Black Friday and Cyber Monday send people across the country into a shopping frenzy every year. In fact, the National Retail Federation estimates 182 million people participated in shopping online and in-store between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday this year, the highest estimate since the NRF started collecting data in 2017. And that’s in addition to the billions of online sales both shopping holidays rake in each year.
But now that the weekend has come and gone, Giving Tuesday — which falls on the day after Cyber Monday (Nov. 28 this year) — acts as a charitable foil to these large shopping holidays. It’s a day to give back and do good, all while engaging in what the official GivingTuesday website calls “radical generosity” in our everyday lives.
Here at Select, we’ve spent the weekend combing through all the deals and sales. As Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales come to a close, we’ve also found companies that are participating in Giving Tuesday by donating a portion of their sales to charitable causes.
Brands giving back on Giving Tuesday 2023
Below, we compiled brands donating a portion of their sales to regional and global nonprofits and charities. The following products are from highly rated or Select staff- and reader-favorite brands, and they span shopping categories like beauty, wellness and more.
Bombas
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.
Josie Maran
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
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.
Travelpro
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.
Ban.do
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.
Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co.
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.
Lush
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
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
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
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.
Gund x Bloomingdales
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.
Seattle Chocolate
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.
Wet Brush
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.
More brands participating in Giving Tuesday 2023
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.
- Instacart: In collaboration with Keurig Dr. Pepper, Dole Packaged Foods and Olipop, the grocery delivery giant is donating one serving of fruits and vegetables (up to a collective total of 1 million servings) for every dollar spent to Partnership for a Healthier America, a nonprofit dedicated to providing equal access to healthy food. The campaign will go through Dec. 4 and is only valid on select products from the four participating brands.
- Amazon: The retailer is hosting an American Red Cross blood drive on Giving Tuesday inspired by its upcoming holiday movie, “Candy Cane Lane”. Blood Donors can participate in holiday activities, photo opportunities, entertainment and more.
- Chewy: For purchases made through Jan. 1, Chewy will donate up to $1M per week in pet food and supplies to Greater Good Charities, which supports nonprofit animal organizations across the U.S. The retailer also created a Wish List feature, in which you can search shelters and rescues who have curated a list of products they need to support the animals in their care.
- Ulta: The Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation will commit $10,000 to both the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Save the Children on Giving Tuesday, and will match contributions to each organization up to a combined total of $25,000.
- Old Navy: For every donation made to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Giving Tuesday, Old Navy will triple it up to $75,000.
- Teva: This Giving Tuesday, Teva is donating $10K to American Rivers, an organization that addresses threats to free-flowing rivers by protecting vital habitat, reducing river pollution and more.
- Baloo: For every purchase, Baloo donates a portion of sales to nonprofits Pajama Program, which helps provide children with equitable access to healthy sleep, and SeaTrees, which plants, protects and restores coastal ecosystems worldwide.
- Hanes: This Giving Tuesday, Hanes is donating a pair of socks for every purchase on the brand’s website through Dec. 2 to homeless shelters across the country.
- Shutterfly: For every fleece blanket purchased through Dec. 31, Shutterfly will donate a portion of its proceeds to Covenant House, a nonprofit that supports youth facing homelessness.
- Build-A-Bear: For every purchase of the Build-A-Bear Read Teddy from now through Dec. 31, the brand will donate $1 (with a maximum donation of $50,000) to the Build-A-Bear Foundation in support of First Book, a nonprofit that provides books and learning resources to low-income communities across North America.
- Lisa Says Gah: The brand is hosting a donation drive at its Los Angeles and San Francisco stores in partnership with Simply the Basics, which collects essentials like shampoo, toilet paper and grooming products for individuals in need. For every donation, Lisa Says Gah will provide 10% off your in-store purchase or a free gift.
- Haus Labs: The brand donates $1 from every purchase to the Born This Way Foundation, which supports mental health resources and initiatives. In honor of Giving Tuesday, the brand is doubling its donation to $2 for every purchase.
- Eyebuydirect: The retailer will donate 1% of sales from its eco-friendly collections on Giving Tuesday to 1% For The Planet.
- ABC Carpet & Home: The home decor and furniture brand will be donating a portion of online and in-store proceeds on Giving Tuesday to City Harvest, a nonprofit that fights food insecurity in New York City.
What is 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.
How to participate in Giving Tuesday
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.
Why trust Select?
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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