Editor’s note: This blog first appeared in May 2016 and has been updated.

Shopping social enterprise is a way to honor your mom while helping other women.

By Janine Vanderburg, Founder and Strategic Advisor, Joining Vision and Action 

“There’s a reason some people think they can do anything–they listened to their mothers.” Although I don’t who said this, I wholeheartedly agree. Our mothers are often are our biggest and best cheerleaders, pushing us to be our exceptional selves. For me, it was a mom who had always wanted to go to college. She encouraged me to go, creating a first-generation college student. One of my proudest moments was to see her eventually realizing her dreams by graduating summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at 64. 

Mother’s Day is almost here. You may be thinking, “Uh oh, I need to buy a gift, make a brunch reservation, order flowers, etc.”

Go ahead and Google Mother’s Day gifts and you’ll be bombarded with colorful images of jewelry, pottery, lotions, candles, household goods and anything else the internet deems “motherly.” These are all lovely ways to express your feelings to your mom, but Joining Vision and Action encourages you to make this year the one you cancel your standing flower order and honor your mom with a cherished gift that is not only lovely, but also helps other women. Unsure how to do that? We’ve scoured the online shopping world to find the best of the best options for shopping social enterprise:

• Women’s Bean Project–Lovingly handcrafted gourmet food and jewelry. With each purchase, you’re helping women break the cycle of poverty and chronic unemployment.
• Hope Tank– EVERY item sold at Hope Tank goes to support a different cause. We love owner Erika Righter, and babies born to JVA team members last year all received handprinted tees from HopeTank.
• Social Enterprise Alliance Online Shop–Disclosure: I am on the board of the Colorado chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance, and an enthusiastic member. By buying gifts from member organizations, you are supporting their life-changing work and spreading their vision of innovative social change to your friends, family and loved ones.
• The Women’s Foundation of Colorado–Consider making a tax-deductible gift in honor of a special woman in your life. When you make a gift, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado will send a card to your honoree, acknowledging your thoughtfulness, in time for Mother’s Day.
• Mile High Workshop–Mile High Workshop crafts handmade handbags, pillows, accessories, fabric packaging, and more. Each piece purchased creates employment opportunities and provide job training for members of our community seeking to rebuild from addictions, homelessness, and incarceration.

Did we forget any others? Please let us know so we can share them with all of us who want to thank our moms for making sure we were fed, clothed, housed and, above all, loved.