This Shirt Helps Incorporate a CSR Business Goal into Every Purchase

Combining philanthropy with ecommerce has been a growing CSR business trend lately that doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. We have featured many of them here on the blog such as EDUN, project 360 and ONEHOPE Wine who all donate a % of each purchase to a specific charity. We have also written about those who adopt the “One for One” Concept made famous by TOMS Shoes and demonstrated by TOMS Eyewear, Warby Parker, Moraleyes and SKECHERS BOB. I have also written about Sevenly who sells one artistically designed t-shirt at a time in support of a specific cause and $7.00 from each t-shirt purchased is donated to that same cause. All of these are great examples of how a business can raise awareness and help support smaller, “lesser known” causes that may get overlooked.  

Then there is This Shirt Helps that raises the bar on this CSR business concept and increases consumer involvement by allowing them to choose the cause they support with every purchase. This Shirt Helps sells organic basics like: tank tops, long sleeve t-shirts, short sleeve t-shirts, and scarves and all of their products are made in the United States. When a customer purchases an item they get to choose which charity they would like to help. The causes are divided up into categories with each having an associated charity and task:

• People: Pencils of Promise. Every shirt purchased provides one month of schooling to a child who would otherwise not receive an education;
• Animals: ASPCA. Every shirt purchased will save an animal in a shelter, either through spay and neuter programs or food and health services;
• Environment: Planet with Purpose. Every shirt purchased plants 3 trees through much needed reforestation projects; and
• Disaster Relief: Waves 4 Water. Every shirt provides clean water for a year for a person at risk of life threatening waterborne illnesses.

When someone buys a t-shirt, the customer chooses which cause and associated task they would like to support. This Shirt Helps then donates the necessary money to the charity partner that the customer indicated. The charity partner then uses those funds to complete the associated task and other work. The company believes that it shouldn’t take grand gestures to change the world – they believe great change will come one small gesture at a time.

They have based their business premise on that one small gesture and that is what sets This Shirt Helps apart from the rest. Every shirt purchased “allows one of [their] charities to complete a measurable task that provides immediate relief. There is no conversion of money or percentage someone has to calculate.”

Some of the company’s successes to date includes saving 569 animals, giving 770 books to children in need, providing 77 disaster relief kits to victims and planting 1659 trees to help combat deforestation. By providing these statistics to their consumers This Shirt Helps is giving them tangible proof that their purchase is making a difference.

The items that This Shirt Helps sells are ones that everyone can use as they have universal appeal, are well-made and affordable. Moreover it allows customers to truly shop their values and promotes conscious consumerism and according to This Shirt Helps “if all companies were to include a charitable aspect to their business model many more lives would be helped, both at home and abroad.  What’s good for business should be good for the world.”

People are becoming more aware of their purchases and the ethics of the businesses their purchases support. This Shirt Helps is an example of a company that truly appreciates the triple bottom line principle and is indicative of the new direction that both CSR business programs and philanthropy can take.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/27875762[/vimeo]

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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.