thisshirthelps

A few weeks ago, I met the founder of www.thisshirthelps.com by phone. Joe, based in Los Angeles (& in the same circles as TOMS Shoes folks) is a passionate change-maker whose company sells something practical & desirable--soft, simple luxe shirts--and directs a portion of proceeds to causes and social good with transparency and intention. They work closely with their philanthropy-partners to capture outcomes and results of their funding and share this with their shoppers.

This is the 'selfish' part of giving these days: people are savvy, they may have been tainted by stories like the Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina. No one likes to be deceived, especially not after choosing to give away their hard-earned cash to drop down the well (a seemingly more useful well, but a well at that) of world-betterment. As a nonprofit manager, it certainly creates more work for me in reporting, statistics, case studies and the like, but I don't blame them.

The energizing part is what Joe represents: our generation now owns businesses and stands on both sides of the transaction. We vote with their choices each day, and those of us who live in cities surely know about the virtues of minimalism and conservatism. It's time to consider spending a little more and getting a little less (materially) in return to help these guys win out.

Companies like Joe's also act as a filter, sifting through the myriads of nonprofits and NGO's to pick ones that are filling a special need or doing it especially well. Your average Joe (pun intended) may not have time for a vetting or follow-up process, so This Shirt Helps actually serves both functions: of fundraising and of filtering for need or impact.

So next time our household needs undershirts (yes, we wear unisex and almost the same size), instead of buying the three-pack, we will consider two slightly more expensive shirts and facilitate some social good at the same time.