Best Results Organizing

Last time, we talked about finding 2020-friendly ways to give gifts of experiences that still keep everyone safe in this perplexing year. With the exception of yummy consumables, we mainly discussed intangibles. That’s because, as Cornell professor Thomas Gilovich’s 20-year study showed, we know that experiences are valued more deeply. They’re fleeting, so we don’t become inured to their charms. They’re personal – your trip to Disney World is not my trip to Disney World. And, to Paper Doll‘s mind, experiential gifts never weigh you down with obligation. You don’t have to store, vacuum, or dry-clean a visit to the theater or a day of mini-golf.

That said, please don’t think that tangible gifts automatically mean clutter. If someone wants and loves something, it won’t become clutter. But it’s possible to make a gift more than just not-clutter. What if your gift could not only please your recipients, but also make the world a better place? 

2020 has been a hard year for everyone. Wouldn’t it be magnificent if we could soothe the plights of those whose 2020 was particularly difficult? Today, we’ll look at two ways to give well and give back: giving gifts that support those in need, and direct donation on someone’s behalf.

BUY ONE, GIVE ONE & GIVE BACK

Got a friend who is always on the phone? A tiny human with a lot of stuff to carry? Know anyone with cold heads or feet? (I mean, it is winter!) Know some readers? If you want to give well and give back, read on.

Popsockets makes decorative, round Pop-Grips you can stick on the back of your phone to make it easier to hold onto. (They also make mounts and digital wallets.) They flatten against your phone for a lean look, then “pop” out to let you grip them or to prop your phone on the desk.

Purchase one of their many designs, ranging from pop culture themes to sports to luminous colors, or design your own for your (or a friend’s) personal tastes. Even upload your business logo. PopGrips are interchangeable, so you can use whichever strikes your fancy that day.

From an organizer’s perspective, Popsockets make a nifty gift to keep from dropping your phone. That’s organized! But they go step beyond with what they call Poptivism! When you purchase a Popsocket design or one you’ve created yourself, 50% of the cost is donated to a charity you select in any of nine categories, ranging from arts and culture and civic participation, to health and education, to human services and more.

Read more about Popsockets’ corporate responsibility mission.

Bixbee makes backpacks (and lunch boxes, duffels, luggage, and sleeping bags) with an eye to the special ergonomic needs of tiny humans so they can carry and organize all of their “stuff” without getting weighed down. 

The bright and hardy backpacks are designed for the little tykes’ unique measurements and aesthetic tastes. The medium/large backpacks weigh only two pounds and use contoured, air-mesh, adjustable shoulder straps with a sliding sternum strap to distribute the horizontal load. Each backpack has an interior padded pocket to carry and protect a laptop or tablet from drops or bumps.

So, Bixbee makes fun gifts for kids, but they don’t stop there. Bixbee’s “One Here. One There.” social mission finds them collaborating with US and international non-profits serving children in need of access to education.

Save 30% on the entire Bixbee store for their Back-to-School “Winter Edition” sale. Use the code: BTSWINTER.

Bombas – You’ve probably heard of Bombas, especially if you listen to podcasts or satellite radio. The commercials are unavoidable! If you know nothing else, when you hear “Bombas,” you probably think “socks.”

Socks may not seem like an exciting holiday gift. When I was little, I’d pester my (more than a decade older) sister to tell me what she was getting me for Hanukkah, and eventually, exasperated with inventing fake clues, she’d tell me she was getting me socks. I was equal parts dubious and disappointed.

But you know what? Socks are great gifts! (I got pair of menorah-themed Hanukkah socks last week!) They don’t merely keep your feet warm and cozy, but they allow you to express your personality in small, fun ways. My personal favorites (whether for kids or adults) are in the Bombas Sesame Street line.

But the cool thing about Bombas is that for every pair of socks purchased, they donate a pair of socks to someone affected by homelessness. They have donated more than 40 million items to more than 2,500 community organizations to date. It’s the ultimate in “get one, give one.”

