Blake Mycoskie, TOMS Shoes, and Innovative Philanthropy

Most people have heard of TOMS Shoes; the casual, stylish, canvas slip-ons that are many people’s go-to through the warmer seasons. But not so many people know that every purchase of TOMS buys you more than just a pair of shoes.

Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS, is a philanthropist. Like many others, he is specifically interested in helping children’s causes. When Mycoskie founded TOMS in 2006, he did so with an innovative “One for One” business model that is now trademarked. This model follows the simple track of giving away one pair of shoes for every pair sold, helping Mycoskie to fulfill his philanthropic mission of using business as a sustainable way to make an impact and improve lives.

TOMS retail at the accessible price point of between $20 - $90, and in partnership with various humanitarian organizations, Mycoskie donates a pair to a different child in need per sale. An example of an organization that TOMS partners with is Save the Children, “the first global organization devoted solely to serving children’s needs and securing their rights.” From 2006 to now, TOMS has donated over 1 million pairs of shoes and boots to Save the Children, which have then been delivered to kids all around the world in locations like Australia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, the United States, and many more. Another organization that TOMS works with is Children International, an organization which fights to end poverty and improve the lives of children in poverty. By the end of 2016, over 3 million pairs of shoes were donated to youth in the impoverished areas CI works with.

Through all of their partnerships, TOMS has been successful in changing a multitude of lives. In 2020, they reached a milestone of “100,000,000 pairs of shoes given.” Despite their success, Mycoskie, being truly determined to help children in our world, has not stopped the initiative.

Mycoskie is not only invested in his own company and its mission, but invested in helping others reach their goals of strengthening our world. Mycoskie has now added “TOMS Giving” into their company, which allocates impact grants to local partners and companies who are also interested in “building a better tomorrow.” The impacts TOMS Giving has already made is amazing, as in 2021, TOMS donated over $2 million to 43 different organizations. These grants have impacted more than 20 communities and over 400,000 lives. Mycoskie also uses TOMS Giving to spotlight specific causes, raising awareness about them. For example, for this year's World Mental Health Day, TOMS gave 10 $10,000 grants to different organizations focused on mental health throughout the entire world. This not only helps the organizations but also highlights the importance of their cause.

In becoming the first “One for One” structured company, in addition to creating an impact through grants, Blake Mycoskie and TOMS Shoes have become prime examples of how we can help to heal our world in a sustainable and even prosperous way. They are examples for other companies to follow – which is our intention with Pieces with Purpose. Inspired by Mycoskie and TOMS, we have created two ways to donate to a Pieces with Purpose project:

1. Purchase an item for yourself, which will then be matched in a donation to the charity.

2. Purchase items on behalf of an organization.

Mycoskie's success inspired me to use my business, design, as a pathway to make an impact, and I think that we can all take a page from his book, and try to find a way to do good and help our world in anything we do.