5 Companies Giving Back Online for the Holidays
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The Holiday Season is underway, and with that comes time with friends and family, reflection over the past year and a spirit of giving. Companies big and small are joining the donating wave this year, using social media and technology to create innovative campaigns.Despite being the third Holiday Season in a row affected by the economic turn down, Americans are more committed to giving than ever, a new American Red Cross poll reveals. More than 70% of Americans plan to give about the same amount or more than they did last year.
Thanks to tech and social media, several companies have created fun ways for those eager to do good to rally behind a cause in the spirit of the season.
1. eBay’s Give-a-Toy Store
In partnership with Toys for Tots, eBay is putting a charitable spin on window shopping with its Give-a-Toy Store campaign. The company set up two whimsical window displays in New York City’s Herald Square and San Francisco’s Post Street, featuring nostalgic, storybook style toys such as teddy bears, trains, and a cowboy on a horse.
Each toy, as part of the campaign, has a QR code tag. Using the eBay mobile app, the toys come to life in digital animation when their tags are scanned. You can then choose to purchase a virtual toy, which is in essence a donation of between $2 and $10 going towards Toys for Tots. After giving, you can share your gift with your Facebook friends.
“The storefronts bring to life our on-the-go shopping experience,” Amanda Miller, manager of the eBay campaign, told Mashable.
If you’re not in New York or San Francisco, you can visit the campaign’s website to donate. The company has plans to launch a corresponding Facebook app and sweepstakes to add momentum to the campaign.
2. Kraft Food’s Huddle to Fight Hunger
In the second year of its Huddle to Fight Hunger campaign, Kraft Foods is educating Facebook users about the hunger epidemic while donating to its partner non-profit, Feeding America. When fans Like the Fight HungerFacebook Page and play a two minute trivia game, Kraft donates money toward meals at local food banks.
Each Like donates the equivalent of one meal and answering trivia questions about football and food increases the donation amount. When fans enter their zip codes, the donations on their behalves go to Feeding America banks in their areas.
The company will donate up to four million meals through the Facebook Page, as part of its goal of providing 25 million meals.
3. Vayable’s Experiential Travel Gift Cards
San Francisco-based travel startup Vayable has made it easy to award travel experiences that support local business, meaning you can give a gift that continues to give. The company launched holiday gift cards, which give credits towards travel experiences that keep money in the local community.
Eighty-two percent of money spent on Vayable fuels local business, so you can give a loved ones a meaningful experience while helping small, local retailers.
4. Coca-Cola White Cans
For the first time ever this holiday season, Coca-Cola’s iconic red cans have changed colors, to white, for itsArctic Home campaign for polar bear preservation. Through partnering with CheckPoints mobile rewards app, the campaign has gone mobile.
App users, who earn points for scanning participating products in stores, can donate directly to Arctic Home when they scan Coca-Cola.
“You reach a really engaged consumer in store,” Dave Heinzinger, CheckPoints’ communications director, toldMashable on why the campaign would get people to donate. “The person is actually holding the product in their hand, interacting with it.”
Coca-Cola is matching donations up to $1 million up to Mar. 15, 2012.
5. Hanes Virtual Sock Drive
Hanes has teamed up with the Salvation Army for their third annual Virtual Sock Drive. For every person who clicks the “Donate Now” button on Hanes’ Facebook Page between Nov. 14 and Dec. 12, the company will donate a pair of socks to individuals in need up to 250,000 pairs (500,000 individual socks). It costs nothing for you to donate.
While socks may seem trivial compared to, say, winter coats, they are the most requested item from homeless shelters.
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