Meaningful and Unique Gifts That Give Back

Whether you're looking to be more charitable in your own gift-giving or you have a loved one in your life who would appreciate a gift with more meaning behind it, the items on this list offer a way to be more purposeful with holiday buying this year. From products that make donations to important causes to fair trade gifts and more, these are gifts that will leave you and your recipient feeling just a bit better about the world.

Prices and availability are subject to change.

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$28 and up from FEED Projects
What they do: Fight childhood hunger

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FEED has provided nearly 118 million meals to hungry kids around the world. Shop here for cloth totes, duffel bags, pouches, crossbody bags, and more, and know that "the number on each product represents the number of school meals provided with your purchase."

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Various prices from Starfish Project
What they do: "Restore hope to exploited women and girls" who've been victims of human trafficking
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Fair Trade Federation member Starfish Project invests 100% of each purchase into its mission to help exploited women "experience freedom, establish independence, and develop careers." Choose from seriously beautiful and chic bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and more.

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$5 and up from Hand in Hand

What they do: Provide soap and clean water to children in need
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For each bar of soap purchased, Hand in Hand will donate a second bar plus clean water to a child in need. So far, 13.8 million bars of soap and 120,000 gallons of water have been donated in 23 countries. The company offers cruelty- and palm-oil free liquid hand and bar soaps, body lotions, body washes, sugar scrubs, and more. 

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Around $6 and up

What they do: Offer a "transitional employment program serving women who have struggled to obtain and maintain employment"
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This Colorado-based nonprofit is a food manufacturing business and a transitional employment program that supports women trying to turn their lives around. By buying Women's Bean Project soups, baking mixes, spice blends, snacks, and more, you help women learn the job and life skills needed to get themselves back on track.

Related: Gifts Under $25 for Food Lovers

Various prices from Holt International
What they do: Donate much-needed items to vulnerable children and families all over the world
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This site allows you to make charitable gifts in the name of loved ones. Options include giving a goat, chicken, or other livestock to a family in need, repairing a child's cleft lip and palate, providing blankets and coats, and much more.

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$1 and up from the ACLU

What they do: Defend and preserve civil liberties
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If you've got someone on your list who's passionate about civil rights, they'll love a gift from the ACLU, knowing that a portion of the proceeds will benefit ACLU-supported programs and initiatives.

Related: Where to Donate for Racial Justice in Your State

$32 and up from Alley & Rae

What they do: Provide warm meals to those in need
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Alley and Rae has provided nearly 81,000 meals to those in need by donating a portion of the proceeds from its graphic tees. On top of that, each garment is "designed and printed on sweatshop-free clothing in the U.S.A. using eco-friendly, water based inks."

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$22 from Parks Project

What they do: Fund vital projects in U.S. national parks 
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Enjoy fireside stories about our national parks from well-known writers, pioneers, and indigenous peoples. Featured national parks are Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion. As of this writing, the site had donated more than $2 million to parklands.

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Various prices from Tisbest
What they do: Donate to 1.5 million U.S. charities via gift cards
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This service allows you to send a gift card that a recipient can use toward countless charities. Choose from an email gift card, a printed version, or a biodegradable plastic option. You can customize the plastic gift cards with your own photo, artwork, or a logo. To date, more than $42 million has been donated through Tisbest. 

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Various prices from Figs
What they do: Donate scrubs to healthcare professionals who "work in resource-poor countries and lack the proper uniforms to do their jobs safely"
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This company has donated more than 500,000 sets of scrubs to medical professionals in 35 countries. During 2020, Figs also donated thousands of masks, isolation gowns, and $100,000 to the Frontline Responders Fund. It sells scrubs, yes, but also outerwear, socks, accessories, and more. 

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$20 and up from 4Ocean

What they do: Pull trash from the ocean, rivers, and coastlines of the world
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Know someone who's particularly passionate about our oceans' health? For each purchase of a 4Ocean bracelet, this certified B-corporation (a designation for-profit companies can get when they show that their missions are about more than shareholder profit) will pull a pound of trash from the ocean and coastlines. To date, 4Ocean has cleaned more than 18 million pounds of plastic and other refuse from the seas.

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$10 and up from Conscious Step

What they do: Donate to nearly 20 causes that include beating childhood cancer, planting trees, and supporting mental health
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Conscious Step has a pair of foot-warmers for all kinds of worthy causes: socks that save koalas, socks that plant trees, socks that support LGBTQ youth, and so on. The company has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars toward nearly 20 causes charities, and the socks are cool — win-win.

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$3 and up from Yoobi

What they do: Donate school supplies to kids in need
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Through a partnership with the Kids in Need Foundation, Yoobi donates a school supply item for every product purchased. From Yoobi, you can find lots of fun gifts for school-aged kids, including notebooks, lunch bags, backpacks, gel pen sets, water bottles, and more. 

