Upon special request, I have compiled this list of the best ethical giving websites that I can find. What is ethical giving? It's buying beautiful products for your holiday gift giving from companies and non-profits that give back to the community. You're going to buy gifts anyway, so why not do it from a company or organization that gives back? Ethical giving sites offer great gifts that are generally no more expensive, and sometimes, less expensive than traditional gifts. So pick your favorite cause and go shop for good!
Ethical Giving from Ethical Shops: My Gift Picks
Ten Thousand Villages is my top pick for ethical giving. You can buy in-store or online at this fantastic shop featuring beautiful jewelry, home decor, tabletop items, collectibles, stationery, sculptures, toys, and more. Everything in the store is fair trade and benefits artisans in developing countries by giving them a platform to sell their goods on a long-term fair trade basis. Once you purchase, the artisan receives a 50% cash advance and then when your order ships, they receive full payment. All items are priced so that artisans are fairly compensated for their labor and materials. Ten Thousand Villages also works hard to ensure that all of their artisans use environmentally sustainable practices. Check out this Indian-made
Antiqued Disk Necklace which is only $28. I love this store!
Green Heart Shop is an amazing eco-friendly, non-profit store based out of Chicago, IL which only stocks fair trade items which directly benefits
artisans in Chicago and in over 60 countries by paying them fair wages and encouraging sustainable practices. You can search for gifts by category, country, materials, or by specific artisan. Green Heart Shop features toys, jewelry, clothing, accessories, books, paper, food, kitchen items, and beauty products. My pick from Green Heart Shop is the
Funky Monkey stuffed animal for $24 which is made by a collective of five women in Peru called Ima Sumacc. The Funky Monkey comes in five different colors and is hand knitted from sustainable materials.
FEED Projects is another favorite of mine started by a lovely woman named
Lauren Bush. FEED products allow you to wear stylish gear, the purchase of which goes to help people all over the world, especially children, through the
FEED Foundation. FEED Projects' mission is to create good products that help feed the world. They do this by building in a set donation to the cost of each of their great products. Feed sells bags, bears, t-shirts, and other accessories on their site. My pick is the
Feed the Children bag for $60. Not only is it totally cute, but the purchase of the bag goes to fund school meals for a child in Africa through the UN World Food Program for an entire year.
Made by Survivors helps you to help women who were victims of trafficking to become self-sufficient. The organization helps survivors of slavery to rebuild their lives after they are rescued. They provide them with training and education which allows them to achieve a sustainable income and to be reintegrated into society. Made by Survivors truly helps these survivors to rebuild their lives and works actively to prevent trafficking in high risk communities by creating jobs in the areas and by raising funds for their shelter partners, for school fees, and for emergency needs in the communities
. My gift pick is the
Free Tote for $25 which allows you to directly contribute to setting up new production sites for survivors of trafficking who are now artisans. The tote was designed by UK designer Susan Shaw and is made by the survivors a
t AFESIP Camboida.
Cambodian Threads is a socially responsible company that offers beautiful silk scarves that are handmade by families in Cambodia. All of the families are paid fair wages in non-sweat shop environments. After paying the artisan families for their materials and labor, for each and every scarf sold, Cambodian Threads purchases necessary school supplies for 10 cambodian children. That's right, with one inexpensive scarf purchase, you can give a beautiful gift, help artisans earn a fair wage, and help 10 Cambodian school children to have school supplies. Easiest giving back ever! My pick is the Jet Black Scarf for $22 which is handcrafted by the Heng Family from Prek Bongkong, Cambodia.
Check out these other great sites too for gifts that give: OmniPeace,
Global Girlfriend,
World of Good,
The Hunger Site,
Maggie's Organic Clothing.
Tribute Gifts to Benefit Those in Need: My favorite option!
And now for something completely different...you can make donation based gifts to people in need in the name of a loved one. If the person you're buying for is like me (or is me), this is a truly amazing gift that will bring so much happiness both to the tributee and to the beneficiary of the gift. This is my favorite type of ethical giving!
Oxfam, including their
Oxfam Gifts site, is one of my favorite charities on earth. The Oxfam Gifts site allows you to purchase
farm animals,
manure,
carts,
seeds,
stoves,
trees,
water purifiers,
beans,
rice,
water pumps,
wells, or even
houses for people in need in developing countries. You can also purchase
educational goods like
art supplies for kids,
HIV testing services and education,
school uniforms and so much more. Oxfam gives you the power to make a real difference in the lives of people! Just think about it, for Christmas you can give a family in Africa pure water to drink or a chance to go to school! Want just a stocking stuffer? How about giving someone the
gift of soap for $12 which in the developing world can stop the spread of disease with a little item that we take for granted every day. Want to go a little further? My pick for Oxfam Gifts is the
lovely goat that you see pictured for $50. The gift of a goat is an amazing resource for rural communities, especially those in areas where other animals might not survive. Goats are hardy and can be a source of milk, fertilizer, and food for families. See the goats in action!
Also consider the
Safe Horizon Gift Catalog which allows you to make a woman or child's life better right away!
Safe Horizon is absolutely one of my favorite organizations. I have seen them help victims of violence with my own eyes many times. The services that Safe Horizon offers are truly unparalleled as is their commitment to help victims of violence achieve peaceful lives. That's why I absolutely love the Safe Horizon Gift Catalog because it gives you the ability to help these amazing professionals do their jobs a little better because you've made the funding a little easier. You can donate a
counseling session for a domestic violence victim or abused child with a mental health professional for $95. You can also
donate a New York City Metrocard to help a woman independently survive and be self-sufficient. This gift can help her get to appointments with counselors, lawyers, and to court dates. My pick? For $70,
you can ensure that the locks on a domestic violence victim's home are changed to keep her abuser out.
Giving Back for the Holidays is So Easy!
I hope that I have given you plenty of easy, ethical-giving options for the holidays this year. There are so many amazing products out there that allow you to gift and give back at the same time! As usual, let me know if there is something more specific that you'd like me to find out about in the comments.
Isn't that easy?
Happy giving, do-gooders!
xo Jessica
