gifts count this season with some socially conscious shopping! Ships products worldwide.

Kate Spade “On Purpose” (handbags, purses and bracelets)

www.katespade.com/on-purpose

Kate Spade has launched a program in Rwanda teaching women to make their handicraft bags and jewelry for the On Purpose line which helps lift women out of poverty by providing sustainable income and economic opportunities.

Macy’s Heart of Haiti and Path to Rwanda Gifts (handcrafted gifts)

Heart of Haiti gifts

Rwanda Path to Peace

Designed to improve and enrich lives, Macy’s offers an extraordinary collection of art and gifts to promote change in hope in Haiti and Rwanda. I have personally visited the program in Haiti (to read posts, click here) and it is phenomenal.

I also wrote this post on the Rwanda Path to Peace program.

Macy’s Path to Peace products:

Heart of Haiti products:

Alex and Ani (jewelry)

www.alexandani.com/charity-by-design/

As the heart and soul of ALEX AND ANI, CEO, Founder and Creative Director, Carolyn Rafaelian, created Charity by Design, which serves as a unique division focused solely on giving and making the dreams of charitable organizations come true. Charity by Design empowers non-profit organizations both on a national and local scale to reach their goals by sharing their mission through the power of positive energy and creative design.

Krochet Kids (handmade sweaters, scarves, hats and other apparel items for men, women and kids).

www.krochetkids.org

Krochet Kids intl. a non-profit social capitalism brand that empowers people in Uganda and Peru by creating, selling apparel knit & crochet hats for babies men and women. Through a unique model we are empowering the women of Northern Uganda and Peru with the assets, skills, and knowledge to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

The result is long lasting and sustainable change. To view al their offerings click here.

All Across Africa  (handmade jewelry, bags, baskets, home decor)

www.allacrossafrica.org

All Across Africa currently works with over 3,000 artisans in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, paying artisans up front for the goods at many times what they could sell them for in a local market. This sustainable income allows them to send their children to school, feed their families and even create savings accounts (something that is unheard of in this part of the world). In addition, money goes back into the communities in the form of education and training programs. All Across Africa believes that job creation is the solution for the rural poor in these countries. Check out their beautiful handmade and fair-trade goods here. You are bound to love the products and the amazing work All Across Africa is doing.

Noonday Collection (jewelry and accessories)

www.noondaycollection.com

Noonday offers you the opportunity to use your purchasing power to create change in the world {while looking really good along the way}. Your fashion sense can now restore dignity to abandoned women in Ethiopia, empower communities in Ecuador, and create business opportunities for Ugandans. Check out our story here.

1000 Shillings

1000 Shillings is an international development organization that provides microgrants to impoverished women enabling them to start their own businesses and provide for their families.  1000 Shillings gives each woman a microgrant in exchange for a product they make that is sold on our website. Each woman then takes that grant and starts their own business that is sustainable in their home country (becoming a seamstress, selling casava root, etc) with the help

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