It’s that time of year again: Holiday Gift Guides!

If you followed my 2019 Ethical Holiday Gift Guide, you know that I hate holiday shopping. The idea of going to a mall, spending an hour finding parking, and being swarmed by holiday shoppers who are also busy and stressed is my own personal nightmare. I feel like I am going to break out in hives just thinking about it. But holiday shopping doesn’t have to be a negative experience! In fact, I am going to make it easy for you this year!

The reality is there are tons of AMAZING companies out there who are not only creating great quality products but doing so in a way that gives back to charity. Whether through one-for-one donations, empowering independent and non-traditional artisans, or charitable contributions, you can use your holiday shopping to make the world a better place.

In 2019, I highlighted 19 awesome companies in my 2019 gift guide to giving gifts that give back, but this year I am taking it further and sharing even more companies!

Make your holiday shopping matter this year by purchasing from a company that gives back to the community and world (And give a fantastic gift at the same time!).

Give a Crap with this Toilet Paper that Saves Lives

Who Gives a Crap

Perfect For: That one friend who loves toilet humor or had to resort to using newspapers for toilet paper during the great shortage of 2020.

After the run on toilet paper at the beginning of the pandemic, no one can say that toilet paper isn’t a fantastic gift. But why not buy toilet paper with a purpose?

Give your tush (or your friend’s tush!) a treat with toilet paper that builds toilets.

Did you know more people in the world have access to cell phones than toilets? Yes, you heard that right!

Who Gives a Crap donates 50% of all of their profits to organizations working to increase sanitation access for the 2 billion people in the world who do not have access to toilets. WASH or Water, Sanitation, and Hygeine is one of the single most important investment areas for increasing economic opportunities and saving lives. Almost 800 children’s lives could be saved PER DAY by access to sanitation, which prevents water-borne illnesses, and you can be a part of the solution all while sitting on your toilet.

On top of that, Who Gives a Crap is a B Certified Corporation and meets the highest standards of social and environmental impact. They don’t use any dye or ink and make toilet paper from recycled products or bamboo to save trees. It will be like wiping with a cloud.

Give a crap this holiday season and join the potty by purchasing toilet paper or paper towels from Who Gives a Crap.

Support Mental Health During the Holiday Season

Borcik Jewelry

Perfect For: The jewelry buff who wants their pieces to have meaning behind them.

In 2015, Borcik Jewelry founder Arielle Nicole’s life turned upside down when her husband attempted suicide after suffering from depression.

In the aftermath, Arielle and her husband made the decision to dedicate the Borcik brand to spreading hope and awareness, including donating a portion of every sale to To Write Love on Her Arms, a nonprofit dedicated to “presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.”

The holidays can be a difficult time for individuals, especially in 2020, when people cannot gather in person with their support system. By purchasing a gift from Borcik Jewelry, you can know that you are helping support a great mental health nonprofit.

Schizophrenic.NYC

Perfect For: The artist, the activist, and everything in between. The person who loves mental health and wants to help reduce the stigma.

Schizophrenic.NYC is a brand created by Michelle Hammer, an activist and artist living with Schizophrenia who is dedicated to changing how the mentally ill homeless are treated in NYC and how New Yorkers see mental illness in general. Michelle’s pieces are intended to start discussions, as only through discussion can we reduce mental health stigma. In addition, Schizophrenic.NYC donates a portion of its proceeds to organizations that work with the homeless population in NYC, including “Fountain House, NYS Health Foundation, MHA-NYC, and NAMI. “

Michelle’s artwork is displayed across shirts, leggings, masks, and prints, but I want to draw special attention to two of her collections: Her beautifully designed pillboxes as well as her Rorschach line. As someone who takes medication, her pillboxes are not only stunning and compact but normalize the experience of carrying medicine with you. In addition, the design of her Rorschach Test shirt is a fantastic conversation starter, as well as a beautiful design. I am including the description for one of these shirts below to provide insight into the process behind the design.

“Usually, the Rorschach Test is plain black. When a person with schizophrenia looks at this test or just goes through life, things are seen from a different perspective. What I did was by using my artwork in the test, I changed the colors and patterns, so now everyone sees the test from a different perspective. This makes people think differently and starts a discussion. The more discussions about mental health we have, the less stigma there will be.”

