Five Companies Giving Back This Holiday Season

Dec 19, 2016 10:15 AM ET

Cone Communications Insights

Company philanthropic efforts over the holidays are nothing new – in fact, many companies have heritage campaigns they've committed to year over year. Yet, each year heralds in new campaigns and innovations to existing efforts and this holiday season is no different. This past month we saw brands make landmark donation commitments, react to real-time news – executives even slept on the streets to show how they care. Here's a roundup of the latest seasonal campaigns that caught our eye:

  • Hanes saw an opportunity to give back this year after learning the heartwarming story of a New York City police officer who bought a pair of socks for a homeless man he saw digging through trash at the city's busy Grand Central Station. The brand is building upon this act of goodwill by donating 500 pairs of socks to New Yorkers in need. The effort also ladders up the company's annual sock donation to the Salvation Army, a commitment first started in 2009.
  • This year, eBay launched "Gifts That Give Back," a new initiative that allows nonprofits to "sell" donations on the bidding platform. Donations come in increments of $25, $50, $75 and $100 and eBay doesn't take a cut for any donations "sold." Currently, partner nonprofits include the ASPCA, March of Dimes, Habitat for Humanity, CARE, the American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society.
  • Before the Thanksgiving holiday, executives at Delta opted to spend the night on the streets to support the Covenant House, a nonprofit fighting youth homelessness. While Delta executives have participated in this event since 2013; this year, 13 executives raised nearly $100,000 as part of the effort.
  • An omnipresent sight during the holiday season, Amazon is harnessing its delivery trucks for good. In a new effort called Trucks Across America, 17 Amazon trucks will be on a special mission to deliver much-needed items like winter clothing, toys and household essentials to local nonprofits near Amazon's fulfillment centers across the U.S.

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