Interview with CEO Laura Hertz of Gifts For Good - Charitable Business Gifts that Support Social, Economic, and Environmental Causes

Hello! Today I would like to introduce you to CEO Laura Hertz of Gifts For Good, a corporate
gift giving company.  Recently, I attended a meeting at the General Assembly in Santa Monica,
California and heard Laura speak on a panel of women entrepreneurs whose primary focus is on
using their brands to give back to social causes. Listening to these women speak really inspired
me to reach out and do more through my blog as well. Hopefully, after reading Laura’s interview
today, you will feel inclined to give back through your future endeavors also.

So, here we go…

Hi Laura! Thank you for sharing your time with us today. When I heard your brand’s story I was
immediately intrigued because I haven’t heard of too many brands that give back in the way that
you do.

Can you please tell us about your background?

I am a proud alumna of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and the USC Marshall School
of Business; as well as the federal community service program AmeriCorps National Civilian
Community Corps — the domestic Peace Corps. I have worked on both sides of the business
sector – nonprofit and corporate – including within financial services at one of the “Big Four”
accounting firms, as well as with Fair Trade USA.

How did you become interested in building a corporate gift giving company with a focus on
giving back?

I learned about the struggles of nonprofits to raise funds when I deferred my college acceptance
to join AmeriCorps, rebuilding homes in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina, helping wildfire
victims, feeding and clothing the hungry and homeless, and teaching high school geometry to
inner-city youth. Later, after graduating from UC Berkeley, I worked for Deloitte, and noticed
how much money companies spend on gifts for employees, clients, and leads — and how these
gifts are often low quality stress balls and meaningless, branded paperweights.that end up in a
junk drawer.

That is why I founded Gifts for Good after completing my Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship at
USC. We use product sales of corporate gifts to fund the social missions of nonprofits, and scale
up the social impact of cause-based enterprises.

Specifically at Gifts For Good, how are you making an impact using socially
responsible practices in your day-to-day operations?

At Gifts for Good, we are reinventing the $90 billion U.S. corporate gifting industry as the first
source for charitable business gifts that support a range of social, economic, and environmental
causes. As a B2B marketplace, we sell life-changing products made by over 40 nonprofits and
social enterprises to businesses purchasing employee and client gifts in bulk. Our platform helps
companies send more meaningful gifts, while providing the B2B marketing team these
cause-based organizations need to better sustain themselves and grow their reach and impact.

I see that “empathy” is listed as one of your core values at Gifts For Good. Can you tell me
more about how your company incorporates this core value?

Empathy is a powerful emotion, allowing us to understand other people, their position, and their
needs. If you want to make a difference in this world, you need to understand the communities
you will be working in and how your efforts will impact them.
At Gifts for Good, my team and I believe in people over profit. We seek to always look beyond
ourselves, putting the interests of those in need above our own. We believe that all impact, big or
small, stems from our ability to put ourselves in another’s shoes.

One of my favorite quotes from your Instagram is

“Your Greatness Is Not What You Have, It’s What You Give.” 

How many countries have you been able to impact through
corporate gift giving at Gifts For Good and what types of social causes have you
contributed to?

Every gift we sell supports one of our six main causes in 65 countries around the globe:

● children-in-need
● women-at-risk
● economic development
● environment
● homelessness
● health

In the last year, Gifts for Good has provided 1 year of clean drinking water to 1,023 people; 392
days of schooling to children in Honduras; 18,000 children with enough Vitamin A for 1 year; 50
days of job training for women transitioning from homelessness; 3,639 hours of employment in
Haiti to help fight the child slavery crisis; 1,469 meals to children in-need... and so much more!

What kinds of considerations do you make when choosing a product for Gifts For Good?

At Gifts for Good, we like to say that we are a “product first” company. We choose quality gifts
that people will love to give and receive, which also happen to have an incredible social impact.
Every product we sell must be beautiful, functional, and meaningful.

We follow a very stringent vetting process when it comes to the nonprofits and social enterprises
we work with. When a cause brand submits a proposal to work with us, they have to provide
detailed information on their impact strategy and metrics at the product level (i.e. every water
bottle sold provides 6 months of clean drinking water in the Central African Republic). We meet
them in person, ask for references and verify the information through third-party sites likes
Charity Navigator and other sources. If a cause brand meets our stringent standards for both the
cause and the product, we invite them into our community.

If I wanted to customize a gift for my brand, how would I do that?

You can easily customize a gift for your brand by uploading your logo directly through our
ecommerce store, giftsforgood.com . Companies and professionals looking for assistance in
finding the perfect branded gift can also utilize our free gifting concierge service by calling
(877)554-1550 or e-mailing us at hello@giftsforgood.com .

Our complementary gifting concierge service helps companies find the perfect branded gift for
their industry, company size, demographic, corporate social responsibility initiatives, recipient,
occasion and budget. We work closely with our clients to identify their top needs, and curate the
perfect gifts for them that speaks to the causes their company cares about most.

If a company would like to participate in collaborating with Gifts For Good, how should
they contact you?

We love collaborations! Just shoot us an email at hello@giftsforgood.com. 􀀀We ask nonprofits
and social enterprises who want to work with us to visit the Partner With Us page.

If we would like to purchase gifts individually that give back for birthdays and holidays,
instead of in bulk for corporate use, can we still do that?