This holiday season, make your gift count and be part of the solution to reduce the stigma around mental health.

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Raise a Glass with Alcoholic Beverages that Bring Cheer

ONEHOPE Wine

Perfect For: The hostess in your life or someone you want to share a bottle of wine with.

Wine brings people together, whether it is to celebrate an anniversary, share an intimate evening with friends and family, cheers to victory, or commiserate over a loss. What started as a small winery built on the idea of changing the world, has evolved into a global movement dedicated to giving hope, one bottle of wine at a time.

Image Courtesy of ONEHOPE Wine Instagram

ONEHOPE Wine has donated over $5M to causes worldwide, and they aren’t stopping any time soon. In fact, since it’s founding, ONEHOPE Wine has provided: 83,655 pets with a forever home, 3,047,859 children in need with meals, 5,960 children with crisis text counseling about bullying, 2,855 Hours of operational costs funded for a crisis helpline for LGBTQ youth, 3,917 Hours of ABA therapy provided to children with Autism, 25,328 Weeks of literacy education funded for children in low-income countries, 2,768 Children with pediatric AIDS provided with lifesaving medicine, 881 Hours of job preparation class provided to homeless and low-income individuals, built 1 school in Guatemala, helped plant 1 forest in Indonesia, 1,736 Prostate cancer screenings provided, 649 Napa farmworkers provided with healthcare, 19,883 Days of a clinical trial funded for women battling breast cancer, and that is not even all of the groups they have donated to.

If you have someone in your life who loves wine, this is the perfect gift!

Black is Beautiful Beer

Perfect For: Everyone. Really, everyone should know about this beer and this message.

In response to the racial justice protests throughout the United States this summer, Weathered Souls Brewing Co. launched the Black is Beautiful initiative.

Image Courtesy of Weathered Souls Brewing Co. Instagram

“The Black is Beautiful initiative is a collaborative effort amongst the brewing community and its customers in an attempt to bring awareness to the injustices that many people of color face daily. Our mission is to bridge the gap that's been around for ages and provide a platform to show that the brewing community is an inclusive place for everyone of any color.”

Over 1,190 breweries across all 50 states and 22 countries have signed up to brew the Black is Beautiful Beer, as well as donate “100% of the beer's proceeds to local foundations that support police brutality reform and legal defenses for those who have been wronged.” Check out where you can purchase this beer locally here, and raise a glass this holiday season with a beer that supports local organizations in your community addressing systemic injustice.

Ex Novo Brewing Co

Perfect For: The beer geek with a heart of gold

Ex Novo Brewing Co. shows that drinking a beer with your friends and supporting charity doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, Ex Novo Brewing, which started as a homebrew operation in a garage and has grown to 3 different locations, aims to “donate 100% of our profits to those building a better world and bringing hope to places where it is scarce.” Thus far, Ex Novo has supported FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN (a mentoring program in Portland), International Justice Mission, Impact NW, and MercyCorps (specifically supporting the Syrian Refugee Population).

If you are located in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, or Washington, you can have Ex Novo Brewing delivered right to your doorstep!

Purchase Some Coffee for a Cause

Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co.

Perfect For: The friend who is always showing off photos of their dog (as they should!) and never without a cup of coffee.

If you have an animal and coffee lover in your life, look no further than Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co., where every cup helps a pup.

Image Courtesy of Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co. Instagram

On top of having delicious fair-trade and organic coffee, Grounds & Hounds donates 20% of their profits to animal rescue organizations around the country. They have already helped 375 different organizations, including transferring 2,750 dogs to no-kill facilities, providing 600 spay/neuter surgeries and 2000 microchips, funding 2,250 vaccines for rescued pups, donating 8,500 toys, and providing 2.1 million shelter meals.

In addition to their delicious coffee, Grounds & Hounds sells attire, coffee supplies, puppy attire, holiday bundles, and subscriptions. Founder Jordan Karcher’s spotted dalmatian Molly is also directly featured in the logo of the brand.

Check out the video below to find out more about the Grounds & Hounds story, and know that by purchasing from Grounds & Hounds this holiday season you are helping organizations around the United States that benefit animal rescue puppers.

Fire Dept. Coffee

Perfect For: The friend who knows that drinking a cup of coffee every morning is the first step to become a superhero (and who wants to support real-life superheroes like firefighters and first responders at the same time!)

