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In 2023, UGG contributed a portion of their sales of Scrunchita’s to Kiva, engaging their customers around a cause that matters to them.
UGG’s initial investment of $25k supported financial inclusion for women by matching loans to women borrowers through Kiva.
As the loans they made to women are repaid, the money is relent to new borrowers, increasing the impact of the initial investment and creating a positive loop of financial opportunities for women.
For brands that support gender equality and other social issues, it can take some creativity to not only take meaningful action, but also engage their customers in the process. Fortunately, Kiva provides an exciting, effective way for companies to have a positive social impact that resonates with consumers all over the world.
When footwear icon UGG wanted to create a meaningful initiative for International Women’s Day in 2023, they reached out to Kiva's team to explore the potential of microlending. The result has been a dynamic campaign that continues to engage their customers and create financial opportunities for women around the world.
How it started
While UGG is known for making cute, comfortable shoes that turn heads, the company also maintains a commitment to people and the planet by promoting equality and looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact.
“Our global platform means we have a responsibility to our consumers, employees, stakeholders, and the communities we serve,” states the company’s most recent Corporate Responsibility Report.
The brand generates strong customer engagement through its website and social media, and those channels also serve as an excellent way to showcase their support for gender equality and sustainability. UGG found a way to leverage its impact even further — with a focus on cute shoes, of course.
In March 2023, the UGG Scrunchita in Pale Chartreuse was already set to become a popular item. Beginning on International Women's Day, March 8, through March 31, UGG pledged to donate $20 from each purchase to Kiva, giving these cozy sandals the added cachet of expanding financial access to women around the globe.
Donations from Scrunchita sales were projected to reach $25k, and UGG offered Kiva the investment upfront so that the money could be activated on March 1, the start of Women's History Month. With these funds, UGG was able to match loans to women on the Kiva site, engaging Kiva lenders who wanted to double their impact for borrowers they were supporting.
Over the next year, the UGG fund contributed to dozens more matched loans to women entrepreneurs, many of them aligning with the company’s mission and values. The initial $25k matched loans to ventures in to two main categories:
$15k in clothing-related loans to women
$10k in sustainability-related loans to women
But that was just the beginning of their impact.
Turning $25k into $62k in impact
By the end of March 2023, those first loans began to be repaid, the money returning to UGG’s revolving fund. With Kiva’s relending model, the repaid loans were able to be used as additional matched loans to new borrowers, and one year later, the initial $25k increased more than 100 percent, facilitating thousands of loans to women on almost every continent.
A new impact page tracking UGG’s impact on Kiva’s website showed that by International Women’s Day 2024, the money lent from UGG’s initial pledge totaled upwards of $62k and funded more than 2,300 loans. As the loans are repaid, new ones continue to be disbursed to bring financial inclusivity to even more women.
“By using the same 2023 investment and turning the repayments right back around to new borrowers, UGG has more than doubled its impact,” explains Logan Lynch, the account manager on the Kiva Strategic Partnerships team who helped activate the program.
“The data shows how the ‘Kiva effect’ of relending is more effective than if we had done just a traditional campaign for one day.”
Engaging over 4,000 customers
Aligned with UGG’s value of ‘Be Good to People’, the impact they made for over 2,000 underserved women was the real goal. But through their campaign, UGG was also able to create real connections with some of the other people that matter to them — their customers.
“It’s not just about the money, it’s about creating connections,” says Logan. “That’s what UGG wanted to do — invest in causes that make a difference, and provide a real point of connection with their customers.”
In preparation for their 2024 campaign, UGG interviewed a Kiva borrower they had helped fund, Amanda, to learn more about her story and the impact of her Kiva loan. Amanda owns a grocery store on the big Island of Hawaii, which specializes in carrying locally-produced fruits, meat, fish, and other stables, supporting local farmers and helping sustain the local economy. You can read Amanda’s story on the UGG website.
Their 2024 International Women’s Day campaign confirmed that financial inclusion for women is a cause that matters to UGG’s customers as much as it does to them. UGG celebrated in-store with flyers and digitally through their homepage and an email blast, which drove 4,886 readers to the company’s webpage to learn more about the Kiva partnership and Amanda’s story.
Making an impact all year round
After more than a year, UGG continues to further its goal of creating financial opportunities for women. International Women’s Day 2024 brought a celebration in UGG stores and online, highlighting how investing with Kiva has been far more effective than a single donation.
“We use the day as an anchor point, but the need is there all year round,” continues Lynch. “By continuously matching loans, we’re able to keep maximizing that impact.”
UGG and other brands that have partnered with Kiva like to share how their investment is being utilized, and Lynch points out that their individual impact pages allow everyone involved to see their impact.
“It’s a great way to engage their employees, customers, partners, and other stakeholders and let them know the impact they’re having with Kiva,” she says.
“This platform is a connection point.”
Want to learn more about partnering with Kiva and engaging customers around the causes that are important to your brand? Visit our partnerships page to get in touch.
