Take Action: Pick a Charity for Smile.Amazon

[tassosss]

Amazon Smile Program FAQ

Here's a very easy way to start donating to a cause.

Time to set up: 2 minutes
Distance from computer: 0

1. If you already have an Amazon.com account go to: smile.amazon.com
2. It should give you a pop-up that asks if you want to pick a charity. Click yes, and you'll go to their sign up page. They'll have some popular ones autofilled, but you can search for others, including the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.

Do note that these two, and probably others, are organized by local chapter, and it may be a little overwhelming to pick one office from pages and pages of choices. I recommened donating to one in your city or state - supporting your community at home - or picking one in a state known to have issues that your charity is trying to make better. Ex. I picked a Planned Parenthood to support in Texas. Remember, you can always change your choice later.

3. Last step - Very Important! - change your amazon.com bookmark to smile.amazon.com -- Amazon only donates if you are on the smile.amazon.com site. Your account looks and functions exactly the same, and prices on your purchases do not go up. Only certain item are eligible, and starting out it seems like it's not a huge a donation, but every little bit helps.


Need a little extra boost to get this done? Report back here that you did it!

Comments

[tassosss]

Done! I picked Planned Parenthood for my charity.

[the_rck]

I've had this set up to pay out to my local food bank for a few years now. I was a little startled that it was actually an option given that it's a local organization that isn't, so far as I know, affiliated with any larger organization. It's worth checking if there's a small local charity you particularly want to support, and food banks in particular can do a lot with even small amounts of money.

[tassosss]

Ooh, good point about supporting food banks.

[the_rck]

I came to wanting to do that from volunteering at my daughter's school. They had a pretty sizable contingent getting free lunches and breakfasts (the absolute numbers are public. The exact identities are not), and I remembered hearing, over and over, that one in four kids lives 'food insecure.' I'd watch a class in the school library and wonder which ones went hungry when school was cancelled. One in four out of thirty kids you're looking at right in front of you is a much more concrete thing, especially knowing their names and what they like to read.

[spikedluv]

What is the benefit of donating this way, is it a matching program? Thanks.

[tassosss]

From what I understand, when you buy something eligible, Amazon automatically makes a small donation. You do not have an added cost (as far as I can tell). Granted it's a tiny donation, but over time it will add up. I figure it can't hurt and it's easy to set up.

[spikedluv]

Ohhhh! Now I get it. You just order like usual and Amazon makes a small donation. Thanks for

[king_touchy]

Mine is set to NaNoWriMo, but I'm going to switch it out after November. I think I'll start with the ACLU and then go from there as needed. Thanks for the reminder.

[tassosss]

Awesome. :)

[st_aurafina]

I'm outside the US, so I wasn't sure what would be the best chapter of the ACLU or Planned Parenthood, so I went for the Southern Poverty Law Centre. I don't buy that much from Amazon, but at least that small amount will go towards it.

[cesy]

Sadly it only applies to amazon.com purchases, not amazon.co.uk purchases. But it's a great start.

[tanaqui]

FWIW, some charities have Amazon UK affiliate links:if you visit amazon.co.uk through a bookmark to the affilate link (mine has been set to the RNLI for many years), Amazon should give the charity a percentage of qualifying sales.

I'm not sure any of the charities with Amazon UK affiliate links would necessarily help with current events in the US, but it's worth bearing in mind for other charitable giving you want to do.

[zaluzianskya]

I have Planned Parenthood as my charity but I always forget to go to smile.amazon instead of www.amazon. But! I just found this Firefox addon to automatically redirect links to Amazon to go to Amazon Smile, so no more forgetting!

I found a Chrome addon too, but since I don't use Chrome I have no clue if it works.