How MABLE Gives Back: Our Buy Give Teach Donation Model

Small everyday choices can create a bigger impact when giving is built directly into how a company operates.

At MABLE, that idea is behind Buy Give Teach, our give-back program that combines bamboo toothbrush donations with education around sustainability, personal health, and everyday choices.

For every MABLE online order, we donate one bamboo toothbrush. But Buy Give Teach is about more than donating a product. From the beginning, education has been an important part of the program helping children and communities understand how something as ordinary as a toothbrush can connect to oral health, plastic waste, sustainability, and the choices we make every day.

What began with school visits and sustainability presentations in San Francisco has evolved into a broader program supporting schools, educators, nonprofits, environmental organizations, shelters, hygiene initiatives, and community groups.

What Is MABLE’s Buy Give Teach Program?

Buy Give Teach is MABLE’s give-back program that donates bamboo toothbrushes while supporting education around sustainability and personal health.

The model has three connected ideas:

Buy: A customer purchases from MABLE.

Give: MABLE donates a bamboo toothbrush.

Teach: The toothbrush can become a starting point for conversations about oral health, sustainability, plastic waste, recycling, and responsible everyday choices.

This combination of giving and education is important to us because access to a sustainable product is only one part of creating meaningful change. Understanding why our everyday choices matter can help that impact continue beyond a single toothbrush.

How Did Buy Give Teach Start?

Buy Give Teach has been part of MABLE from the beginning.

In our early days, we visited schools in San Francisco, where MABLE was founded, to speak with students about sustainability and recycling. As part of those visits, we gave students bamboo toothbrushes.

The toothbrush itself was useful, but it also served as a practical example.

A child could hold an everyday item in their hand and see that something they use regularly could be made differently. That created an opportunity to talk about personal health, waste, materials, recycling, and how small decisions can affect the environment.

At the time in 2016, sustainable products were often more expensive and harder to find than they are today. That meant access was not equal.

We wanted sustainable alternatives and sustainability education to reach people beyond those already able to purchase premium eco-friendly products.

That principle remains at the heart of Buy Give Teach today.

How Has MABLE’s Give-Back Program Evolved?

Buy Give Teach began with direct school visits, but as MABLE grew, the program expanded.

Today, we can work with a much wider range of organizations and initiatives, including schools, educators, youth programs, registered nonprofits, shelters, hygiene programs, dental-care access initiatives, environmental organizations, community nonprofits, beach cleanups, and sustainability groups.

The organizations may be different, but the purpose remains consistent: use a practical everyday product to support access, education, personal health, and positive environmental choices.

What Kinds of Organizations Does MABLE Support?

MABLE supports organizations where toothbrush donations can meet a genuine need or contribute to meaningful education and community programs.

Whenever possible, we prefer to work with registered nonprofits because this makes it easier to verify organizations, document donations, and understand how the toothbrushes will be distributed.

However, Buy Give Teach is not limited to nonprofits. We may also support schools, educators, environmental groups, shelters, hygiene programs, dental-care initiatives, and community organizations when there is a clear fit.

We particularly look for opportunities involving:

• Children, students, and youth

• Underserved communities

• Schools and educators

• Shelters and personal-hygiene programs

• Dental-care access initiatives

• Environmental and marine conservation organizations

• Sustainability education

• Community health and wellness programs

• Beach cleanups and environmental action

Environmental organizations are especially aligned with MABLE's mission because a bamboo toothbrush can serve both as a practical oral-care product and as a simple example of how everyday products can be made with different materials.

Some Organizations MABLE Has Supported

Transparency matters when talking about corporate giving. Rather than simply saying that Buy Give Teach supports communities, here are several examples of organizations and initiatives that have received MABLE bamboo toothbrushes.

Saving The Blue 110 Bamboo Toothbrushes

MABLE donated 110 bamboo toothbrushes to Saving The Blue, an organization working to protect and restore marine ecosystems.

Saving The Blue visits schools in the Bahamas, where much of its research is based, to teach children about marine conservation and sustainability. The goal is to help build local knowledge so communities can better understand and protect their marine resources.

The 110 toothbrushes were provided for two school visits, connecting an everyday sustainable product with wider conversations about conservation and environmental responsibility.

Cultural Care Kids First Foundation & Global Dental Relief 300 Bamboo Toothbrushes

MABLE donated 300 bamboo toothbrushes in support of the Cultural Care Kids First Foundation's partnership with Global Dental Relief.