It’s no secret that firefighters and first responders need to stay awake and energized on all of those overnight shifts and calls.

That’s why in 2016, U.S. Navy veteran and full-time firefighter/paramedic, Luke Schneider, teamed up with another Jason Patton, also a firefighter/paramedic, to launch Fire Dept. Coffee.

Fire Dept. Coffee is a veteran-led business run by active and retired firefighters and first responders, that offers delicious coffee roasts, a coffee of the month club, and even spirits-infused coffee.

Fire Dept. Coffee also has its own foundation, Fire Dept. Coffee Foundation, which is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. 10% of all net proceeds from Fire Dept. Coffee go to the foundation, which in turn funds “groups that help firefighters and first responders who are injured on the job, mentally or physically, or who are facing other serious health challenges.”

Celebrate the heroes who keep us safe every day by purchasing this coffee for a cause (and if dpn’t have any coffee drinkers in your life, you can still support the foundation with a direct donation!).

Give Some Light This Holiday Both at Home and Abroad

Unite to Light

Perfect For: The book nerd who always wants to stay up late reading but dpesn’t want to keep their roommate awake (guilty as charged).

Do you have that one friend who loves to go off the grid and go backpacking? Or maybe someone who loves to stay prepared for any potential upcoming emergency? Look no further than Unite to Light, which provides a one-for-one giving model whenever you purchase solar-powered book light or charging bank.

Over 1 billion people do not have access to electricity, which in turn impacts global opportunities for health, education, and prosperity. Unite to Light was founded in 2010 with the mission of providing solar-powered lamps around the world to regions that lack electricity. To date, they have “distributed over 125,000 lamps to people in more than 78 countries.”

[OneGrid]

Perfect For: The friend who is obsessed with candles and is ready to break out one for any occasion

Picture this: Laying snuggled up under a blanket on a cool night and reading a book while the rustic scent of blue fir and cedarwood fills your senses and transports you.

That is exactly what you get when you purchase from [OneGrid], a hand-poured soy and coconut wax candle with a specialty fragrance delivered right to your front door.

But that isn’t all, for every candle you purchase [OneGrid] donates a solar lamp to a person in need with the goal of eliminating kerosene lamps. Inhaling kerosene lamp fumes, especially in an enclosed environment, is the equivalent of smoking 170 cigarettes per year, but for some rural communities around the world, kerosene lamps are their only source of light in the evening.

Conversely, by providing solar lamps, not only are you helping reduce the use of Kerosene lamps, but on average families save roughly $70 per year on electricity (up to 20% of a family’s income in some rural communities), AND children do an extra of 1 hour of homework per night.

CANDLESSENTIALS

Perfect For: The friend who wants to celebrate hygge and create new moments of peace together.

Candlessentials is a black-owned candle company based in Los Angeles that encourages individuals to “Light a candle and create a beautiful 'moment of pause' in your day.” In addition to quality fragrances and encouraging users to create memories with others over candlelight, Candlessentials offers the coolest packaging I have ever seen. Not only is the design aesthetically pleasing, but the packaging itself is embedded with seeds. This means that once you receive the package you can plant the paper and watch wildflowers bloom. Talk about a candle that pays it forward to nature with eco-friendly packaging!

Buy a Bra that Provides Support (In More Ways than One)

THIRDLOVE

Perfect For: The friend who is always complaining about how uncomfortable their bra is.

If you have ever dealt with an uncomfortable bra before, you likely know the horrors of bra shopping. I flashback to bra shopping in 7th grade when I cried over my cup size and how uncomfortable the entire experience was. Bra shopping shouldn’t have to be a negative experience. it should be an empowering one. When I received an advertisement from ThirdLove 3 years ago, I knew they were the right company for me, and they are the only company I have purchased a bra from since.

ThirdLove invented half-cup sizes and has 80 different bra sizes available on their website, as well as have a 60 day free returns and exchanges policy so if you try it on and don’t like the bra you can send it back. In addition, they also offer discounts for military personnel, first responders, teachers, and medical workers.

But that isn’t all: ThirdLove has donated $20 million worth of bras to organizations benefiting women, including Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Dress for Success, I Support the Girls, Soles4Souls, Good360, and St. Anthony’s to donate bras to help women make powerful life changes.

