How You Can Go Holiday Shopping With a Purpose and Give Back

“He who does the giving, receives the best gift” -Dr. Bill Dorfman

The holiday season is a time of giving. For many of us, that simply translates to handing out beautifully-wrapped presents to our friends and loved ones. However, as leaders in our local communities and practices, it’s also important for us lawyers and business owners to help out, in any way we can, to those less fortunate than us.

How can your practice help those who are in need? Easy. When you shop, shop smart.

At the end of the year, many practices and businesses evaluate their current inventory of supplies and equipment to see what needs replacing. Most businesses will purchase new office equipment such as a fax, ink cartridges, and paper supplies that can be deducted for business tax savings.

You can actually make these necessary purchases go even further than restocking your supplies. Use the money you will be spending anyway for end-of-the-year purchases to give back to charity. Your purchases can really count by processing them through a third-party shopping network such as apps like:

Goodshop

One online portal–with over 2,500 stores to choose from–that makes holiday giving relatively painless is Goodshop. Visit the website and register for an account by connecting to your existing social media account or by entering an email address. Choose one of your favorite charities (I like to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association which benefits individuals like my daughter, but you can choose any cause that’s important to you.) You can even add a cause if it’s not already listed. Then, shop to your heart’s desire. A percentage of each purchase you make will go to your designated charity.

AmazonSmile

If you’re more fond of shopping at one site in which you can find all the products you need, check out the AmazonSmile program. This charitable donation program combines the wide variety of shopping at a huge online retailer such as Amazon with the opportunity to support your favorite charity. Over 1 million charities are available for donations, and new ones are added every day. The program will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of all your AmazonSmile eligible cart items to whatever cause you select.

iGive.com

iGive.com is yet another option that allows shoppers to support their favorite charities with every dollar they spend. This site allows its users to list virtually any cause they’d like: schools, churches, arts organizations, hospitals, etc. The easy-to-use tool allows you to choose your cause and install an iGive button that can be used at over 1,500 online stores. For example, by shopping through iGive.com, you can give 1.6% of all your purchases from Office Depot, OfficeMax and Staples to any charity you choose.According to the site, since 1997, over 350,000 shoppers have contributed $7 million to more than 35,000 charities.

The philanthropic causes that your practice supports can benefit your local community such as a school, civic organization, or church or your online shopping excursions can support national causes. Whichever route you choose, shopping with purpose may inspire others to give back as well. Tell your clients and other business which cause you are supporting this year. When others see you making a meaningful contribution to the community, they will be motivated to join you. Giving can truly be contagious.

As you can see, there are several ways you can make your end-of-the-year purchases count and benefit the community, too. Can you think of others ways you can use your practice to impact the community during the holiday season? Leave a comment below and sign up for my free email updates for other helpful business solutions!