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Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
What can I expect to find in my Bella Bag?
A typical Bella Bag is comprised of 6-10 self-care products and uplifting lifestyle surprises that are: clean-ingredient, vegan, cruelty-free, and small-batch. The goodies inside range from single-use samples to (smaller) full-size products.
Everything is carefully curated from women and minority-led small businesses and up-and-coming brands. Bella Bags are a perfect way to discover new businesses to love! Examples of the types of surprises you might find include, but are not limited to:
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Body spray
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Lotion
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Shower steamer
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Shampoo
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Original artwork
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Deodorant
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Essential oil roller
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Flower seed bombs
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Candle
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Organic coffee/tea
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Tinted lip balm
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Handmade jewelry
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Nail polish
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Body or facial wipes
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Stickers or mirror decals
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Face mask
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Natural candy
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Positive affirmation card
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What if I want to donate to Bella Bags, but I don't necessarily need or want a Bella Bag for myself?
If you'd prefer to forgo receiving your own Bella Bag, then you can make a direct monetary donation instead. For every direct monetary donation of $25, we donate two Bella Bags to women facing serious health or situational hardship.
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Yeah, but...I can get a Birchbox or Ipsy Box for cheaper!
Think outside the box! Unlike Birchbox and other subscription box services, with Bella Bags, your purchase stretches to do a LOT of good for other femmes. For $34.95, not only do you get a Bella Bag, but we also donate one to a woman facing serious hardship. And because we work to curate product samples from small businesses and lesser-known-brands, your purchase also directly supports small biz makers. It feels good to do good, and you're helping to spread that good with every Bella Bag purchase. It's majorly positive mojo!
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Additionally, clean-ingredient products that are handmade in smaller batches are sometimes a bit more expensive for us to obtain than their mass-produced, corporate counterparts. This factor plays into the Bella Bag cost as well.
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Lastly, USPS shipping rates continue to climb. This not only affects the cost to send a Bella Bag, but it also impacts our costs to receive each product that is featured in our Bella Bags.
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Is the Bella Bag that I receive the same as the donated Bella Bag?
There are a few distinctions between these bags.
Purchased Bella Bags (the one you receive or purchase as a gift):
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Contain different types of products every few months.
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These products focus on overall self-care and lifestyle benefit for the at-home user.
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Feature a product info card to help you learn more about each brand and pursue full-size purchase.
Donated Bella Bags (the one we give away): ​
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Contain products that are specifically tailored to benefiting women in whatever uniquely challenging situation they may be facing (hospital or shelter stays, homelessness, harsh medical treatments, etc.). For example, craft hand soap is not as beneficial to a woman in a shelter setting as would be deodorant or body wipes.
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Feature a different variation of the product info card that is focused on inspiration only.
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Where do donated Bella Bags go?
Thanks to you, we have donated over 400 Bella Bags in our first year alone! These Bella Bags have been gifted to the below organizations. We are always looking for new organizations to donate to, and one of our 2022 goals is to begin donating to organizations beyond Missouri. If you know of an organization who could benefit from receiving Bella Bags, please contact me directly at cassie@givebellabags.org.
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Those who have benefited from Bella Bag donations so far:
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Cancer and COVID patients at Cox South Hospital via the Cox Foundation.
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Women seeking refuge from domestic violence at Harmony House.
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Women experiencing homelessness and receiving a continuation of medical care at the Women's Medical Respite.
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Moms seeking resources from the Springfield Dream Center.
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Women seeking food assistance and support from Least of These.
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Cancer and hospitalized patients at Mercy Hospital Springfield.
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COVID-unit nurses at Cox South Hospital Springfield.
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In-patient cancer therapy recipients at Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis.
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Moms staying at The Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks.
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Women facing various situational hardships and seeking assistance through Four Hearts One Focus.
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Can I gift a Bella Bag to someone else?
Absolutely! Bella Bags make for a great gift, especially for someone who may be going through a particularly difficult time or who could use a little pick-me-up. Who wouldn't love to open their mailbox to a surprise mailer full of self-care goodies? A gifting option is available to you at checkout, where you can also enter a personalized note for your recipient.
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I'm a small business owner and I'd love to get my products into Bella Bags! How do we partner with you?
Firstly, thank you for considering Bella Bags as the conduit for expanding your product reach. We'd love to partner with you. Unfortunately, not every business who reaches out can be featured in a Bella Bag as the products we include are selective. Our criteria:
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Product must utilize clean, non-toxic ingredients.
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Products must fall under the category of "self-care". We define this as products that help a woman feel her best from the outside in, and inside out. Examples: Lotion, perfume, deodorant, body wipes, facial cleansers / masks, essential oil, candles, shampoo, jewelry, wellness / nutritional samples.
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You must be considered a small business. The definition of "small business" is somewhat subjective, but our definition is: a privately owned partnership or sole-proprietorship with less revenue and reach than a comparable corporate business.
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Female and/or minority owned businesses are a plus, but not mandatory.
Do you check the above boxes? Great!To get the process rolling, email: cassie@givebellabags.org.
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Is Bella Bags a non-profit?
We are not currently identified as a 501c3 non-profit. Bella Bags is a mission-driven business.
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