Global Dental Relief provides dental care to children in underserved communities around the world, making this partnership closely aligned with the oral-health and access side of Buy Give Teach.

Providing toothbrushes alongside dental-care initiatives helps extend the value of oral-health support beyond treatment and into everyday hygiene routines.

The Harker School & Palo Alto VA Hospital 200 Bamboo Toothbrushes

MABLE provided 200 bamboo toothbrushes to support an initiative involving The Harker School in San Jose, California, and the Palo Alto VA Hospital.

After seeing the impact of funding cuts on hospitalized veterans, students created an initiative to provide hygiene and mental-wellness kits to patients at the hospital.

The donated toothbrushes became part of that practical effort to provide useful personal-care items to veterans.

Remember The ToothFairy 600 Bamboo Toothbrushes

MABLE donated 600 bamboo toothbrushes to Remember The ToothFairy.

The organization works with children from low-income and underprivileged communities around the world, using early education to encourage good brushing habits.

Its focus on both access to toothbrushes and education around healthy oral-care habits closely reflects the Give and Teach elements of MABLE's program.

These four examples alone represent 1,210 bamboo toothbrushes donated across environmental education, children's dental care, veterans' hygiene initiatives, and oral-health education.

How Does MABLE Choose Donation Partners?

We want donated toothbrushes to go where they will be useful, needed, and responsibly distributed.

Whenever possible, we give preference to registered nonprofits because that helps us verify organizations and maintain better donation records. But we also consider schools, educators, environmental groups, shelters, and community initiatives when their work clearly aligns with Buy Give Teach.

When considering a potential partner, we look at questions such as:

• Can we verify the organization and the program it operates?

• Is there a genuine need for toothbrushes or hygiene products?

• Does the organization serve children, youth, underserved communities, shelters, or environmental education programs?

• Can the products be received and distributed responsibly?

• Does the program align with MABLE's values around sustainability, access, education, health, or community care?

• Are the shipping and logistics practical?

Where appropriate, we may also receive confirmation of delivery, photos, thank-you notes, or permission to share an organization's story.

This process helps make Buy Give Teach more than a promise attached to a purchase. It helps connect donations with organizations that can put the products to practical use.

Why Do Toothbrush Donations Matter?

A toothbrush is small, inexpensive compared with many forms of assistance, and easy to overlook.

But it is also a basic part of everyday hygiene.

Regular access to a toothbrush supports daily oral-care routines, while building healthy habits early can be particularly important for children.

Toothbrushes also have practical advantages for donation programs: they are lightweight, individually useful, relatively easy to transport, and can be incorporated into hygiene kits and educational initiatives.

For MABLE, a bamboo toothbrush provides another opportunity as well.

It can start a conversation about the materials used to make everyday products and why alternatives to conventional plastic products exist. If you're interested in the environmental side of that choice, read our guide to sustainable toothbrushes.

What Is the Difference Between One-for-One, Percentage-of-Profits, and Other Give-Back Models?

Not every company that gives back uses the same model. Understanding the differences can make it easier for customers to see how a purchase connects with a company's charitable or community impact.

One-for-One Model

In a one-for-one model, a company donates one product for each qualifying product sold or purchase made.

The main advantage is simplicity: customers can clearly understand the connection between purchasing and giving.

The challenge is ensuring that the donated product is genuinely useful and reaches organizations or communities that need it.

Percentage-of-Profits Model

With a percentage-of-profits model, a business donates a percentage of its profit after expenses.

This approach gives businesses flexibility to provide financial support to charities and other organizations. However, the amount donated can vary because company profits can change from one period to another.

It may also be less immediately clear to customers how much of an individual purchase ultimately contributes to a donation.

Percentage-of-Sales Model

A percentage-of-sales model ties giving to revenue rather than profit.

For example, a company might commit a certain percentage of qualifying sales to a nonprofit or cause. Because the calculation is based on sales rather than what remains after expenses, the relationship between purchasing and giving can be easier to communicate.

Flat Donation Model

Some companies make a predetermined donation every month, quarter, or year.

This flat donation model can provide organizations with predictable support and allows businesses to budget their giving in advance. However, there may be less of a direct connection between an individual customer's purchase and the donation.

In-Kind Donation Model

An in-kind donation involves giving useful products or services instead of cash.

This approach can be particularly effective when the company's product addresses a real need.

Toothbrushes, for example, can be incorporated directly into hygiene kits, schools, shelters, oral-health programs, and community initiatives.

Education-Based Giving

Giving does not always have to involve money or physical products.

