Giving back to the community is a great way for brands to stand for something positive and reach their customers on an emotional level, but the benefits don't stop there. When brands donate and do charitable work, they tend to have better company cultures, happier employees, and more successful marketing.
Building your brand’s story around charitable work is how companies like Toms, DIFF Eyewear, Love Your Melon, and PuraVida bracelets have become increasingly successful.
Each brand is dedicated to giving back to the world through their customer’s purchases. As each business has expanded, they have continued to partner with more charities to spread their outreach and products.
Donating and giving back is not only beneficial to the individual causes, but also to the brands supporting those causes. By appealing to the emotions of their customer base, these brands have been able to increase their popularity and profit.
Not only do customers receive a product, but they also are able to feel like their purchase is making a difference. Your customers will feel more satisfied when they know that a portion of what they spent is going to a good cause.
Whenever your company gives back to the community you are also promoting your brand and emphasizing your values. Donating or volunteering also gives you the chance to increase your network with other businesses, whether that’s through mutual support for the same charity or through an event.
4 Brands that Give Back
TOMS
Toms’ business model, One for One, encompasses the company’s belief in giving back to people in need, whether it’s with a pair of shoes or prescription glasses. Toms began by selling just shoes. For every pair of shoes sold, a pair was given to someone in need.
Toms’ success has allowed them to expand beyond the shoe industry. On top of shoes, they now sell eyewear, coffee, and bags. Their growth has increased their social media following and celebrity partnerships. Toms is now partnered with more than 100 giving partners that work together to bring shoes, sight, water, and bullying prevention to people in need.
DIFF Eyewear
DIFF Eyewear’s company promise is Buy a Pair, Give a Pair. For every piece of eyewear purchased from DIFF, a pair of reading glasses is given to someone in need.
Not only is DIFF Eyewear helping people’s sight, but they’re also creating a positive company culture and providing good wages to artisans around the world. Their Pouch Program, The Sabo Project, provides employment and wages to Ugandan artisans who in return make eyeglass pouches to be sold through DIFF Eyewear. On top of that, DIFF Eyewear has also partnered with multiple charities that are all united under the belief of “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair”.
Love Your Melon
Love Your Melon’s mission is to give a hat to every child battling cancer, and supporting other non-profit charities dedicated to fighting against pediatric cancer. The brand makes beanies, headbands, scarves and other apparel.
50 percent of the profit from their apparel goes directly to the Love Your Melon Fund, which supports their numerous non-profit partners that are fighting together “to impact the lives of children battling cancer”. Since they began in 2012, Love Your Melon has given back over $4 million and 144,000 hats to pediatric cancer patients and research.
PuraVida Bracelets
PuraVida bracelets is a brand founded on creating stable working environments and income for artisans all around the world. Giving back is the core belief that PuraVida was founded on, and since they started they have expanded beyond just giving back to the artisans making their bracelets.
Their Charity Collection has partnered with over 174 charities to give back to numerous important causes that PuraVida supports. Since being founded, they have raised over $1 million for the charities they partner with.
Why You Should Give Back Too
Giving back is not only crucial because it supports different communities and causes around the world, but it also boosts your brand’s story. Creating a brand centered around giving back will appeal to a wide customer base that wants to feel like their purchase is making a difference.
Giving back is also great for employee happiness and employee retention. According to Fortune Magazine, employees who believe their company is giving back to the community are 13 times more likely to be happy to come to work.
Brands like Toms, DIFF Eyewear, Love Your Melon, and PuraVida Bracelets have built their business model around giving back to others. All of these companies have become successful through their dedication to charity work.
In some ways, these brands use a similar version of Toms’ One for One business model. Any purchase a customer makes, whether it’s shoes, sunglasses, hats or bracelets, allows them to contribute to a larger cause other than their individual desire for a product.
When customers purchase from brands that donate their profits, it creates a feel-good mentality that boosts the customer’s relationship with the company. Every person who supports a brand like Toms or Love Your Melon feels like their purchase is supporting people who can’t afford their own shoes or kids fighting against pediatric cancer. This makes customers more likely to become brand evangelists, sharing news about the brand to their friends and engaging with the brand on social media.
Brands can no longer compete on price points and advertising alone.
In today’s interconnected world, it’s more important than ever for companies to appeal to their customer’s humanity if they intend to stay relevant. Doing so will help boost your brand’s presence and tell an engaging brand story. Each brand mentioned above has a powerful story that connects with their customers’ emotions.
Finding ways your brand can give back shows that you’re dedicated to making a difference, and will contribute to your brand’s future growth and success. But more importantly, it’s just a good thing to do!
How will your brand make a difference?
