By Rieva Lesonsky
Do you want to feel good about spending money this holiday season? You can get the gifts or business products you want and contribute to a good cause at the same time.
Goodshop.com, which to date has raised more than $11 million for causes both national and local (they work with over 100,000 causes), offers coupons and deals to help you save money—and then donates a portion of what you spend to your favorite charity.
This year the site is upping the ante launching #GoodshopSunday on November 30th (smack between Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday). Leading up to the special day many of your favorite retailers, such as the Gap, Target and Macy’s will list their best deals on Goodshop. On #GoodShopSunday, some of the retailers on the site will be offering double donations to the charity of your choice.
According to a survey GoodShop conducted “nearly 70 percent of shoppers report feeling at least a little guilty about not donating more of the money they use to shop for gifts.” Shopping on GoodShop can help you alleviate some of the guilt. If you’re looking for some additional ways to give back during the holidays, GoodShop offers some tips:
- Turn unused credit card points into a donation for your favorite cause. American Express and Citicard allow you to do this easily.
- Recycle your old electronics. You can send them to Gazelle or donate them to Goodwill.
- Pack for a purpose. If you’re headed overseas, use the extra space in your bag to bring useful stuff for local children, like school supplies, soccer balls etc. These will get collected and distributed through the Pack for a Purpose organization.
- Over tip. During the holiday season, tip a little more than usual, so those serving you can make a little extra money.
Another great way to support a great cause is to check out the new Marketplace on the SCORE Foundation’s website. There you’ll find “carefully curated offers from [SCORE’s] partners to save you money on goods and services” especially relevant to small business owners.
A part of every sale made through The Marketplace goes back to the SOCRE Foundation, which helps support SCORE’s mission of providing free mentoring and education for small businesses.
Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a media and custom content company focusing on small business and entrepreneurship. Email Rieva at rieva@smallbizdaily.com, follow her on Google+ and Twitter.com/Rieva.