Support Individuals Transitioning Out of Homelessness

Mitscoots Outfitters

Perfect For: The friend who loves to bundle up (whether you live in a cold area or not!).

When you purchase an item from Mitscoots, you are providing double the social impact. For every item you purchase, Mitscoots donates an item of equal quality to an individual in need, but that isn’t all. Mitscoots realizes that providing quality gear to individuals living on the street only addresses one part of the systemic issue of homelessness. To address the root issue, Mitscoots works with shelters and placement agencies to employ individuals transitioning out of homelessness to help them gain new skills, provide an income, and build a network.

With chilly weather around the corner, Mitscoots offers various items, from travel blankets, to beanies, to warm socks to keep you comfy on a chilly night. Don’t worry, though! When the summer months come around, they also have a great selection of summer items as well.

The Giving Keys

Perfect For: The millennial in your life. While these keys are perfect for anyone, have you seen how gorgeous that rose gold millennial pink key is?

The Giving Keys doesn’t just create beautiful jewelry. As a social impact company, they provide jobs at a living wage to individuals who are transitioning out of homelessness in Los Angeles. In addition, they also offer “benefits, paid time-off for housing, education and case management appointments, and a supportive environment that cares for the whole person,” because The Giving Keys understands that transitioning out of homelessness is easier with the support of a community.

At The Giving Keys, each of their keys is stamped with a different word (or you can add in a custom one). and they encourage you to pay forward the key to someone else who needs the word more than you in the future.

If you have someone in your life who loves jewelry infused with intention, this is the perfect company for them.

Shop Ethical and Efficient

SAM & LANCE

Perfect For: The friend who always has their reusable grocery bags ready to go and never forgets them in the trunk of their car (anyone else do that?).

SAM & LANCE makes it easy for your holiday shopping to be effortless, elevated, and ethical. Founded by Canadian sisters and named after their grandmothers (who are ultimately badasses and you need to read their story), SAM & LANCE sells products from women-owned companies and female artisans to empower women.

Philanthropy has been core to the SAM & LANCE mission. They donate at least 1% of profits to various organizations that benefit women, including the Breast Cancer Society of Canada and the Loveland Foundation. They also plant one tree for every order as a way to offset the carbon footprint of shopping.

This Holiday season, SAM & LANCE is focused on sustainability gift boxes, and for every box sold, they donate a meal to the Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto's Food Bank.

SAM & LANCE makes being an educated shopper easy and lets you search for products according to your values. Here are some of the different categories you can search on their site.

Love Your Melon and Fight Pediatric Cancer

Love Your Melon

Perfect For: The friend who is always cold and most likely to be snuggled up in a blanket.

Love Your Melon is “dedicated to giving a hat to every child battling cancer and supporting the fight against pediatric cancer.”

Image Courtesy of Love Your Melon Instagram

Started in an entrepreneurship class in 2012, Love Your Melon has grown into a global apparel brand with a Disney partnership (can you say Baby Yoda gear?). Love Your Melon donates 50% of its net profits to organizations that fight pediatric cancer, and to date, they have donated $7.2 million as well as over 206,000 beanies.

Also, in response to COVID, Love Your Melon answered the call to produce face masks and was able to donate 612,800 masks through their 1-for-1 program to the medical community across the country, including children’s hospitals, care facilities, emergency responders, as well as patients and their families. They also were able to give $54,825 to GetUsPPE, a national nonprofit founded by ER doctors that’s sourcing, purchasing, and directly delivering Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the medical community, first responders, and emergency service members on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When you purchase from Love Your Melon, not only do you receive a stylish beanie that will compliment that fall outfit you love to wear, but you are making a tangible difference in the fight against pediatric cancer at the same time.

Support International Artisans and End Generational Poverty

Ten Thousand Villages

Perfect For: That friend who is always jet setting around the world, planning their next travel adventure on Pinterest, or suffering from #Wanderlust.

Ten Thousand Villages is an international maker‑to‑market organization that is dedicated to providing the highest source of fair-trade, hand-made, and ethically sourced products from around the world.

What makes Ten Thousand Villages unique is that the relationships that they build with artisans are not one-off- sales. The average buying relationship that Ten Thousand Villages builds with artisans is for 25 years, working to break the generational cycle of poverty and empower community members to keep kids in school. This in turn helps entire communities grow and profit in the long run and for generations to come.

