Burned out on the rampant consumerism that has somehow come to define this time of year? Me too. That’s why I love Giving Tuesday, a day where many of the brands in the outdoor industry (and beyond) give a portion of their proceeds to worthy organizations.
But which brands are supporting which causes? That’s where I come in. I combed the internet to find out, and have listed a few noteworthy examples below. Read on to find the who, what, and why.
I wrote about Jack Wolfskin a few weeks ago thanks to the brand’s involvement with Eric Larsen’s BIPOC polar explorer scholarship. Good ol’ Jack is at it again, this time impressively donating 100% of all Giving Tuesday proceeds to the Conservation Alliance. Yeah. 100%. Well done, Jack Wolfskin. That’s why you’re batting leadoff in this roundup.
The Conservation Alliance is a nonprofit that functions by awarding grants in the service of purchasing and conserving private lands that might otherwise be developed. Not bad, especially when paired with Jack Wolfskin’s 30% off sitewide savings today.
Helly Hanson — one of the many excellent outdoor brands born in Scandinavia’s demanding climate — is making 5% donations to Big City Mountaineers on every purchase you make today. The nonprofit specializes in introducing disaffected youth to transformative outdoor experiences, and that’s something that everyone can and should get behind. So, if you slept on getting yourself new ski gear over the weekend, now’s the moment. Sales are 25% off sitewide in honor of the day.
Peak Design is a mobile and camera accessory brand that delivers useful, rock-solid, uber-functional products that have won the hearts of pretty much every editor at GearJunkie. Peak’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales are over, but today, the brand is donating 15% of every purchase to Planting Justice, a nonprofit focusing on food security, urban farming, and living-wage jobs for formerly incarcerated people. Rock on, Peak Design.
Turtle Fur is another brand pairing a huge sitewide sale (25% off!) with a 5% donation to a worthy cause. The hat and accessory brand’s nonprofit of choice is Vermont Adaptive — an organization that helps youth and adults with “physical, cognitive and emotional/behavioral disabilities” experience the joys of downhill snow sports. Bonus points: Many of Vermont Adaptive’s programs include environmental education and wellness elements.
If you can help the dogs of the world while also caffeinating yourself, that’s a major win-win. GearJunkie’s Editor in Chief and Managing Editor both recommend Grounds and Hounds joe, and given the amount of coffee they drink to keep this place running, don’t take that lightly.
Buying the brand’s Rescue Roast will generate a 100% profit donation to the Sato Project. There are nearly 500,000 homeless dogs living in Puerto Rico, and the Sato Project is trying to change that by rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming them.
If coffee isn’t your thing (“no judgment here,” he says as his fingers vibrate from cup number five of the morning), consider a Grounds and Hounds Blanket instead. Buy one of the brand’s cute blankets and snuggle cozily in the knowledge that Ground and Hounds will reciprocate by donating a blanket to a shelter dog in need.
Protect Our Winters (POW) is the nonprofit of choice for many outdoor brands, and it’s easy to see why. POW was founded by a professional snowboarder over a decade ago to be a voice for the snowsport athletes, brands, resorts, and regular people who depend on healthy snowfall to make a living and blow off steam.
Teton Gravity Research’s (TGR) Giving Tuesday project is a roundup of goodies from TGR and Arcade, Mammut, and Sierra Nevada. Buying one of those products from TGR today will send 10% of your purchase directly to POW.
This Giving Tuesday, for every Rumpl blanket you purchase (ahem, these make a great gift), the brand will donating one forward to First Descents, a nonprofit that organizes outdoor adventures with adults with cancer, MS, and other health conditions. The entire site is 25% off in honor of Giving Tuesday, which means you can get anything on sale. But note: The buy-one give-one is specifically for the original blanket only.
Get a rad puffy blanket, and help someone else get outside? Yes, please. We’re on board. Even better: Rumpl will donate a blanket to First Descents for each Original Puffy Blanket sold not just today, but also Nov. 28-30, 2023.
Because Giving Tuesday doesn’t just have to be on Tuesday — keep an eye out for these outdoor brands and more that donate forward or give back other times of the year too.