Giving Tuesday 2023: 27 brands giving back


Bombas is one of our Select staff’s favorite brands for reliable socks — and it gives back year-round. For every purchase, Bombas donates an item to homeless shelters and people in need through its network of over 3,500 Giving Partners.
For Giving Tuesday, 100% of sales of the Josie Maran Pure Argan Oil (up to $5,000) will be donated to ShelterBox, a nonprofit that provides shelter and assistance to populations recovering and rebuilding after disaster. The oil is rich in hydrating and nourishing ingredients like squalane, oleic acid and linoleic acid, and you can use it on your skin, hair and nails, according to the brand.
Rael, which makes some of our favorite period underwear, has partnered with I Support the Girls, a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes bras, underwear and menstrual hygiene products to those experiencing homelessness. This Giving Tuesday, for every period care purchase made on the brand’s site, Rael will donate a pair of reusable period underwear to those in need.
The luggage company is donating 5% of all sales on Giving Tuesday to Pilots for Kids, a nonprofit organization that distributes toys to hospitalized children, as well as children’s shelters, orphanages and halfway houses.
This year, 20% of all Ban.do sales will go to The Center for Courageous Kids, a fully accessible medical camp for children living with chronic illnesses and medical diagnoses. The brand offers a wide range of products, including planners, clothing and travel accessories, and partners with other popular brands like Baggu, Farm Rio and Vans.
Starting today through Nov. 30, 100% of the profits from Grounds & Hounds’ Rescue Roast Blend will go toward The Sato Project, a nonprofit that rescues, rehabilitates and re-homes homeless dogs in Puerto Rico. This medium roast has distinct notes of caramel and dark chocolate, as well as subtle notes of raisin and toasted pecan, according to the brand. It’s available in both ground and whole bean options.
In addition to the Rescue Roast, the brand is also donating one blanket to dog shelters for every purchase of any Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co. blanket.
This Giving Tuesday and beyond, for every purchase of the Lush Charity Pot, the brand donates 100% of the price (minus the taxes) to small grassroots organizations dedicated to human rights, animal protection and environmental justice. The body lotion has a subtle floral scent and is made with hydrating cocoa butter.
Sips By’s Tea for a Cause initiative offers a selection of teas and curated collections. The brand donates a percentage of proceeds from those products to related charitable causes. The collection includes curated boxes to support Black-owned and women-owned tea brands. It also includes Sips By’s Breast Cancer Awareness Tea Collection, which comes with three loose leaf teas that the brand says can make more than 90 cups. For each one purchased, Sips By will donate $3 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Michael Kors is donating 100% of the profits from its Michael Kors Watch Hunger Stop Canvas Tote Bag and T-shirt to the United Nations World Food Programme, which helps feed millions of people worldwide and delivers food assistance in emergencies. For every purchase of the tote bag, the brand will donate 216 meals (equivalent to $54), and for every purchase of the T-shirt, it’ll donate 100 meals (equivalent to $25) to the WFP. Michael Kors will also donate 200 meals for every purchase of its special edition watch.
P.J. Salvage has partnered with Love Leo Rescue, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit dog rescue, to offer the P.J. Salvage x Love Leo Rescue collection that includes pajamas, dog clothes and more. On Giving Tuesday, 15% of all proceeds from this collection will be donated to the nonprofit.
Celebrating 50 years of Bloomingdale’s iconic Big Brown Bag, the limited-edition Gund Bloomingdale’s Little Brown Bear comes with a full-sized teddy bear, as well as a toy tote with a smaller bear inside. For every bear purchased from now through Dec. 31, Bloomingdale’s will donate $5 to the Child Mind Institute, a national nonprofit that helps children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders.
Another company that gives back year-round, Seattle Chocolate — one of our favorite women-owned brands — donates 10% of every purchase to Girls Inc., a nonprofit that partners with schools and local organizations to mentor and support girls and young women.
For a limited time, Wet Brush is donating 100% of the profits from its special edition Wet Brush x Newman’s Own Pro Detangler to the Newman’s Own Foundation, which grants funds to SeriousFun Children’s Network to help create inclusive camp and recreational experiences for children with serious illnesses and their families. The brush has an ergonomic design, works on all hair types and protects hair against split ends and breakage, according to the brand.
We rounded up major retailers and Select reader-favorite brands that are currently donating goods or a portion of their sales to charities when you purchase their products this Giving Tuesday.
Founded in 2012 as a collaboration between New York City’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation, GivingTuesday began as a day dedicated to giving back after consecutive days of rampant consumerism during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday (as the organization’s officially stylized). It has since become its own nonprofit, as well as a global grassroots movement in nearly 100 countries, each led by a local, entrepreneurial leader.
“GivingTuesday resonates with people across the globe because generosity is a universal, shared value,” says Curran. “It is one of our most basic human instincts and a value that transcends borders, backgrounds and differences.”
Each year, more and more people are willing to participate: In 2022, more than 37 million adults participated in Giving Tuesday. It generated $3.1 billion in donations in the U.S. alone across its nonprofit partners, a 15% increase from 2021 and a 25% increase since 2020, according to the nonprofit. In fact, more than $10 billion in donations have been given on Giving Tuesday in the U.S. since 2012. Last year, major brands and companies like Disney, Instacart and Meta participated by donating a portion of their sales to charities from all over the world.
To support initiatives around the globe, GivingTuesday recently launched full-time staffed offices — called Global Hubs — in India and East Africa in 2022, and in Latin America, the Caribbean, the U.S. and Canada in early 2023.
One of the most popular ways to participate in Giving Tuesday is by donating directly to a nonprofit of your choice. Certain organizations will also match donations day-of or through the rest of the year. Some companies will also give a percentage of sales to a nonprofit of their choice, offer matching grants to local organizations, participate in team volunteering and more.
Beyond donating money, you can participate simply by extending kindness to your neighbor, volunteering, giving thanks to essential workers or taking part in other acts of generosity. GivingTuesday also offers a Generosity Toolbox, which is a crowdsourced database that allows people to see exactly how individuals and communities around the world are participating. You can also spread the spirit of doing good by sharing posts on social media that highlight people giving back with the hashtag #GivingTuesday.
Mili Godio is an updates editor for Select who has covered deals and sales during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Amazon Prime Day and other shopping holidays since 2021. For this piece, she rounded up popular, Select reader-favorite brands giving back on Giving Tuesday 2023. She also spoke to the CEO of the GivingTuesday nonprofit to highlight the mission and background of the movement.
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