We all need socks, so they’re never clutter. If you pick well, they’re comfy, cozy, and cute…and you can give back to those who really need help.

Learn more about how the Bombas partnership with Sesame Street is bringing awareness to the issue of family homelessness and its impact on families.

When I told my best friend I was writing about gifts that give back, she told me that I had to write about Love Your Melon, one of her daughter’s favorite companies. (Yes, her daughter is the medical student I wrote about recently.)

They make hats. (Pardon me, “beanies.”) Also, headbands, T-shirts, and blankets. Cute name. Cute stuff.

To be honest, I’d never heard of Love Your Melon, but I should have! Their brand is dedicated to giving a hat to every child battling cancer and supporting the fight against pediatric cancer. They give 50% of net (post-tax) profit from the sale of all Love Your Melon products to domestic and international organizations creating therapeutic experiences and funding charitable programming initiatives for children and families battling cancer. They’ve already disbursed more than $7 million and distributed 213,516 beanies.

(Because immunocompromised tiny humans can’t have visitors during the pandemic, Love Your Melon is also sending “Smiles Inside” boxes to hospitals. These people are good eggs.)

As you may have been able to tell from my three-part series on organizing your life to have more reading time, I’m a fan of books. So, I was delighted to learn that one of my favorite book-related apparel companies also gives back!

Out of Print has a mission to transform literary classics into apparel and accessories for bookish peeps. You and your recipients probably need (and want) T-shirts, sweatshirts, boxers, masks, scarves, and totes. Why not show off your literary style by buying from a company that donates books and supports literary programs around the world? 

You probably have a Jane Austen fan on your list, someone who is always reading Maya Angelou, a Harry Potter aficionado, or someone who can’t get enough of Stephen King. From science fiction to British lit, from The Little Prince to 1984‘s Big Brother, Out of Print covers a lot of ground. Me? I’m  having trouble deciding between T-shirts honoring Corduroy and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

So, yes, as long as you’ll wear or use literary accessories, they won’t be clutter. But what about the philanthropic side of Out of Print? They’ve donated more than 3 million books to communities in need, and support a variety of literacy initiatives, including Words Alive and Liberation Library. Additionally, to support independent bookstores impacted by COVID, Out of Print donates a portion of their mask sales to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc).

Atoms makes sneakers – by all accounts, comfy and stylish ones – but that wasn’t enough to put them on my radar. Right around the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Atoms founders, Sidra Qasim and Waqas Ali, realized they could make masks. They reallocated Atoms’ production capabilities to produce masks that carried the same qualities as their sneakers. They designed them with an antimicrobial copper thread lining, and made them to be comfortable, breathable, and durable. Qasim and Ali pledged to donate one mask for each one sold, and to sell the masks at an affordable price. 

Meanwhile, sometime in the spring, when people were saying, “You think maybe I should look into getting a mask?” Morning Brew, a daily business newsletter, recommended Atoms’ masks in its usual cheeky (no pun intended) style, and I took notice. At the time, they only had four colors, all on back order, and I had no idea what went into a good reusable mask, or even what a good mask price was. (I mean, did any of us know?)   

So, I bought a mask. Actually, due to some fumble-fingered clicking, I accidentally bought a too-small mask for my huge head and realized it right away. I emailed, but expected my inquiry would get lost in the mid-pandemic, out-of-office email onslaught. Instead, I got an reply from the delightful Ray, who switched my “small” to a size more befitting my noggin, and had a charming customer service experience. My masks are comfy, don’t bother my ears, and never wrinkle.

Anyway, remember Qasim and Ali’s promise to donate masks? They did it, at cost, and for every Atoms mask purchased, Atoms donates one to a non-profit organization in need. They’ve already donated over 300,000 masks to organizations around the country, including the New York City Housing Authority, the Milwaukee Center for Community Action, Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp, the King County Office of Emergency Management, the Yakima Valley Community Foundation, the United Sherpa Association, the RESIST COVID TAKE 6! campaign, and For Freedoms.