Yes, of course! Over 50% of the products on our website are available for one-off purchases like
birthdays and holiday gifts for friends and family. :)

Where can we find you? 

Gift + give back by visiting giftsforgood.com or follow us on social media @giftsforgoodHQ. If
you like our Facebook page, a tree will be planted in your honor!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giftsforgoodhq/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giftsforgoodhq
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GiftsForGoodhq
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/17947311/

Interview with the Founders of Starling Box To Help Survivors of Human Trafficking

Hello! Today I wanted to introduce you to the founders of a brand that literally transforms lives, a brand that gives hope to those that once had none…the Founders of Starling Box.  Out of all of the subscription boxes in the world that you can purchase, this box is truly life-changing.  When you make a purchase, you will also have the peace of mind knowing that you will be doing a whole lot of good by purchasing from a non-profit ethical subscription box company!

“This is more than a subscription.  This is a movement.”

-Starling Box

So, here we go…

Can you tell me your story about why you started Starling Box?

For most of our lives, human trafficking was never something that anyone around us really talked about or discussed. Of course we knew it existed, but it was hard to see how we could make a difference to stop it. In buying decisions, there was always attention to the cost or quality of the clothing but never really to the person behind the clothing and how it was made. That's why when we heard the horrifying statistics and read the stories of survivors, it was shocking and terrifying that such a huge industry built on exploitation and abuse could have been so well hidden. We realized that in the products we buy, we were contributing to trafficking and that we could make a difference just by raising awareness of the issue and buying more ethically. The stories of the millions who have survived trafficking were heartbreaking, and we heard that many of them, especially survivors of sex trafficking, often find it difficult to find employment after escaping trafficking due to the stigma surrounding them. We were inspired to find companies that not only rehabilitate and offer services to survivors but also provide them with vocational training and a fair paying job that treats them with respect.

The name “Starling” is very intriguing, can you please tell us what it means and why you chose this name for our subscription boxes?

Starlings are birds that flock together in the thousands in a formation called a murmuration. Unlike most animal formations, there is no one leader to the murmuration. They all move together, following the instincts of each individual, relying on and guiding each other. Each one is important, each one benefits the group. And together, they are able to overcome anything. They fly together, trust each other, and protect their flock. This is what we want Starling Box to be. A community where everyone is valued and loved, where everyone’s voice matters. A community that protects everyone and recognizes that everyone deserves our dignity and respect.

What is Starling Box’s mission?

Our mission is to break the silence around human trafficking and get more people involved in the fight against it. It’s actually the second largest criminal industry in the world, but it receives relatively little media attention, and, as a result, there is a lack of understanding in the public about what trafficking is. First, we aim to reduce stigma around trafficking survivors by supporting brands that offer survivors and at-risk individuals fair wages and safe employment. This economic empowerment gives survivors the tools to restore their dignity and independence, while also overcoming much of the negative stigma that usually faces them and excludes them from employment. We also donate all of our profits to nonprofit organizations, such as Zoe International, fighting human trafficking, which do work such as rescuing victims of trafficking, representing them in court, and working to create policy changes that crack down on the industry as a whole. And, lastly, our goal is to raise awareness. We want to promote more meaningful conversation on the topic of trafficking and ways in which individuals can fight trafficking, and we do this by spreading awareness, showcasing ethical brands, and deconstructing common misconceptions about trafficking.

So, how does Starling Box work?

Starling Box is an ethical subscription box that delivers our favorite on-trend lifestyle goods to your doorstep every season! We fill our boxes with beautiful products made by brands that employ survivors and at-risk individuals to give them fair employment and training. These products include bath, home décor, jewelry, skincare, snacks, and more! So once a subscriber signs up, they’ll receive a box of different items from around the world each quarter!

How much of the proceeds from Starling Box go to survivors and at-risk individuals and how is this made possible?

All of the profit from Starling Box goes to organizations that fight human trafficking. These amazing organizations shelter and provide support, medical care, and safety to survivors of all backgrounds. They also work within the law to provide justice and protection for trafficking survivors and work to end the stigma surrounding survivors.

How many times a year will Starling Box deliver to us and what kinds of products should we expect to receive?

You’ll receive a box of 7-8 exciting and varied lifestyle goods every season (once every 3 months). All of our products are unique, artisan-made, and globally crafted! In fact, our first box has products from Nepal, India, the US, Rwanda, and Thailand- it basically takes you on a trip around the world! The products will vary every season to avoid clutter, and they will be carefully curated skincare products, bath and self-care items, home décor, jewelry, snacks, accessories, and more.

How can other brands include their products in Starling Box if they’d like to join the movement?

We love to meet brands that are in line with our mission and that provide fair employment to survivors and at-risk individuals! Our contact information is support@starlingbox.freshdesk.com.

Where can we find Starling Boxes?

Our website is www.starlingbox.org , and that’s where you can find information about us and subscribe!

Our Instagram handle is: starlingbox, and our Facebook and Pinterest are both Starling Box as well. We also have a blog, www.starlingmurmurs.org, where we post about ethical fashion, new trends, party and decorating tips, information on human trafficking, and more!

Thank you so much for sharing Starling Box’s story with us!  We hope that our eyes will remain open with hearts aware of what purchasing a subscription box from Starling Box can do for these brave survivors.