Ethiopia’s Oliberte Offers
Alternative to TOMS
By Professor Dennis R. Shaughnessy
As my former students know all too well, I’ve long been a critic of the TOMS version of “buy one give one”. My issues and concerns are many, from a lack of transparency to broad unintended consequences; from the lack of local partnerships to a failure to measure impact. I suggest that if you’re in the market for shoes and want to have a positive social impact with your purchase that you consider buying from Oliberte in Ethiopia. Read more here

Love Your Melon's Battle
Against Pediatric Cancer
By Kelly Szaniawski
The “buy one give one” business model has garnered appeal for its seemingly impactful trade off. It implies that by buying a product, you are helping to fund the efforts of giving a product to someone in need or providing a needed service. Such an ideology was adopted and implemented by the two founders of Love Your Melon, Zachary and Brian, in an entrepreneurship class at the University of St. Thomas in 2012 with a socially-minded goal of “putting a hat on every child battling cancer in America”. Read more here.

How Feminine Hygiene Company Cora is Fighting for Gender Equality
By Gabriella Scarpa
Cora is a company that makes menstrual cycle products, with the mission of addressing the stigmas surrounding periods, the negative environmental impacts that these products have, and the inequality and lack of access to these necessities. Founders Molly and Morgen started the company after being exposed to the harsh reality of how women experience menstruation in other regions: girls and women in developing countries were resorting to using rags, plastics, sand, and ash to manage their periods. Read more here.

Warby Parker's Buy a Pair,
Give a Pair Model
By Tess Alonge
Warby Parker has revolutionized the eyeglasses market since it was founded in 2010. Prior to the company’s inception, quality glasses would cost consumers hundreds of dollars. Founders Neil Blumenthal and David Gilboa were dissatisfied with this norm and set out to create a business that offered high-quality glasses at an affordable price. In addition to offering fair prices to consumers, this organization focuses on a “buy a pair, give a pair” mission, classifying it as a BOGO social enterprise. Read more here.

How Plum Organics Provides Free Nutritious Meals to Children
By Alexandra Dittrich
Plum Organics is a certified B Corporation that sells organic, non-GMO baby food. The company was founded “by parents, for parents” in 2007 to appeal to the growing demand for more natural and nutritional baby food products. Like many socially conscious businesses today, Plum Organics has adopted a “buy one give one” business model. Read more here.

Better World Books: An Online Bookseller with a Triple Bottom Line
By Kayla Vestergaard
You may have bought a used book on Amazon without realizing you’re buying it from a company that has found an eco-friendly way to donate tens of millions of books and dollars to literacy programs worldwide. Like most customers, you probably added the book to your cart based on its low price and the seller’s high Amazon approval rating, which sits at nearly 100%. With nearly unbeatable social impact and prices, Better World Books is one of the world’s most successful social enterprises. You can find them on Amazon, of course, or go straight to their website here for free worldwide shipping. Read more here.

One World Play Project: Transforming Youth with the Power of Play
By Charlotte Fall
In 2010, One World Play Project was founded by Tim Jahnigen to empower youth from disadvantaged communities around the globe through the power of play. The organization sells durable, unpoppable soccer balls that that can be used on any terrain. Tim was inspired after hearing news reports of children in refugee camps creating their own soccer ball by tying up trash with twine to play with. One World Play Project created a solution, implementing the belief that play is an essential part of children's development. As a dedicated B Corporation, when an individual purchases a One World Ball, 5% of the sale will be donated to their partner organizations that bring soccer balls to kids around the world. Read more here.