Benjamin Tateoka
SocialGoodies.com shares the same “daily deal” concept as Groupon.com, Livingsocial.com and BYU’s own student entrepreneur invention, Kalood.com but SocialGoodies.com focuses on giving part of the profits to charity.
Visitors to SocialGoodies.com can get up to 70 percent off on fashion, beauty, lifestyle and home décor items and then choose one of the sponsored charities to receive 20 percent of the gross purchase price.
A mother from Los Angeles came up with this philanthropic, not-for-profit “daily deal” site. Carrie Salter decided to leave a successful career in the financial industry and utilize her masters from Harvard Business School to benefit charity rather than continue climbing up the corporate ladder.
She said her inspiration for her website came by observing her grandfather.
“My grandfather was the only person I’ve ever known who would encounter homeless people on the street and take them out to dinner,” Salter said. “He was very philanthropically involved and influenced me tremendously.”
Salter said she remembers trying to make a difference in her community while she was still in middle school. While planning a canned food drive she realized one person can make an impact.
“Even if we all do just one small thing, it adds up to making a difference for a lot of people,” Salter said.
Charitable giving is no longer just about giving 10 percent for tithing or writing a check that is deductible to the full extent of the law. Charitable giving is about doing it from the heart and giving what you can.
BYU Director of Choose to Give, Tanya Floyd, knows the reality of what one person can do to make an impact.
“A charitable heart makes a world of difference,” Floyd said. “Because we have all been the beneficiary of a kind deed, we need to pay it forward to the next person.”
In the article “Why Giving Matters,” published in the BYU Magazine in 2009, Arthur C. Brooks talked about the emotional benefits of giving to charity.
“People who give to charity are 43 percent more likely than people who don’t give to say they’re very happy people,” Brooks said. “You simply can’t find any kind of service that won’t make you happier.”
A little act of charity can go a long way. According to a news release, Social Goodies has already donated more than $25,000, including $20,000 to the Red Cross Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund.