An education-based giving model supports learning through school programs, workshops, presentations, resources, or awareness initiatives.

Education can help extend the impact of a donation by giving people knowledge they can continue to use after the donated product itself has served its purpose.

Where Does MABLE’s Buy Give Teach Model Fit?

MABLE's approach combines product donation with education.

The simplest way to understand it is:

Buy → Give → Teach

Buy: A customer's purchase helps make giving possible.

Give: MABLE provides bamboo toothbrushes that can support oral-care access and practical hygiene needs.

Teach: Those toothbrushes can also help start conversations about personal health, sustainability, plastic waste, materials, recycling, and everyday choices.

Rather than treating product donation and education as separate activities, Buy Give Teach connects the two.

Where Is the Proof of MABLE’s Donations?

We believe give-back programs should be understandable and verifiable.

That is one reason we prefer registered nonprofits and established organizations whenever possible.

Depending on the partnership, records may include shipment information, confirmation from the receiving organization, thank-you notes, photographs, partner logos, or permission-based stories about how the donation was used.

We also understand that not every organization can publicly share every detail, particularly when programs involve children, shelters, patients, or vulnerable communities. In those situations, maintaining recipient privacy is more important than publicly documenting every aspect of a donation.

MABLE also shares detailed donation updates through our email communications, including information about who received donations and why the partnership matters.

Why Buy Give Teach Still Matters to MABLE

Buy Give Teach is not something we added simply because corporate giving became popular.

It has been part of MABLE from the beginning.

We started with the belief that small changes to everyday habits can make a difference and that sustainable oral care should be more accessible.

A single donated toothbrush is a small action.

But hundreds of toothbrushes reaching children, schools, community programs, environmental organizations, hygiene initiatives, veterans, and underserved communities can represent something larger.

They can support healthier routines.

They can provide a basic hygiene product where one is needed.

And they can create opportunities to talk about how the products we use every day affect our health and our environment.

That is what Buy Give Teach means to us: connecting everyday purchases with practical giving and education.

Small Choices. Practical Giving. Bigger Conversations.

Buy Give Teach began with a simple idea: everyday products can become opportunities to do something useful.

Today, that means connecting MABLE purchases with bamboo toothbrush donations while continuing conversations about oral health, sustainability, access, waste, and everyday choices.

From 110 toothbrushes supporting marine-conservation education to 600 toothbrushes helping encourage healthy brushing habits among children, the impact takes different forms depending on the organization and community.

But the principle remains the same: Buy. Give. Teach.

Explore MABLE's range of manual bamboo toothbrushes, all sustainable bathroom products, or visit the MABLE Blog to learn more about lower-waste oral care.

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Frequently Asked Questions About MABLE Buy Give Teach

What is MABLE Buy Give Teach?

Buy Give Teach is MABLE's give-back program. It combines bamboo toothbrush donations with education around sustainability, personal health, waste, and everyday choices.

How many toothbrushes does MABLE donate per online order?

For every MABLE online order, MABLE donates one bamboo toothbrush through its Buy Give Teach program.

What kinds of organizations does MABLE support?

MABLE supports registered nonprofits, schools, educators, environmental groups, shelters, hygiene programs, dental-care initiatives, and community organizations where toothbrush donations or sustainability education can make a practical contribution.

Which organizations has MABLE donated toothbrushes to?

Examples include Saving The Blue (110 toothbrushes), Cultural Care Kids First Foundation's partnership with Global Dental Relief (300), The Harker School/Palo Alto VA Hospital initiative (200), and Remember The ToothFairy (600).

Together, these four examples account for 1,210 donated bamboo toothbrushes.

Why does MABLE donate bamboo toothbrushes?

Toothbrushes are practical everyday hygiene products. Using bamboo toothbrushes also creates an opportunity to discuss plastic waste, sustainable alternatives, and how everyday products can be made differently.

You can learn more about their environmental benefits in our guide, Are Bamboo Toothbrushes Effective and Good for the Environment?.

Is Buy Give Teach a one-for-one program?

MABLE's model has a one-for-one element because one bamboo toothbrush is donated for every MABLE online order, but it goes beyond product donation by incorporating education around sustainability, oral health, waste, and everyday choices.

How can an organization request a MABLE toothbrush donation?

Schools, registered nonprofits, educators, environmental groups, shelters, and community organizations interested in Buy Give Teach can contact MABLE at info@gomable.com.

MABLE particularly welcomes organizations working with children, youth, underserved communities, personal health, environmental education, and sustainability.