Today, as part of Philanthropy Week, I wanted to highlight a few awesome businesses that have philanthropy built-in.

Many of us might have one or two products that support a charity in our shops, but these businesses go above and beyond that. Philanthropy is not just an added extra – it’s a fundamental part of what they do.

Toms are an American company that donate one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold. Toms was started in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie. To date, they have donated over 600,000 pairs of shoes, and have now expanded into eye-wear, too.

Better Life Bags is run by craftpreneur Rebecca, who just started out making diaper bags for herself, before starting a bag business. She donates 10% of every sale to entrepreneurs in developing countries through Kiva, and has donated over $2,500 so far. Oh – and every single bag is customisable – sweet!

Squee! OMG how adorable is this little guy!!

Ahem, right, back to the story… this little otter is made by an artisan in Bangladesh and sold through Global Mothers.

“Global Mothers seeks to strengthen this connection {between mothers around the world} through a product line that is designed specifically for new moms and their young children. When a mother in North America purchases a product to care for her child, she is in turn caring for another child in the Global South by providing valuable income for that child’s mother.”

They work with NGOs to provide work for mothers in developing nations so they can better support their families.

One Water is now a cross-country initiative – for every bottle of One Water you buy (you can get it at Woolies here in Oz), one bottle of water is donated to those in need – those who don’t have the easy access to drinking water that we do. So if you’re the sort who like buying bottled water, look out for this one!

Of course, how could I write about philanthropic business without including The Giving Bowl – run by my friend and Aussie philanthropist Cate Bolt. Cate in INSANELY generous, and does so much amazing work it would take me a full blog post to get into it. The Giving Bowl donates all its profits to Foundation 18 (which runs an orphanage in Indonesia – an orphanage Cate started by herself, mind you) and the idea is to chuck your spare change into this bowl, and when it’s full, donate it to a good cause.

To finish off, a little business I really love – launched by Ashley of The Shine Project,  Threads is… “a cause driven business that changes the future of at risk youth. They come from various backgrounds, but all have one thing in common, they want to break the cycle. By employing them, we instill values of self reliance and hard work. They are paid fair wages for the bracelets they make, and in turn are able to pay their way through school. Many of Threads employees are first generation college students. They dream of becoming nurses, broadcasters, writers and engineers.

Your purchase will directly impact a student. Even beyond financial support, your belief in them is a symbol of hope and trust that they can achieve what for so long seemed impossible. By purchasing Threads you are wearing more than just a bracelet, you are wearing change. ”

Ashley is just one woman, doing a seemingly small thing in her local community. But I’ll betcha it will have a HUGE impact on the lives of the kids she employs.

Do you have or know of a philanthropy-driven business?

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