OUR GIFT TO YOU: The Giving Gives List #2
It's that time of year again, and Net Impact DFW is here with the second annual edition of The Giving Gives List as our gift to all of the members of our growing community!
Thank you very much for your ongoing support and commitment to working together to help make our community much more socially and environmentally sustainable.
If you are interested in kinder and gentler consumption, then we hope you will use - and SHARE! - the Giving Gives List to help discover that perfect gift from not-for-profits, social entrepreneurs, artists creating with recycled media who also give back, organic/natural grocers and greentailers, etc., locally - SO much good going on in our own backyard! - and globally.
The list was compiled from suggestions from NIDFW community members. Thank you! We have marked the listings making their first appearance on the GGL with a "NEW!".
We do want to take a moment, and remember that the Demeter Project and its It's a Grind and Chill Bubble Tea projects were on our inaugural list, and that, very sadly, they closed in October. They are missed!
The list has grown from last year, which we think is a very positive indicator of the growing number of GOOD choices in our community and around the world, as well as the fact that more of you are aware of and are supporting such, and that you want to share!
This is an annual effort, so keep notes throughout the year, and be sure to let us know when we ask for your suggestions again next year. And remember that you can use the GG list all year, too!
Warmest wishes for peace, joy, love, health and happiness!
NOT-FOR-PROFITS
Of course, there are many not-for-profit organizations in our community that are deserving of your support. If the person on your list has a favorite cause, but doesn't have a specific organization they support, or you don't know what it is, here are two good tools to help you narrow your search:
Network for Good / Good Card
Network for Good is as amazing organization that was founded in 2001 as a joint project of Cisco Systems, AOL and Yahoo!. It has evolved into one of the most respected nonprofit services platforms/organization, and "it makes it as easy to donate and volunteer online as it is to shop online, while also making it simple and affordable for all nonprofits, of any size, to recruit donors and volunteers via the Internet." You can find out more about Network for Good's impressive accomplishments and contributions here.
In short, Network for Good makes it easy for you find, research and donate to a organization dedicated to your favorite cause. You can go to the Network for Good website and enter in keywords, city, state, etc.to zero in your search to find the right organization for your gift/donation.
Or, you can give the Good Card, which is a gift card with stored value that 
can be redeemed as a donation to any of more than 1.2 million charities. Very simple: Choose the amount and choose the cause. You can send it via email or print it now. Be sure to check the deadline if you choose to have the Good Card delivered by mail before Christmas.
DonorBridge
DonorBridge is a searchable online database with detailed information about nonprofits within the Dallas and Fort
Worth region, as well as general
information about every nonprofit in the United States. Non-profits can set up their online
profile to include detailed information about their mission, management,
governance and programs offered to the DFW community, and links are provided to the organizations' websites and online donation pages.
Locally, DonorBridge is run by Communities Foundation of Texas, with the support of The Dallas Foundation and the Center for Nonprofit Management.
NEW! Local Non-for-Profit Stores
NEW! GLOBAL COMMUNITY STORES
NEW! Locally based /Connected
NEW! Worldwide
Novica (handmade gifts and a microcredit fund for artisits, project of National Geographic)
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
Local
NEW! Impact Foods - Very yummy, and one bag provides a hungry child with a meal!
NEW! Gaia Empowered Women - Beautiful and empowering! Online store coming soon, so make sure to check "Retailers" tab for where you can buy now! This site has wonderful pictures of Gaia's beautiful pieces: http://sakuraphotoblog.com/archives/2691
ARTS AND CRAFTS
Eye on the Sparrow Designs
Have a favorite musician who doesn't know what to do with his or her used guitar or bass strings? Well, tell them about Abbey Chesney and the good works she is doing with such at Eye on the Sparrow Designs.