Each handmade item on Ten Thousand Villages includes information on where the item was made, so you know your purchase is helping to empower community members in more than 30 countries. From home goods to beautifully crafted scarves, Ten Thousand Villages is sure to have something for anyone on your list.

FEED the World with a New Bag

FEED

Perfect For: The high fashion philanthropist. You know that friend, the one who somehow always manages to look put together, even after a late night out or early morning meeting.

FEED is a lifestyle brand founded by Lauren Bush Lauren in 2007 after encountering childhood hunger during her travels with the World Food Programme. Approximately 765 million people experience extreme hunger on a daily basis, and Lauren decided to do something about it.

The goal was lofty, finding a way for design and fashion to make a tangible impact regarding world hunger. The first FEED Bag was launched as a way to merge Lauren’s passion for fashion and philanthropy, and each product from FEED includes a number on it, representing the school meals through that specific purchase.

FEED has worked in 63 countries (including America) to provide over 100 million meals to children, ensuring they have the ability to grow physically and mentally. FEED also specifically provides their meals in the school setting in order to incentivize attendance, since “research shows that when children are given school meals, attendance doubles and performance greatly improves. Girls with just a few years of education have fewer children, have them later in life, and are better prepared to care for and educate them. For many children, school lunch is the only meal they receive all day.”

So whether you are strutting on the catwalk, planning an overnight trip, or picking up groceries, FEED has a variety of products that are sure to make any outfit look fashionable.

Be Uncommon with these Unique Gifts

Uncommon Goods

Perfect For: The person who has everything. Molecular gastronomy kit? Historic woman wine glass? Monogrammed Cheese Board? Dinosaur Wine Bottle Stoppers? No matter who you are shopping for, Uncommon Goods has something for them.

Fun Fact: I have purchased every birthday gift I have given over the last 3 years from Uncommon Goods. The reason? It’s exactly in the name: they are uncommon.

About half of the products Uncommon Goods sells are handmade, and as an independent business, Uncommon Goods contracts with artists, designers, and other small businesses to sell their products. As a certified B Corporation, social responsibility is in their DNA, including selling products that are fur/feather/leather-free, printing their catalog on recycled paper, and offering a starting wage 100% above the federal minimum wage.

This year, Uncommon Goods also added a Shop Black Makers section of their site specifically for people who want to support black businesses.

That isn’t all, though. Uncommon Goods has donated more than $2 million through their Better to Give Program, including $635,396 to American Forests, $410,082 to International Rescue Committee, and $516,630 to RAINN. Their newest initiative to fund is the Thurgood Marshall College Fund: Uncommon Scholars program, “a partnership that creates internship and scholarship opportunities for students enrolled at historically Black colleges and universities.”

So this year, find something special and unique with Uncommon Goods; after all, they are “all out of ordinary.”

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Provide Clean Water with a New Water Bottle

LifeStraw

Perfect For: That friend who is always planning weekend hikes.

When you purchase from LifeStraw, you aren’t only ensuring your own drinking water is clean, you are helping provide clean water around the world. Over 3 million children have been provided access to safe drinking water through LifeStraw, but LifeStraw doesn’t believe in just dropping off water filters. LifeStraw works with community partners to provide comprehensive planning, training, education, and quarterly follow-up visits for a period of 5 years, ensuring that clean drinking water access is sustainable for the entire community.

With access to clean drinking water available in the community, children stay in school longer, childhood death rates from diarrheal plummet, and economic opportunity for an entire community increases. Whoever said a water bottle can’t change the world has clearly never met LifeStraw.

Get a Paw-some Bandana and Support Furever Homes for Animals

MadeByMeow

Perfect For: The friend who is most likely to have an Instagram account for their cat and wear matching clothes with their pet.

MadeByMeow is relatively new to the scene since it was founded in 2019, but they are already making a huge impact! They make it easy to have the most stylish feline on the block, but when you purchase from them, you are also supporting Best Friends Animal Society, the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the United States.

MadeByMeow offers stylish cat bandanas (and matching scrunchies and headbands for the humans who want to match). Support animal rescue and help some paw-some pets find their fur-ever home, all while supporting a fantastic company in the philanthropy space.

What other companies do you love to shop from that are giving back? Let me know in the comments!