Benevolent buying: Get one, give one

If you're a thrifty shopper, the term BOGO isn't new to you: Buy one, get one free.

But some companies are giving BOGO a whole new meaning: Buy a product, and they give another one to a person in need.

The concept is rooted in altruism, but it's making good business sense, too. Companies are tapping into Western culture's interest in socially responsible consumerism.

And the interest is growing, said Jennifer Krische with Retail Eye in New York, which tracks shopping trends.

"In today's day and age, there is a big emphasis on going green, giving back and being a lot more conscious of (how) your actions will affect the planet and people later," Krische said.

With shoes, clothing, flashlights, even soccer balls, companies are finding ways to scratch that itch.

USF shoes club

Shoemaker Toms was born from the buy one, give one movement.

Founder Blake Mycoskie was in Argentina in 2006 when he noticed many children had no shoes.

Going barefoot in the United States means you are at home or on the beach. In some parts of the world, it is a dangerous daily reality.

Shoeless agricultural workers can contract a foot-swelling disease from soil, called mossy foot, leaving them unable to work, according to Mossy Foot UK, a medical ministry founded in 1997. Later in 2006, Mycoskie returned to Argentina with friends, family, staff and 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by Toms customers.

The shoes have grown popular on college campuses, including the University of South Florida, where Nicole Grullon is a member of Toms Campus Club.

Grullon got involved after participating in One Day Without Shoes, a program developed by Toms to raise awareness for shoeless children in some developing countries.

Each year, people all over America spend a day without shoes.

But wearing Toms serves as a reminder as well.

"Whenever I wear my classics, I remind myself they're not just a pair of shoes," Grullon said. "The shoes represent one more child that doesn't have to be barefoot."

Threads for Threads

Another retailer, FIGS Ties, was created in 2010 to help children who need school uniforms in places where few can afford them.

"I thought of FIGS after realizing that I could inspire sophistication globally through 8 inches of fabric — both through education and fashion," said Heather Hasson, the founder. "And boom! I was making ties and helping send the same children to school."

FIGS, which stands for Fashion Inspired Global Sophistication, donates a school uniform to a child in a developing country for every tie purchased. The program is called Threads for Threads.

Providing school uniforms reduces absenteeism by about 38 percent, according to a study by the Center for the Study of African Economics.

"The ties symbolize their status as students — all as a group, and not singled out by what they may or may not have," Hasson said. All the donated uniforms are hand-sewn by tailors within local school communities, providing jobs in countries such as Nepal and Kenya.

FIGS has donated more than 7,500 uniforms to children through the program.

Giving light

Like Hasson, Mark Brent wanted a practical way to alleviate a basic problem he discovered during his 20 years in Africa as a diplomat.

A former oil executive, Brent was concerned about the lack of electricity, which means no light at night in homes and schools.

As many as 400 million households in developing countries have no access to electricity, according to The Humanitarian Technology Challenge, a social charity. This led Brent to start BoGo Light.

For every flashlight purchased, another is given to a cause of your choice, whether it is education or health. The lights range in price from $20 to $40.

"To us it's just a flashlight, but if your day ended when the sun went down you'd understand," Brent said.

Soccer that lasts

Not all buy-one, give-one products are purely practical.

Tim Jahnigen got the idea to create a virtually indestructible soccer ball after watching a documentary showing children playing the game in a Somali refugee camp with a ball of rags and garbage.

He created One World FutBol in 2010.

Entertainer Sting backed the project, and the company name comes from a song of his, said Lisa Tarver, the co-founder of One World FutBol.

The One World FutBol never goes flat. Designed to withstand the most extreme terrains, the balls aren't inflated. They are made from cross-linked, closed-cell foam, similar to the material in Crocs shoes and identical in weight to a size 5 soccer ball.

"When the children are playing with the One World FutBol, each puncture hole represents one ball that would have been replaced," Tarver said.

The balls cost about $40, but customers who just want to donate one pay $25.

Happy Blankies

Another company helps make nighttime a little more comfortable for tots.

It started with an idea 7-year-old David Holdridge had in 2008: Combine a blanket and stuffed animal into one product.

His mother thought they would be great for hospitals, orphanages and people in need. So far, 4,000 Happy Blankies have been donated.

"It's an example of something starting with a simple idea," said Emily Holdridge, David's mom, who launched "One to Love and One to Give."

The Happy Blankie customer can choose who gets the extra one. Recipients include the Ronald McDonald House, hospitals in North Carolina, Johns Hopkins hospital, and orphanages in Thailand, South Korea and Uganda.

"David's idea was important and kids have important ideas," Holdridge said. "It's about really empowering children to carry out their ideas."