Podcasts Government Purpose 360 Talking shoes, philanthropy, and one-for-one with TOMS

Talking shoes, philanthropy, and one-for-one with TOMS

Published: Jan. 21, 2020, 11 a.m.

Consumers know TOMS, the shoe company that pioneered the one-for-one business model (spurring, by some accounts, more than 1,800 other “one-for-one” businesses). But few know what the name “TOMS” actually means: Tomorrow’s Shoes.

The name is prescient, especially considering the social, political and economic climate today compared to 2006, when TOMS was founded. While the world has changed, the TOMS promise holds fast: captured in the company’s mission (We’re in business to improve lives) and vision (Stand for a Better Tomorrow).

Purpose 360 welcomed “rebel optimist” Amy Smith, Chief Giving Officer at TOMS, to explain why TOMS is moving away from the one-for-one model to a broader focus on “building a tomorrow where everyone thrives.”

Listen for Amy’s insights on:

  • How TOMS expanded from a single one-for-one product—shoes—to several products, each supporting a critical social issue (vision, water, safe births, bullying, solar light)
  • How to smartly and authentically evolve a social impact model to remain relevant, innovative and effective in a turbulent society
  • Why TOMS launched a campaign to end gun violence, and how the company navigated a hotbed social issue
  • How TOMS works with hundreds of Giving Partners around the world to make a more meaningful and sustainable impact on local communities

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