Causebox by Sevenly Review: Winter 2014

Causebox is a quarterly subscription box from Sevenly that includes items supporting women's businesses and organizations around the world. $7 from each box goes to a charity of your choice from a list. You can either let Sevenly decide where to send the money or choose from anti-bullying, African development, autism research, healthcare, adoption, or anti-trafficking organizations. I selected an organization that rescues minors who have been sold into the sex trade in India, as this is something I feel strongly about (not that I don't like to support the other programs, of course!).

In addition to the charitable donation, all the items in the boxes are from companies bettering the world. This is a subscription box that you can feel good about, because you're getting high value items, but also supporting causes and organizations that are ethical.

The first item in the box is a simple glass bottle made especially for Causebox. It says "Change for Change" and there was a note explaining the bottle - basically the idea is that you put spare change into the bottle. When it's full, you cash it out and give that amount to an individual or charity that needs it more than you do. I like this, because it encourages charity and it's also not demanding huge donations. We all lose a bunch of change in the car or in the couch, and when you get your morning coffee, you can always put the change in the bottle without even realizing it's gone. It's an easy way to give back.

The two snack items included in the box were a Madagascar Vanilla Almond & Honey bar from this bar saves lives. I love these - AND I love that each bar provides meals for hungry children. We also got dark chocolate-covered cacao nibs from sweetriot. This is a female-owned company committed to fair trade.

There was also a pack of stickers from Sevenly with motivational messages, as well as thank you cards from Gramr. Even better, the cards came with sealing wax and a wax press! (With Game of Thrones still a while away, my husband and I can pretend we're in Westeros now.)

Moving to fashion and accessories, the first item is a clutch from Sseko. This was hand-crafted in Ethiopia from suede and the sales help empower and educate women in the community. This is a nice clutch and a much better cause; however, I personally would have preferred to see something that was also animal-friendly. It really bums me out when, in order to help women, I end up hurting animals. I'll pass this along to someone, but it's something I hope Causebox considers in the future.

The necklace from Matterial Fix is symbolic of what the company does. They are an organization committed to empowering girls. They work to rescue, educate, and restore victims of sex trafficking (from ages 5-19). Although it's not a necklace I would normally wear, it did bring the company to my attention and I will definitely be shopping through them in the future!

My favorite item in the box was a scarf from fashionABLE. Each items from fashionABLE tells a story of a woman in Africa. This scarf is gorgeous and it was attached to a note from Alem, stating that the purchase made her ABLE to support her family.

I love Causebox, because the items are high quality, you are exposed to companies doing great things and can start shopping through them on your own, and a portion of your cost is given to a charity of your choice. It always feels good when consumerism doesn't just take, but also gives back to the world.