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Various prices from WWF

What they do: Protect wild animals and their habitats
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Through this World Wildlife Foundation site, you can symbolically adopt one of nearly 150 animals, which helps "WWF's global efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats." Symbolic adoption kits range from about $25 to more than $200, and include items such as stuffed animals, species cards, gift boxes, and more, depending on price.

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$20 and up from Native Works

What they do: Provide "meals, mental health care, drug and alcohol counseling," and more to those in need within Seattle's Native community
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Those who make the apparel, jewelry, prints, and more for Seattle-based Native Works are all Native apprentices who are homeless, have a criminal history, and/or are struggling with addiction and mental health issues. One hundred percent of this organization's shop proceeds "go directly to providing meals, mental health care, drug and alcohol counseling, housing referrals, legal consultation, and more to those in need within Seattle's Native community."

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$16 and up from Out of Print

What they do: Support literacy and donate books around the world
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Each Out of Print purchase helps "donate books and support literacy programs around the world." In addition to books and mugs, the shop sells apparel, masks, and more.

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$39 and up from DIFF Charitable Eyewear

What they do: Provide reading glasses and vision health services to those in need around the world
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This company partnered with Sightsavers, "an international organization leading the charge in providing vision to billions of people around the world." And every pair of DIFFs has always given the gift of sight to someone in need, providing more than 2 million people to date with reading glasses, and also providing those in need with eye exams, surgeries, medication, and more. 

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$35 from Unicef Market

What they do: Work in "the world's toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents" and provide a market for artisans in Asia, Africa, and Latin America

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Buying gifts via the Unicef Market supports artisans all over the world directly while also helping UNICEF's mission to save and protect children. We love the simplicity of this men's bracelet, but there are many other products to choose from, and you can also send a gift in a loved one's name in the form of "lifesaving supplies ... to children and communities around the world."

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Various prices from Plan Toys
What they do: Produce sustainable toys while also supporting campaigns that "help make the world a better place for everyone" 
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In addition to producing toys using sustainable materials and manufacturing methods, this company hosts an annual reforestation program, and works "to give back to society and the environment through special environmental and educational campaigns."

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$70 from Terra Thread

What they do: Feed families in need though a partnership with Feeding America 
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We love this duffel for its color alone, but you can also feel great buying it as a gift. Why? For starters, it's made from fair trade organic cotton. Each purchase also contributes 20 meals to U.S. children and families in need through Terra Thread partner Feeding America.

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$99 from Azizi Life

What they do: Support artisans and impact projects in Rwanda 
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A portion of sales from this shop — which has tons of fantastic products to choose from, all made by Rwandan artisans — helps benefit impact projects in the country such as adult literacy, beekeeping, and renewable resources.

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$60 from The Samburu Project

What they do: Support health, education, and more in Kenya's Samburu population 
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A portion of proceeds from sales on this site help the semi-nomadic Samburu people of Kenya gain "access to clean water and continue to support well communities with initiatives that promote health, education, women's empowerment, and general well-being." In addition to pet products such as this, the store offers locally made jewelry, baskets, beadwork, kitchen items, and more starting at $10.

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$59 and up from Cuddle + Kind

What they do: Donate meals to hungry kids around the world
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Each purchase of an adorable doll set from this Toronto-based shop donates 10 meals to hungry kids all over the world. The dolls are handcrafted by female artisans in Peru, and also helps provide those women with a sustainable, fair trade income.

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Various prices from Ivory Ella

What they do: Donate to Save the Elephants and other charitable organizations  
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Ivory Ella offers tees, sweatshirts, accessories, and more, and each sale contributes to a charitable cause. To date, Ivory Ella has donated nearly $2 million to Save the Elephants and other charitable organizations including the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, the Young Survival Coalition, Hearts & Bones Rescue, and more. 

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$70 and up from Roma Boots

What they do: Donate boots to those in need around the world
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For every pair of rain boots purchased, Roma donates a pair to a child in need. To date, 100,000-plus boots in 27 countries across six continents have been donated. There are boots for women, men, and children, as well as umbrellas and boot liners.

Various prices from Dirty Cookie

What they do: Donate to education-focused nonprofits that support the underserved as well as other charities 
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Everyone loves a sweet treat, and what's sweeter than giving back? Founded by Egyptian American businesswoman Shahira Marei, the SoCal-based shop has a unique take on cookies: flavorful cookie-shaped shot glasses that can be filled with everything from milk for kids to cordials for their caregivers. Marei's latest initiative, Shots for Education, ensures that every Dirty Cookie order gives "one student a shot at higher learning."