In any other year, masks would be a weird gift, but in 2020, they make sense.

(Oh, and if you do decide to buy a pair of their sneakers, you can use my referral code link to get $20 off.)

GIFTS OF CHARITY

Most of us like unwrapping something shiny and new, but there are special opportunities at the holidays to provide gifts to someone that can have even more meaning. Consider these impeccable, time-tested options:
 
Heifer International lets you give the gift of self-reliance. Your donation purchases livestock (a flock of chicks or ducks, a hive of honeybees, a share of a water buffalo, or any of a myriad of life-sustaining options), resources, and training to bring promise to hungry families and the opportunity for a better life, both internationally and here at home. 

Giving a gift through Heifer International takes the stress out of shopping while putting the meaning back into giving. You can pick an animal or flock from the full gift catalog or take the quiz to find your perfect donation match. (I got Chelsea Chick, but I may retake it to get this cutie, Al Paca!)

There are also gifts for entire villages (like water irrigation pumps and community stoves, which, while not as adorable as animals, are every bit as vital.

This year, you can also give a tangible gift so the person in whose name you are giving chicks, or goats, or ducks gets to unwrap something. Heifer is selling a variety of items, including:

Confetti Farm Animal Ornaments
Alpaca Blend Hand-Knitted Ornaments
Heifer Plush Animals
Heifer Guatamalan Animal Clutches
La Promesa Guatemalan Coffee
Eco Leather Passport Wallet

Feeding America, formerly called America’s Second Harvest, is the nation’s largest charitable hunger-relief foundation, serving children, senior citizens, the working poor, victims of disasters, and others experiencing food insecurity.
 
Feeding America supports more than 60,000 local programs, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes.

Habitat for Humanity is a worldwide, non-profit, non-denominational housing organization that builds simple, decent, affordable houses in partnership with those who lack adequate shelter. Houses are sold at no profit, with no interest charged on the mortgage, while homeowners and volunteers build the houses under trained supervision.

As a holiday or other gift, you might promise a loved one that you will work a certain number of hours in service to the cause (once the pandemic is over and it is safe to do so), and you could make a monetary donation in someone’s name and Habitat will send a gift acknowledgement.

Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger has a variety of advocacy initiatives, including fighting hunger among veterans and military families, eliminating barriers keeping senior citizens from nutrition programs, improving food security in Native American communities, and more. You can support their efforts with one-time or ongoing donations, or help fund-raise for events. 

RIP Medical Debt – Did you know that 66% of bankruptcy filings are due to medical debt? Donations to this cause help wipe out medical debt and help improve the financial stability of vulnerable members of the community, including the elderly, veterans, and those near or at poverty level. 

Modest Needs provides short-term emergency assistance. Modest Needs vets the applications, presents the stories of the applicants to prospective donors, and pays donations directly to the vendors or creditors (for medical bills, auto repairs, utility companies, etc.)

CHARITY GUIDANCE

Not sure where to donate? It’s impossible to evaluate every non-profit yourself to verify their operations for financial health, transparency, and accountability. Get some guidance:

Charity Navigator is the gold standard for researching the financial health and accountability of any charity you may be considering.

GiveWell – Instead of focusing solely on financials, assessing administrative or fundraising costs, GiveWell’s research aims to determine how much good a given program accomplishes per dollar spent. Rather than breadth, they focus on the few charities that stand out most (by their criteria) to “find and recommend high-impact giving opportunities.”

CharityWatch – Among other efforts, this charity watchdog evaluates social welfare organizations that are not eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions and religious charities that are exempt from filing tax forms.

GiveBlck is an easy-to-use, comprehensive database to advance racial equity in charitable giving. It showcases the diversity of causes among Black-founded non-profits. It does not evaluate, but provides a compendium of which charities serve the needs that echo what matters most to you or your recipients.

They say it’s better to give than to receive. How much better, then, it must be to give and to give back?