Holigay Gift Guide: Gifts that Give Back to a Good Cause

2015 Autostraddle Holigays

Looking for the perfect gift that says, “I care so much about you and also the world!”? Or perhaps a passive-aggressive gift that says, “I’m very socially conscious and probably a little bit better than you, on a ethical level!” Or maybe you’re interested in participating in World AIDS Day/Give Back Day, which is happening today, December 1! We’ve got some ideas for you that are going to change your world and also, possibly, change the world.


solo glasses

SOLO Sunglasses

Price: $90

Good Cause: Vision for people without access to eye care around the world

These glasses are hip hip hipster and have cool accents like repurposed bamboo frames and hand-painted designs. Every pair is custom made and proceeds go to providing eyeglasses and eye care for people in need around the world. According to SOLO, 1 billion people around the world don’t have access to eye care and 80% of world blindness is preventable.


artwork by mylissakArt

artwork by mylissakArt

Custom Hand-Painted Pet Portrait

Price: $150.00

Good Cause: Your Local Animal Welfare Organization

Does your girlfriend love her kitty or doggy or turtle more than you? Do you love your kitty or doggy or turtle more than your girlfriend? How about commissioning a lovely pet portrait that allows your to donate 10% of the proceeds to your local animal shelter?! How about that?! Then you just have to figure out where to hang it!


sudscollage

Suds Up with Sudsatorium

Price: $3.00 – $7.00

Good Cause: Grassroots environmental, animal welfare, and human rights organizations

Give the perfect squeaky clean gift with shower gels, hair products, dusting powder, lip balm, soap, and other cosmetic products from the Sudsatorium. Organic, vegan, fair trade ingredients without synthetics, fake fragrance, or preservatives. 5% of the proceeds from all Sudsatorium products go to various grassroots charities around the world.


womensbeanproject

Yummy Gifts From the Women’s Bean Project

Price: $5.95 – $45.00

Good Cause: The Women’s Bean Project

The Women’s Bean Project is a transitional job training program for unemployed and impoverished women that provides actual jobs through production of food and jewelry products. They also provide career training, job skills, and life skills to women in their program. Also, I can tell you from personal experience that their soups are AH-MAZING and easy to whip up. I bought a bunch of these for my co-workers one year and they were a delicious hit!


etsyshoptreehuggernecklace

Handmade Earth Lover Necklace

Price: $19.00

Good Cause: The Rainforest Foundation

Show your love for the earth mama in your life with one (or all) of these handmade script necklaces from the Exaltation shop. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Rainforest Foundation, an organization that works to preserve rainforests by defending the indigenous people who live in them.


lushcharitypot

The Famous LUSH Charity Pot

Price: $42.99

Good Cause: Grassroots environmental, animal welfare, and human rights organizations

You all know about the LUSH Charity Pot, right? This yummy moisturizer last forever and ever and has a lightly floral scent of ylang ylang and rosewood oils in a hydrating cocoa butter base. Perfect for those cold winter months! Give it to someone you love and tell them that 100% of the proceeds go to good causes through the sLUSH Fund!


lstncollage

LSTN Sound Reclaimed Wood Earbuds

Price: $50.00 (earbuds) and $150.00 (headphones)

Good Cause: The Starkey Hearing Foundation

The music-lover on your list will love these gorgeous reclaimed wood earbuds or headphones from LSTN Sound. The hardwood design naturally supports a crisp tonal listening experience and the vegan leather ear cups on the headphones makes them comfy for a whole DJ set. Every purchase helps raise funds for the Starkey Hearing Foundation, whose mission is to bring hearing to the world. The Starkey Foundation works in over 100 countries around the world.


Viva Glam lipstick from (left to right) Rihanna Collection, Miley Collection, Lady Gaga Collection.

Viva Glam lipstick from (left to right) Rihanna Collection, Miley Collection, Lady Gaga Collection.

