In episode 48 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Laura Hertz, Co-founder and CEO of Gifts for Good on using socially conscious products to disrupt the $100 million market of corporate gifting.

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Laura is the co-founder and CEO of Gifts for Good— an e-commerce site that curates and customizes premium gifts for companies and professionals that support charitable causes in 19 states and 65 countries around the globe. Making thoughtfulness and philanthropy easier for all.

Prior to starting Gifts for Good, Laura worked as the Creative Director of Cultural Outreach where she helped mortgage and real estate professionals better reach and serve the next generation of multicultural and Millennial homebuyers through cutting-edge training, marketing, and diversity recruitment solutions.

She also served as an Audit Senior Associate at Deloitte, where she helped to identify and mitigate potential risks within client accounting, internal control and operating procedures for leading financial institutions, Charles Schwab and Bank of the West.

Laura dedicated two years of her life to national community service work with AmeriCorps NCCC— the Domestic Peace Corps. She is the recipient of the Bronze Congressional Service Award—the highest award given by any U.S. legislative body—which recognizes “initiative, service and achievement in young people.

Laura studied Business Administration at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and later earned her Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business.

Though originally hailing from New York, she has been fortunate enough to live in a diverse slew of countries, including China, Spain, and South Africa, and to have traveled through 22 countries and 49 states.

Full Interview

Grant: What’s up, everybody? This is Grant from Causeartist. Welcome to another episode of the Disruptors for Good podcast. Today, we’re chatting with Laura Hertz, the Co-Founder and CEO of Gifts for Good.

If you’re not familiar, Gifts for Good is an amazing way for companies to give meaningful gifts to their employees—gifts that they’ll actually appreciate and use. We’ve all received those generic corporate gifts that end up in a drawer or, worse, a landfill. Gifts for Good changes that by offering products that employees will love, with each product having a unique story behind it.

Many of the companies featured on this podcast have their products available on Gifts for Good’s platform. It’s such a brilliant idea and it’s hard to believe that this kind of solution has taken so long to become available in the corporate market.

Laura’s journey began with volunteering after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, which happens to be my hometown. She spent time with AmeriCorps, doing recovery work across the country, including rebuilding homes with Habitat for Humanity, teaching in inner-city schools, and running large-scale community programs.

These experiences became the catalyst for her lifelong commitment to social impact and social responsibility.

Laura graduated from USC with one of the first MBAs in Social Entrepreneurship, which is something we need to see more of in business education. We talked about how COVID-19 is reshaping business and how social entrepreneurship might be a key to avoiding future catastrophes. I absolutely enjoyed our conversation, and I hope you do too.

05:56

Grant: Let’s start with your journey. How did you get to where you are today, creating something incredible like Gifts for Good?

Laura: I grew up in New York, and when I was a senior in high school, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. I felt compelled to do something, so I organized a community service trip to Louisiana with some classmates. The devastation I saw firsthand was shocking. I ended up deferring my acceptance to university and spent a year working with AmeriCorps.

I was in a program called the National Civilian Community Corps, which is like the domestic Peace Corps. We did community service projects across the country—eight months in New Orleans, fire recovery in San Diego, teaching in inner-city schools in Los Angeles, and working for a food bank in Sacramento. These experiences were formative for me and laid the foundation for the work I do today.

In 2008, during the financial crisis, I noticed that many nonprofits were starting to make and sell products to fund their missions. That was the spark for Gifts for Good. After my AmeriCorps service, I went to UC Berkeley to study business, and later worked at Deloitte in financial services. But I knew I wanted to return to the social impact space.

I went back to business school at USC, where I studied social entrepreneurship. Gifts for Good actually started as a class project there. My co-founder and I were classmates, and by the end of the semester, we knew we had something special.

09:14

Grant: So you studied social entrepreneurship in a specific program? That’s amazing.

Laura: Yes, it was a master’s program in social entrepreneurship at USC’s Marshall School of Business. It was one of the first programs in the U.S. focused on using business as a force for good.

We learned the foundations of an MBA but applied them to social impact, solving problems for people and the planet. It was the perfect foundation for what I’m doing now.

