Purchases for A Cause

We’ve all heard it before. At the end of a purchase whether it is at a grocery store, department store, specialty store, there is the most-guilty question any one could ask you. “Would you like to donate a dollar to this particular charity?” If you don’t do it, what will the cashier think of you? If you do decide to do it, how do you know that the money is going to that particular charity and not just into someone’s pocket? Well have no fear, there is a new growing trend that will allow you to feel charitable and know that the money is actually going to the charity.

The trend, nicknamed “Purchases for a Cause,” enables the customer to buy everyday necessary products in which a small portion of the profit goes directly to the charity. Certain charities such as The Susan G. Komen Foundation, Rock the Vote, Home4theHolidays, and The Livestrong Foundation have many sponsors and partners such as celebrities, stores, and companies which help them sell a variety of products in different places.

It sounds wonderful, and some shoppers are enthusiastic about the opportunity, such as Katie Zimmermann, wife, mother of two and self-proclaimed “shopping-extraordinaire.” Zimmermann constantly looks for products that support a charity. “If there are two products that are the same, and one is sponsoring a charity, I will buy the one sponsoring a charity.” For her the reason is personal. “When I buy something that supports breast cancer research it is like seeing my sister-in-law’s face right on the tag. She was diagnosed a couple years back and has been in remission for the last 18 months. If my couple of cents or dollars let’s just one family miss out on the pain that my family went through, that is perfectly fine with me!” Zimmermann also explained that often breast cancer research products are pink, which helps her pick them out because pink is her favorite color and the products “just jump off the shelves.”

Like Ms. Zimmermann, some celebrities are just as enthusiastic about the trend. MTV star, Carson Daly is on the “Passionately Pink for the Cure” Executive Board and has been helping the charity for years. Other celebrities such as Sean Combs, better known as “P. Diddy,” founded the charity “Rock the Vote” which promotes youth to vote and get involved in the country’s politics. Hilary Swank has recently joined the charity Home4theHolidays which promotes animal adoption before the holidays.

Not only have celebrities been catching onto the craze but new websites have appeared that promote charities. One of these websites is called “Goodsearch.com.” This particular site lets you choose which charity you would like to support, then every time it, they donates a couple of cents to that specific charity you have chosen. Another website is “Onecause.com” which lets the consumer pick a school or charity, then using a large service provider to buy their items, the provider gives a small percentage of each purchase to the chosen charity or school.

While it seems a lot of people are jumping on the charitable bandwagon, self proclaimed “bargain-hunter” Jen Parlin, college student, is not so keen on the trend. “It’s just another way for people to spend their money when they don’t need to.” Even though Parlin is an environmental law major, she refuses to buy into eco-friendly products because she believes they aren’t actually environmentally friendly. “Think about the packaging the items are in when they arrive to the store, also think about how the items are brought from the main facility to the store, I can put money down the trucks carrying them are gas guzzlers.” Parlin also described her feelings towards celebrities and charities. “It's obvious that if they seem like they are interested in helping it's to benefit themselves. Why don't they donate large sums of their vast funds?”

But that is just what some corporations are doing through these “purchases for a cause.” The Susan G. Komen Foundation says on their official website “Our corporate partners provide us with the opportunity to reach people where they live, work, and play. In addition to a financial contribution, each of these organizations have found a unique way to get their customers and employees involved in raising awareness and hope that we will one-day find the cures.”

Not only are the purchases increasing their financing, but they are also increasing knowledge about the cause and how their purchase made a difference in someone’s life. While the Susan G. Komen Foundation has a list of twenty plus corporations that they are partners with, the LIVESTRONG Foundation only has five corporations that directly help the charity. When interviewed, a LIVESTRONG employee pointed out that that Nike, the main corporate partner of LIVESTRONG, has donated over $80 million to the charity since 2004.

Nans Gordon, like Katie Zimmermann, is a mom and loves to shop. Although for Gordon to go shopping, she has to go through a process because her oldest son, Hunter, is autistic and lives by routine. “Everything is a process. We have to eat at the same time every day, if we give him a list of things that are going to be done; we have to do them in that order.” When asked about what “purchases for a cause” meant to her, Gordon’s face lit up.

Gordon then said in a soft voice, “I love seeing the puzzle piece on the back of people’s car, the Autism Awareness cup at Starbucks and when Kraft comes out with their puzzle-piece macaroni and cheese, it reminds me that I’m not alone, and that Hunter isn’t alone. There are others out there who understand me and there are people who care to fight for a cause.”