M.A.C. Viva Glam Collection Lipstick

Price: $15.00-$35.00

Good Cause: M.A.C. AIDS Fund

This is the perfect holigay gift for the lipstick lesbian in your life or anyone who can appreciate a super bold lip! M.A.C.’s Viva Glam collection has products inspired by tastemakers like: Lady Gaga, Elton John, Debbie Harry, Boy George, Cyndi Lauper, Nicki Minaj, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Dita Von Teese, Shirley Manson, Mary J Blige, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus. 100% of the proceeds are donated to the M.A.C. AIDS Fund.


pampoyo collage

Handmade Infinity Scarves From Bolivia

Price: $10.00

Good Cause: Pampoyo, Bolivia Women’s Knitting Collective

Ugh, that cross scarf is so cute! It would be perfect for Stef or for the vampire rock goddess of your choice. These scarves are handmade by a group of women in Pampoyo, Bolivia and sold by the S’ak Manmo shop in the U.S. All proceeds are returned to the women of the Pampoyo Women’s Knitting Collective.


il_570xN.510834928_spt9

A Surprise Book!

Price: $3.00

Good Cause: Heifer International

A blind date with a book? Sounds like a fun time for the absurd weirdo on your list. Or as a surprise gift to yourself! NewAgeOddity is cleaning out the family library of over 2,500 books ranging from “unpublished/handwritten, classic favorites, unknown novels, to vintage collectibles.” Send a message about what kind of books you like or want and get a wrapped, unique book sent to your door! $2 from each surprise book goes toward Heifer International, an organization that fights world hunger and poverty by providing livestock to families in need.


1492200-a-moregasm-kit

A Moregasm Kit

Price: $288.00

Great Cause: Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)

Give the gift of sexual health and sexual confidence! Invest in this splurge present for your favorite play partner. The kit includes a generous mix of Babeland favorites and a copy of Moregasm: Babeland’s Guide to Mind-Blowing Sex! 10% of the proceeds from this kit in 2015 will go to SIECUS, one of the best sexuality education organizations in the world!


jmoji collage

JHmoji® Jewelry

Price: $75 – $650

Good Cause: The nonprofit of your choice! Anything you want!

Give the gift of wearable emoji with these gorgeous sterling silver of 18k gold pieces by JHmoji®. 100% of the proceeds from these funky, adorable earrings, rings, and necklaces will be donated to the nonprofit of your choice! Go wild!

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KaeLyn

KaeLyn is a 40-year-old hard femme bisexual dino mom. You can typically find her binge-watching TV, standing somewhere with a mic or a sign in her hand, over-caffeinating herself, or just generally doing too many things at once. She lives in Upstate NY with her spouse, a baby T. rex, a scaredy cat, an elderly betta fish, and two rascally rabbits. You can buy her debut book, Girls Resist! A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution if you want to, if you feel like it, if that's a thing that interests you or whatever.

KaeLyn has written 230 articles for us.

23 Comments

  1. I love it all of it. In fact I may get the cosmetics & suds for zeself, and the headphones for my sister for Chanukah.

    • It looks like LSTN also makes a lower price $30 in ear headphone from reclaimed bamboo, and one can pre-order bt speakers based on their site. It also looks like they have a store in/near West Hollywood.

      • Nice! Good sleuthing! I hope their headphones are as gorgeous in person as they look on the site! They’re so pretty!

        • I think I’m gonna go to their store during the weekend to check them out. One user over at head-fi(a site just dedicated so headphone and speaker nerds/fans) said the company sent them out three different models(the big one and in ears mentioned here, & another one) to demo for free. Gave the sound good marks for the price, & build. So, I’m sold on giving one as a gift.

  2. Very nice! I’d just like to add this solar light and phone charger, which I would totally get for a friend that loves camping, but I have no friends that enjoy the outdoors particularly.
    http://www.solar-aid-eco-shop.co.uk/collections/products/products/greenlight-planet-sun-king-pro-2
    One of these lights funds solar lights for two families in Africa.
    Did I mention, that it charges phones,too?
    If I’d ever go camping , that would be a major problem, mostly, because I’d get lost in a parking lot without my phone.But then, fortunately for all involved, I never go camping.

  3. I have so much gift-buying anxiety, but I feel confident my Secret Santa will dig these. Thank you!

  4. Is Sudsatorium where my beloved-yet-discontinued Lush shower gels are hiding? I see you, Back for Breakfast, Slammer, and Chai!

Comments are closed.