Smile.Amazon.com - not only is it a great workaround for when Amazon.com goes down on Prime Day - but it's also a great way to donate to charity that everyone should be using, all the time!
Amazon donates 0.5% of all purchases to a charity of the shoppers choice. Hopefully you're eligible 501(c)(3) is already taking advantage of this offer - but just in case, here are the basics:
Amazon allows shoppers to choose from over a million different non-profit organizations and you don't need to have registered for a shopper to choose your rescue. You do need to sign up for an account at org.amazon.com in order to claim the money, though.
So, what's the catch?
Seems like an effortless way to collect money, right? True, but let's take a closer look. In this 2013 Huffington Post article, Brady Josephson explores social exchange theory and the psychology of philanthropy. He explains that there is reason to believe people are less likely to donate money directly to the charity if they feel as though they are making a difference by simply shopping and the donation does not come from their own pockets. The reality is, 0.5% is a tiny fraction of our purchases, so while it's a great way to passively raise money for an activity we're all going to partake in anyway, just make sure the giving doesn't stop there.
How can you make sure passive fundraising doesn't dissuade donors from additional giving? For one, you could be transparent about the actual earned income from Amazon in an annual report to givers.
Ok, still worth it! Now what?
If you decide to take advantage of Amazon Smile, you can get started by registering at org.amazon.com. There you'll find some Frequently Asked Questions and a Contact Us form in case you have any others.
As a bonus, once you login to your account, Amazon provides a Marketing Tools section to help you promote your charity.
So there you have it, smile.amazon.com, a nice way to passively raise funding. Just remember to give your supporters other frequent and easy opportunities to donate directly to you!