Roozt

About:

Roozt was founded in 2009 by Brent Freeman, Nick Reder, and Norma LaRosa. Their objective was to create a mainstream online shopping destination featuring the best socially conscious brands they could find. With hundreds of great brands, with fashions for him, her, and home, Roozt is definitely living up to their tagline: 'Bringin' Sexy Back to Giving Back.'

Roozt is committed to fostering positive social change within everyday actions; every purchase has a positive impact. The staff hand-select fashion forward companies that are also doing good, for their community, the environment, their employees or humanity as a whole. The staff are social entrepreneurs who believe they can make a difference in the world by harnessing the power of a business model. Their goal is to help the public learn about the thousands of brands that have incorporated inspiring causes into their business operations.

Site visitors are able to browse by product, impact region, or initiative... and... Just by signing up you're doing good:

One Member, One Meal:  Is a partnership with Feeding America*, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity. For every member that joins, Roozt will provide a meal to an American in need.

Brands:

Companies interested in having a Roozt store must submit an application explaining how their operations meet one or more of Roozt's areas of focus.

Ethical: Companies that maintain and promote extraordinary ethical corporate policies both externally and among their employees.

Community: Companies that are committed to supporting and advancing their surrounding communities to benefit members in a positive way.

ECO-Friendly: Companies that demonstrate extraordinary commitment to reducing their environmental foot print and impact.

Humanitarian: Companies that give back to humanity and are doing their part to provide resources to help solve critical issues across the globe.

All applications undergo a review process to ensure the brand meets Roozt Approved certification criteria.

Roozt allows you to be fashionable and socially conscious. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." I say even the smallest purchase can be a positive vehicle for change.



*Feeding America's mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. For more information visit their site.

Social Responsibility

Sometimes the smallest changes to your lifestyle can have the greatest impact. So to kick off the re-launch of Nonprofit Awareness, this week we'll be featuring some great companies that are doing their part to be positive instruments of change. By purchasing any of their products- products you're buying anyway- you are helping build a better local, regional, national and global community.




Know a great nonprofit, for-profit, group or individual whose work should be featured? Send us an email at nonprofitsnow@gmail.com.

iLEAP: The Center for Critical Service

iLEAP: The Center for Critical Service's (iLEAP) mission is to cultivate and inspire a new generation of global citizens who are motivated by a commitment to service and have the practical skills, rigorous critical thinking, and global community of support to create positive social and systematic change in the world. They seek to inspire a worldwide community of interlinked global citizens and innovative organizations who are connected through their commitment and courage to take risks and engage life with a humble passion and abiding sense of humor as they work with, and serve others.

The organization designs and delivers a variety of experiential based educational programs that serve as the catalyst for this new generation, and work to nurture meaningful collaborations between people, organizations, and community. These programs are developed with closer partnerships with colleges and universities, civil society groups, and for-profit businesses.  All the programs emphasize social enterprise, collaboration, conversation, and rigorous engagement with ideas and theory. They range from one day to nine months.

The programs are listed below:

• International Fellowship Program- brings leaders from civil society organizations working for positive social change in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, to Seattle, Washington for a three month intensive program in professional skill building, academic study, and global networking. The program is focused on the central themes of: social enterprise, reflective practice, collaborative leadership, and social and environmental sustainability.
• Taking the Leap- is a global three phased program that balances personal growth, critical thinking, and academic theory with pragmatic training in project design, development, and implementation. The first phase is spent in Seattle working with iLEAP staff and faculty in seminar coursework and working in social enterprise. The second phase sends each student overseas to live and work in a different rural community in Asia, Africa, or Latin America to work with international iLEAP faculty. In the third phase students return to Seattle for a time of reflection, sharing and preparations for the future.
• Social Innovation in Seattle- a unique internship for university students from Asia and Europe, based in Seattle. Through direct internships in American organizations and businesses, this program introduces students to the fundamentals of social enterprise and social innovation in business practice.

For more information on iLEAP, please visit their website.