She takes strings from local musicians and crafts them into beautiful bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc., and 25% of sales go to the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation, which was set up after popular local musician Albrecht was tragically killed in 2007 (Abbey was a close friend). To find out more about the passion that drives Abbey and Eye on the Sparrow Designs and to find out what arts or craft show she will be at next, go here and to see and purchase her designs, go here.
'nuff said: 
"Our motivating philosophy is to make do with what you got. We place a high value on the resourcefulness within ourselves and are dedicated to doing things the old-fashioned way. Whether it is
through the reuse or repurposing of materials, like turning fallen
walnuts into archival ink, or by accepting the possibilities of what can
be created by hand, we honor he pioneering spirit of our elders and the
character of our community.
"Oil and cotton are natural resources of Dallas, Texas, and also the foundation of the most basic art materials. Oil is a binder in paint and inks. The binder imparts adhesion, binds the pigments together. Cotton is used to produce textiles such as canvas and paper. We believe the arts, like most natural resources, are essential
for our survival and quality of life, and we are proud to be a part of
our local arts community."
GREENTAILERS
Dallas
Green Living (the pioneer, first-of-its-kind in DFW)
N
EW! Downing Hill - A Garden Studio
Fort Worth
For Pets
NEW! Green Pet Dallas
Nice article by Green Source DFW's Julie Thibodeaux about the three stores noted above:
http://greensourcedfw.org/articles/dallas-fort-worth-holiday-green-...
NEW! VINTAGE, GENTLY WORN and PREVIOUSLY ENJOYED GOODS RETAILERS
Clothing
Miscellanea, Furniture, Clothing, etc.
NEW! 4Love - A new twist for your favorite furniture purchase from one of the local shops listed above!
ORGANIC/NATURAL GROCERS
Urban Acres
Urban Acres is a local organic market in North Oak Cliff, and its goal is to provide our community with the very best local and organic foods while supporting Texas farm families and artisans!
Farm to Market in historic Downtown McKinney
Whole Foods Markets - 30+ Years Fresh, indeed! Thank you for your support and assistance during our first year!
MARKETPLACES
IndieGenuis - Bishop Arts District, Oak Cliff.
NEW! LOCAL B Corp-certified businesses - Dallas now has five!
Click on this link, PUT "DALLAS" IN THE SEARCH BAR to learn about t...
NEW! PUBLICATIONS THAT SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY
Natural Awakenings Metroplex Edition
GUIDES / LISTINGS
If you want some scientifically based product and company ratings to support your consumption decisions you will want to check out the Good Guide (NEW!)
- Find better products that are healthy, green and socially responsible
- Search or browse over 140,000 food, toys, personal care, & household products to easily learn about the best and worst products in a category
- Rely on our scientific expertise and sophisticated rating system to simplify complex and confusing product information
- Get mobile advice while shopping in a store by downloading our iPhone app
- Create and share personalized favorites lists of products that are right for you and your family
Here's the scoop on The Good Guide.
Rolfe Larson, a long-time social entrepreneurship pioneer and leader of the Social Enterprise Alliance has taken it upon himself to being to compile a Social Enterprise Shopping Guide. (NEW!)
The Guide is built in Google Docs, and has no graphics, but it is a very rich source of information! The key is to scroll to the bottom and start your search with the tabs you will find there.
AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT NET IMPACT DFW!
Gift yourself or a friend or co-worker with the GLOCAL paid membership that gives full access to all of the Net Impact community - globally and locally, one of the best sustainability focused Job Banks in the world, and the ability to participate in regular conference calls with some of the leading business and not-for-profit leaders sharing perspectives, insights and ideas about how they are working to make this a more socially and environmentally sustainable world, among other benefits.
Views: 193
Tags: 4Love, Acres, Army, Buffalo, Coffee, Consignment, Curiosities, DFW, Edible DFW, Exchange, More…
Comment
© 2012 Created by Net Impact DFW.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Net Impact Dallas/Fort Worth to add comments!
Join Net Impact Dallas/Fort Worth