Photo Courtesy of Comedy Nose
You certainly don’t need us to tell you the holiday’s are right around the corner, but you may need us if you’re on the hunt for gifts for that special social citizen in your life. We thought we’d devote this week’s Round Up to highlight a few Millennial entrepreneurs who are making a big difference here at home and around the world -- and selling some pretty cool stuff along the way. Sure, we’ll all miss Oprah’s Favorite Things this year – but let’s face it, Oprah’s got nothing on these Social Citizens who top our holiday list:
IN MUSIC…
Wolf Larsen is a singer/songwriter in her musical life, a womenʼs health advocate in her professional life, and a social progress nerd in her personal life. For the release of her first record, Quiet At The Kitchen Door, these three things are no longer mutually exclusive. While the story of the independent artist foregoing a traditional release is not new, Wolf intends to actually utilize the freedoms given to the independent artist. 15% of gross profits from the record will be donated by Wolf and her community of fans to organizations like Kiva and the Girl Effect, that invest in the education of girls around the world.
IN ART…
NuruProject sells some remarkable prints by photojournalists to support non-profits. Here’s how it works -- non-profits get 50%, photographers get 25%, and Nuru Project keeps 25%. Nuru Project then covers all costs out of their 25%, so a full 50% of your print price goes to the non-profit and a full 25% goes to the photographer. Confused? Head over and check out their photography, pick out something you like - and let them figure out the rest.
IN TEES…
If it’s cool tees you fancy, then Sevenly’s got you covered. With hot designs unveiled each week, these tees not only look great, but purchasing one helps raise much needed capital and awareness for some of the world's greatest causes. Here’s how Sevenly breaks it down, each week they partner and build a new T-Shirt campaign benefiting a different organization – they call this the 7-7 movement. For 7 days every tee that’s purchased provides $7 to an organization, and at the end of the 7 day campaign a check is mailed to the organization. It's that easy.
IN KICKS…
In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Blake realized that many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, the bottom line is that these children are at risk. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.
IN COOL NEWLY DESIGNED GADGETS…
If you want to get in on the entrepreneurial spirit, check out Quirky – an online site that is taking social development to the next level and changing the way the world thinks about product development. With Quirky, users can submit an original design, rate other products and even vote for product ideas, product designs, names, and other elements of the product's development. If you see a cool product that is completed and on the market you can easily purchase it through the site. The 25-year-old founder and CEO of Quirky, Ben Kaufman started down this path of entrepreneurial creation during his senior year of high school with the invention of an iPod accessory company called mophie and his passion for involving people around the world in the development of new consumer products was born.
IN JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE….
If you’re just keen on supporting companies that are supporting young entrepreneurs, then check out Buy Young. Buy Young offers some of the best deals from companies founded by Americans under 35. Their team of curators keep the site updated with some of the hottest trends and best products – plus you’re helping create jobs for the Millennial generation, so they can in turn give back to their local communities. Buy Young is an initiative of OUR TIME, a national non-profit organization that promotes civic engagement and economic empowerment of young Americans.
These are just some of our picks for this holiday season - what tops your list of gifts that give back?