So Me CSR Business Initiatives Lead to No More Tears Nonprofit

The combination of philanthropy and retail remains a popular trend as both a CSR business model and a way to increase nonprofit fundraising. As a business model, this generally means that a cash or one-for-one donation will be made to a nonprofit organization for each purchase made. There are also nonprofits that sell products and profits from each sale go back to fund the organization.

We’ve explored several CSR business models through the Miratel blog beginning with the One for One concept made popular by TOMS and adapted by TOMS Eyewear, Warby Parker, Moraleyes and BOBS by Skechers. This type of business model often works well because it allows brands to distinguish themselves from their competition and the purchase has tangible value to the consumer. We have also featured companies that donate cash back to a cause like This Shirt Helps, Sevenly, EDUN, ONEHOPE Wine and project 360. We can now add So Me to this impressive list.

Images courtesy of so-medesigns.com

So Me was launched by former Bollywood star and model Somy Ali, now a freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker in the United States. She began So Me with “two goals in mind. First, to raise awareness about social issues through fashion and second to raise money for global humanitarian causes.” She also started the No More Tears Foundation for much the same reasons.

No More Tears helps those who are victims of domestic violence. The foundation has helped 184 women since 2008. Ali started No More Tears with $286k she made from her film No More Tears. A % of each So Me sale goes towards funding the No More Tears Foundation as well. When asked by Urban Times, why Ali founded the organization she said, “Unfortunately, I was exposed to domestic violence at a young age growing up in Pakistan. Although it was everywhere and deemed to be a norm culturally, it did not sit well with me from a young age. I always knew I wanted to take a stand against it. I later realized that abuse has no prejudices and was not specific to a culture or country. It truly existed everywhere.”

So Me is a socially conscious brand that has four collections: So Him, So Her, So Green and So Cute (a baby line). The So-Green line is made from 100% organic cotton although everything in the line is sustainably made. Purchases can me made online or at a like-minded partner location selling So Me designs.

Every t-shirt makes a statement and they support a variety of universal causes that includes:

• No More Tears who is “devoted to providing individualized assistance to victims of domestic violence in the U.S.”
• The Matthew Shepard Foundation, a gay rights organization that works to “encourage respect for human dignity and difference by raising awareness, opening dialogues, and promoting positive change.”
• Smile Train whose mission is to “to provide a child born with a cleft the same opportunities in life as a child born without.”
• Keep a Child Alive, they “are dedicated to providing life-saving AIDS treatment, care, nutrition, support services and love to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India by directly engaging the global public in the fight against AIDS.”
• Opportunity International who “provides microfinance loans, savings, insurance and training to over four million people working their way out of poverty in the developing world.”

So Me uses cause specific t-shirts much like This Shirt Helps and Sevenly to allow people to make a statement through fashion that supports a worthy cause. Beyond the financial support the sale gives nonprofits, the shirts are beautifully designed and reasonably priced. Much like Hugh Jackman’s Laughing Man line,  Ali truly thought of this endeavour from every angle and is using her star power to not only further her own cause but also help other worthy organizations in need.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional professional fundraising including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.