Gift Shop Plus Summer 2024

Championing a Cause: Gifts that give back By Keith Loria

While gifts are a great way for people to show they care, a new wave of products is emerging with a purpose beyond just the gift itself. These items not only delight the recipient but also carry a meaningful impact by giving back to those in need.

SERVING UP HELP

nora fleming, renowned for its unique and collectible serveware and minis, launched a new product and philanthropic initiative this year with the release of its Band Together silicone bands.

“Customers have repeatedly asked for colored serveware, but our retailers don’t have space to keep multiple colors of multiple platters, and we don’t have space in our warehouse, either,” said Janice Dayon Christensen, president of nora fleming. “So we devised a way to add a pop of color to our existing round pieces and found a material that would be flexible enough to make it all possible, and Band Together was born.”

A portion of every purchase benefits nine charities, including organizations involved in mental health education, suicide prevention, pediatric brain cancer and more.

“We chose nine local charities from a list that we brainstormed with our entire company,” she said. “We double-checked each initiative and ensured their missions felt authentic to the nora fleming brand, using a service that organizes and presents information about nonprofits. We looked into their mission, legitimacy, impact, reputation and transparency.”

Giving back is integral to nora fleming’s business, as it recently completed a six-year partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in which it raised more than $1 million from dedicating a portion of sales across nine special St. Jude minis it created.

“Retailers and end consumers alike love to get behind the causes that brands support,” Christensen said. “Shopping for good opens up great conversations with our retailers in our showrooms, with end consumers at retailers’ shops, and at small gatherings where nora fleming products are eventually utilized.”

EMPOWERING GIRLS

Jacqui Fishman, owner of This Girl Can! Change the World, wants every girl to believe in her own power to create whatever life she can dream.

“Can a T-shirt, cute tote, sassy IP or books change the world? Oh if it were so,” she said. “What they can do is engage, communicate, open important conversations and inspire, all while providing an opportunity for self-expression to create and instill a strong lasting sense of self confidence and empowerment.”

The company’s imprinted wear and accessories have been used to celebrate and build community by girls’ groups, women’s history organizations, and those working to champion girls’ empowerment and education.

“We are building partnerships with organizations who align with our goal of ensuring girls have the support, education and community they need to not only develop the skills to stop their fall off that ‘confidence cliff,’ but also help them to see that there are no doors closed to them and to help them see and know girls and women who have and are changing the world,” Fishman said. “An important part of what we are building is to ensure we are sharing and celebrating girls’ stories — both past and present. It is essential to help foster girls’ sense of confidence and belief in themselves that they have models and mentors to look to.”

Recently, the company launched This Girl Can! Vote, a new apparel collection to engage girls in the civics process and to help them understand the power of their vote.

“Every girl should realize the role that she can play, no matter her age, in helping her community and her country to create change and ensure that democracy thrives to fulfill the promise of equality for all,” she said. “We will be working with, and supporting, civic groups, organizations supporting women’s leadership and participation in the political process, organizations who are engaging young women in conversations around voting and the election process.”

RAISING AWARENESS

Tableware and home décor company Beatriz Ball, which recently rebranded its metalware collection to ATELIER, supports autism awareness as its corporate cause, inspired by the founding namesake’s grandson Bo, who was diagnosed with autism before his third birthday.

As part of its efforts, Beatriz Ball offers a holiday autism ornament and a holiday autism keychain, both shaped as a puzzle piece — a symbol for autism awareness — with 100% of the profits going toward Autism Speaks.

“We’re hoping to do more,” said Kelly Wenzel, national sales director for Beatriz Ball. “For the first time in our history, we’ve hired an in-house marketing director, and that’s one of the initiatives we are talking about. Autism is one of the areas we want our company to become more immersed in how we can be involved, so [we are] looking for additional rollouts to happen in the latter half of 2024 or early 2025.”

SOOTHING REMEDIES

Three Lollies is known for making morning sickness and queasy-relief lozenges and lollipops, the latter designed to ease the side effects of chemotherapy. A percentage of sales from its products supports two cancer charities.

“We do a pink product of Queasy drops that goes toward the Concern Foundation,” said Jim Pathman, a psychologist and president of the brand. “Last year, we were contacted by a local company called Breast Cancer Fundraisers based out of Orange County, and we hooked up with them to help raise money for breast cancer patients. They liked our cola flavor, so we put their logo on the product and gave them 25 cents for every sale of that project.”

Three Lollies also donates products to the charitable organizations for any events they put on.

“We get requests every single day from doctor’s offices, cancer centers, and infusion centers for samples, and that’s a big part of what we do,” Pathman said. “Being a give-back company is one of the reasons we started this. We’re all healthcare professionals here and we want to make products that help people feel better and do what we can to help.”

When every purchase can make a difference, these companies are proving that products with purpose not only can bring joy but also leave a lasting impact on those in need, shaping a brighter future one gift at a time.