Proceeds go to…

Dan Storper believes there's more to music than just buying and listening to it. At least that's the vision behind Putumayo World Music, the multicultural music company Storper founded in 1992. Where does the music originate? Who made it? Putumayo's non-profit program, which donates proceeds from the sale of each CD to international organizations in the region where the music originates, tries to answer those questions.

While not a new trend in the industry, offering a variety of product that give a little something back can add a new component to display opportunities and expand a store's customer base. Putumayo works with retailers by providing them with special signage, listening copies and the opportunity for charitable events, all with a goal of giving those stores' customers a sense of where their money is going with each purchase.

Amnesty International, Artists for a New South Africa, Coffee Kids, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Global Exchange and the National Dance Institute are six of the 14 organizations currently benefiting from Putumayo's proceeds.

“It brings extra meaning to the purchase,” Storper tells Playthings. “It's another component that can create an exceptional environment in-store, and may help with sales. It adds another dimension outside of 'just business.' Whether [a donation] is a small or large percentage, it shows kids at a younger age that it's more than just consumerism.”

This year, new Putumayo releases include One World, One Kid, a CD dejayed by six-year-old Skylar Pia, whose friend benefited from the Make-A-Wish foundation before he passed away. The CD features tracks from France, Cape Verde, Columbia, Jamaica and Australia, and 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to the Phoenix-based charitable organization. Other CDs include Reggae Playground, which benefits the Jamaica Basic Schools Foundation, an organization that helps fund education for Jamaican children ages 3 to 6. A Folk Playground, featuring singer-songwriters Art Garfunkel and Michelle Shocked, is also in the works, scheduled for release later this year.

Folkmanis, Emeryville, Calif., continues to develop wildlife educational programs for children. Currently, puppets are used to educate children about stray animals, endangered species and wildlife environments through organizations like the Lindsay Wildlife Center, Pet Orphans of Southern California and the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Fla. Elaine Kolias, marketing manager, Folkmanis, says that the company will also continue its partnership with the Sierra Club, giving 6 percent of all proceeds from the line of endangered species puppets to the San Francisco-based Sierra Club. “We tend to go with smaller groups and try to make a difference,” she tells Playthings. “The alliance also helps broaden Folkmanis' customer base with outdoor retailers and national parks.”

Las Vegas-based Eco Planet's Eco Toys line donates proceeds of sales to help promote social, economic and environmental justice around the world through Global Exchange, San Francisco. One World Planet, Batavia, N.Y., offers Karen Dolls, sewn by Burmese women in refugee camps in Thailand, or the Make Your Own Chocolate Kit, which follows character Lucia as she brings organic chocolate from Costa Rica. Make Your Own Chewing Gum and Gummies kits are also available. All the products are imported, fair-trade crafts originating from more than 20 countries and more than 60 producer groups throughout Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Southeast Asia.

ELH Enterprises, Pleasanton, Calif., will donate 30 percent of sales of its new CURE product line of plush and beanbag bears, blankets, pillows and sterling silver necklaces and bracelets to several charities including CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation, The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Children with Diabetes Foundation.

New books in the “Dolly Goes…” series from Long Island, N.Y.-based The Dolly Adventures, will benefit the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association with 10 percent of proceeds from books Dolly Goes to the Beach and Dolly Goes on Vacation to each organization.

Publisher Team Angie Productions, Charleston, S.C. will donate 50 percent of all proceeds from the first book in its series, Angie the Ant and the Bumblebee Tree, to child abuse prevention.