Dear Friend,

Possibly more than any other single company, TOMS popularized the ‘buy one, give one’ model with their shoe donation initiative and helped catapult social entrepreneurship into public consciousness.

Last week, the company announced an evolved giving model called ‘Stand for Tomorrow’, in which consumers are allowed to choose the issue area they’d like to support through their purchase.

Customers can choose to direct their ‘Stand’ to the traditional shoe giving model or select from a variety of other causes including safe water, ending gun violence, the homeless, mental health or equality. Each Stand is accompanied by a role model who is active in the issue they are supporting. TOMS is incentivizing buyers to choose a Stand by offering a discount code.

Unlike the linear ‘buy one, give one’ model, however, purchases linked to Stand for Tomorrow do not unlock a simply explained social impact.

Luckily, I’ll get the opportunity to ask important questions about this new giving model when I chat one-on-one with TOMS Chief Giving Officer Amy Smith during the opening session of the Engage for Good Conference, just two short weeks away in Chicago. Haven’t registered yet? What are you waiting for? Join us!