So it has happened. My 18-year-old self would have never believed it. I have fully integrated into being an online shopper. Christmas shopping…done all online. In need of daily household items, no problem, my husband and I order it all online. My last clothing shopping spree, you guessed it, I did it all online. The best part (with the exception of pure convenience) is that it puts a smile on my face. Literally.
Yes, a big portion of my online shopping is done on Amazon (gasp). My husband and I are suckers for their easy to use website, two day shipping (I <3 Amazon Prime) and hassle-free return policy. But my obsession with them recently increased when I learned about AmazonSmile. As a corporate philanthropy consultant, I am always looking at how the companies I purchase from give back to their communities (and you should too). While most fortune 500 companies have very specific charities that they fund, Amazon does as well, one of their new initiatives is to give the power of giving directly to their 182 millions users.
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price (.05%) to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support (and for those of you keeping count, there are 1.5 million charities registered with IRS).
You see, Amazon knows the statistics:
- 90% of consumers want companies to tell them how they are supporting causes
- 85% of consumers have a more positive image of a product or company if it supports a cause
- 83% of Americans wish more of the products, retailers and services they used would support a cause
But what I love about this corporate philanthropy model is that Amazon didn’t just look to see how every other corporate giant was giving back. Instead, they built it around what they do best, engaging the user. With all of their customers, Amazon would not have been able to pick one charity that everyone would love and support. Instead, they did what Amazon always does and pushed the envelope and incorporated their users into their giving strategy. Brilliant. As I tell my clients when I’m creating their corporate philanthropy strategy, there is no right or wrong way to build it. But instead, it has to fit their corporate culture. And Amazon has done just that.
And just like how Amazon has made shopping easy, they are making giving easy as well. I’m a big proponent of trying to get people to “do good” when they can. It doesn’t mean saving the world overnight, but doing simple, little things that can possible change the world, especially when it doesn’t cost us anything. This is one of those easy ways to give back. If you’re a frequent Amazon user (or not), then sign up at smile.amazon.com to easily link your account to your favorite charity. Just remember, for your charity to get funded, you always need to make your purchases at smile.amazon.com instead of the traditional amazon.com.
Happy shopping!
Kelly Unplugged
Now knowing about AmazonSmile, does this make you like or dislike the company even more?