11:18

Grant: Did you know you wanted to pursue social entrepreneurship before entering the program? Was there a company or moment that influenced you?

Laura: I had a moment in an undergraduate class at Berkeley called Global Poverty in Practice. The professor talked about using job creation to uplift people out of poverty, not just giving handouts.

That resonated deeply with me. I didn’t know exactly how I’d apply it, but when I later worked at Deloitte, I saw how important corporate social responsibility was becoming. I realized there was so much opportunity to integrate social impact into everyday business operations.

14:40

Grant: After graduating, what were your next steps with Gifts for Good? How did you transition from a class project to a real business?

Laura: It was a leap of faith. My co-founder and I decided to go for it. We took the deep dive, which was scary, but necessary. I’ll admit, I didn’t follow all the advice from business school—I ran with the idea without extensive customer feedback. But I trusted my gut.

We spent months building our product base, researching cause partners, and designing our website. By the time we launched, we were ready. We launched in November, right before the holidays, and within days, Red Bull found us online and placed a huge order. That validated our idea, and orders kept coming in.

18:10

Grant: Let’s talk about the platform. How does it work? Has the model changed since you first launched?

Laura: The core idea has remained the same. Gifts for Good is a marketplace for corporate gifts with a social impact. We offer over 500 products, most of which can be branded with a corporate logo. These products range from water bottles and backpacks to handmade leather journals and tech accessories.

Each product has a unique impact—whether it’s funding clean water, creating jobs for people with barriers to employment, or supporting women transitioning out of domestic violence. Our platform serves all types of companies and industries.

21:33

Grant: The products on your platform are sourced from social impact brands. How do you onboard these partners? What’s the process?

Laura: We have a detailed onboarding process. First, we ensure our partners can handle bulk orders and customization, which is crucial for corporate gifting. We also work closely with them to measure the impact of their products at the item level.

For example, we help them quantify that a gift set with a candle and soap provides two hours of employment for a woman transitioning from homelessness. This helps them not only with our platform but also with their broader fundraising efforts.

The relationship is very collaborative, and we tailor our approach based on the specific needs and capabilities of each partner.

24:38

Grant: You mentioned AmeriCorps earlier. You should definitely be a spokesperson for them! Do you still engage with the organization, perhaps in a mentorship capacity?

Laura: AmeriCorps was the best decision I ever made. It was tough to make that choice at 18, but it was life-changing. I’m so grateful for that experience.

My husband and I always say we’ll encourage our kids to take a year of service because it’s invaluable. It helps you grow, find what’s important to you, and gain skills you can apply to any career.

Volunteering is crucial, not just for young adults, but for everyone. There’s a Harvard study that shows people who volunteer regularly are the happiest. I’m a huge advocate for AmeriCorps and similar programs.

36:38

Grant: We can’t avoid talking about the current global situation. How has COVID-19 impacted your business and your partners?

Laura: It’s a challenging time. We’ve received heartbreaking emails from some of our cause partners who’ve had to furlough employees—people like women coming out of domestic violence or refugees who have recently settled in the U.S. It’s devastating.

But at the same time, I’m inspired by how many people want to help. There’s a resurgence of support for small businesses and nonprofits, and it’s amazing to see how people are coming together to make a difference during such a difficult time.

41:32

Grant: Looking ahead, what does success look like for Gifts for Good in the next five years?

Laura: I’m excited about the growth potential. We’ve seen how much businesses want the service we offer, and I believe that as we get the word out, more companies will join us. I envision hundreds of companies using Gifts for Good for their corporate gifting needs, helping to change thousands of lives.

The more we grow, the more we can support our nonprofit and social enterprise partners, creating sustainable jobs and making a lasting impact.

Ultimately, I want to reach a point where companies and individuals think twice before buying a gift without considering the impact it can have. We have the opportunity to add value to so many lives, and I’m excited to see where we go from here.

43:59

Grant: Thank you so much, Laura. I know you’ve had a busy few weeks, so I really appreciate you taking the time to chat.

Laura: Thank you, Grant. It’s been great to share our story, and I’m so glad we finally got to do this.