Tis the season to be shopping for justice

Idea exchange
December 2004

Tis the season to be shopping for justice
It's the time of year when shopping and gift giving and finding the ugliest sweater imaginable for Uncle Bob are taking up a lot of our time. It's also the time of year when a lot of folks' thoughts turn to the needs of others. Don't forget that your dollars can do more good when you focus your holiday shopping around fair trade and products produced from artisans in the developing world. Here's a list of online shopping and giving options to help you cross off your Christmas list.

Ethical shopping resources on the Internet:
American Apparel

AFL-CIO Union shop

Ethical threads (UK)

Other online union shopping options

Co-op America

Fair Trade Federation's online catalog list

Fair Trade Federation's retail store list
Shops near you.

Global Exchange

Globaleather
Setting standards in ethical and environment friendly leather goods production. You can now choose sympathetically produced leather goods and promote sustainable economic and social development in countries around the world

At the GreaterGood.com and iGive shopping portals, Internet users can shop at leading online merchants—including Amazon.com, Priceline, Nordstrom, Land's End, Dell, Office Max, 1-800 flowers, and more—and up to 15 percent of each purchase automatically goes to an organization you select at no extra cost. Shoppers can support local and national charities, the nation's K-12 schools, and college and university scholarship funds.

Heifer Project International directly combats poverty by giving livestock and trees, along with training for their upkeep, to families throughout the world. This year, you can give the gift of geese ($20 per flock), sheep ($140 for a whole one or $10 per share), heifer ($500 whole or $50 per share) and much more to those on your list who already have it all. You'll also be helping to combat hunger, support women's businesses, and care for the environment with each donation.

No Sweat!
Bienestar International manufactures union-made casual clothing under the brand name No Sweat™. Their clothing is produced by independent trade union members in the US, Canada, and the developing world.

From their website: "We believe that the most viable response to globalization is a global labor movement. No Sweat defines the market for goods that support independent trade unions—the only historically proven solution to sweatshops. We market direct to consumers, relying primarily on internet sales for distribution. The savings in advertising offset our higher labor costs, enabling us to provide a competitive product and a living wage. We rely on you to help us spread the word! Together we can show the garment industry what a real fashion statement looks like. Shop No Sweat Now!—100% union-made, sweatshop-free shopping!"

Maya Traditions

PEOPlink

SERRV International

The Shopping Mall for green and ethical goods—Not-for-profit organizations across Europe.

Ten Thousand Villages

Union jeans and apparel

Commodities (Coffee):
Cafe Mam

Equal Exchange

Juan Ana Coffee

Find out more about Fair Trade:
Ethical Consumer magazine (from England)

Fair Trade Federation

Global Exchange

Resources for charitable giving:
Bread for the World: Celebrating more than 25 years of seeking justice for the world's hungry people, Bread for the World is a Christian voice for ending hunger in the new century.

Catholic Charities USA is the nation's largest, private network of people helping people. The 1,400 local agencies and institutions provide social services across the country to more than 10 million people in need each year-regardless of religious, ethnic, racial, or social background. Catholic Charities USA aims to reduce poverty, support families, and empower communities in the United States.

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development spends just 13 percent of its resources on administrative and fundraising costs.

Catholic Relief Services spends a paltry 7 percent of its donation dollars on administrative and fundraising costs.

Here's a list of top-rated charities from the American Institute of Philanthropy.

The Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance at Give.org
Give.org is the web site for The BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Give.org collects and distributes information on hundreds of nonprofit organizations that solicit nationally or have national or international program services. It routinely asks such organizations for information about their programs, governance, fund raising practices, and finances when the charities have been the subject of inquiries.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance never recommends one charity over another, and selects charities for evaluation based on the volume of donor inquiries about individual organizations. These policies allow the Alliance to serve donors' information needs and also help donors to make their own decisions regarding charitable giving. The volume of public inquiries helps identify which national charities will be the subject of a BBB Wise Giving Alliance Report.

Charity Watch
The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) is a nationally prominent charity watchdog service whose purpose is to help donors make informed giving decisions. Its Charity Watch website provides visitors with information about AIP, the charities it rates, and its method of grading charities. Special features will focus on Top Salaries, Top-Rated Groups, and hot topics in charitable giving

Other features include Tips for Giving Wisely, a helpful-hints guide for getting the most for the dollars you donate; answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ); praise from the press; useful and interesting articles on a variety of topics relating to charitable giving.

GuideStar
GuideStar's mission is to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice with information. GuideStar envisions the evolution of an increasingly efficient nonprofit marketplace where

* information about the operations and finances of nonprofit organizations is readily accessible and actively utilized by decision makers throughout the nonprofit sector,
* donors seek out and compare charities, monitor their performances, and give with greater confidence,
* nonprofit organizations pursue more effective operating practices, embrace greater accountability, and enjoy lower fundraising costs,
* society benefits from a more efficient, generous, and well-targeted allocation of resources to the nonprofit sector.

The National Association of State Charity Officials
NASCO maintains a contact list of all state agencies that have oversight of charitable solicitations.

The National Catholic Community Foundation
NCCF is structured to facilitate engaged philanthropy through continual involvement of individuals, families, communities and organizations.

NCCF was created to address the needs of persons and organizations who wish to engage in philanthropic activities which support the ministries of the Catholic Church, but do not have the ability to organize a traditional private foundation.

Network for Good
Network for Good is the first coalition of its kind to help nonprofit organizations become more effective and efficient. Network for Good will help them further their mission by integrating the full power of the online medium into their own operations such as fundraising, recruitment and advocacy.

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